Out of all the different social media platforms available, Twitter has become one of the most popular choices among smart business owners. According to a recent survey from BIA/Kelsey and ConStat, Twitter use among SMBs more than doubled between 2009 through the fourth quarter of 2010 to reach 19 percent. At its current rate, Twitter use among businesses will equal Yellow Page use by the end of the year.

Although a large number of SMBs have signed up, many are still unfamiliar with how to get the most out of it. The following are a few ways business owners can leverage Twitter in their social media marketing campaigns.

Show some personality

Twitter can be a powerful way to show your company’s unique culture and strengthen your brand.  Posting    interesting and entertaining things will make your company seem more friendly and accessible to your customers and prospects. Try sharing humorous stories, or links to interesting articles that relate to your industry. You can even customize your Twitter background to reflect your personality even more.

Twitter background inspiration

Offer people something

Give people a reason to follow you. Give free advice, answer questions, conduct a contest where the 20th reply gets something for free, give a discount, etc.  The key is not to talk AT people, but to talk WITH them.  Using Twitter Search (link to search.twitter.com), you can search keywords related to your industry, and engage with people asking questions.  They will see you as an expert, and are more likely to refer others to you.

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Drive traffic

Make sure to provide links in your tweets back to your website, blog, online store, press releases, or whatever else you want people to click on. Problogger.net’s Darren Rowse has had success driving blog traffic by tweeting a question and including a link to his blog. “Instead of telling your Twitter audience that you’ve published a new post, ask them their opinion on the core topic you’ve covered,” says Rowse. “Asking a question engages your Twitter followers and solicits their experience.” The more followers you have, the more likely it is that at least some of them will click through. Additionally, the more followers you have, the better the odds are that your tweet will get re-tweeted, giving you even more exposure.

Follow relevant users

A big mistake that many users make is trying for quantity over quality when it comes to who they follow. While it might not matter for the average user, savvy business owners should concentrate on targeting who they follow. You want to build relationships with people in your target area that are likely to purchase your products/services. An event marketing company in Denver is not very likely to receive business from a 9-year-old in New York who is tweeting about his favorite video games.  Again, the search feature is a great way to find quality connections.

Make sure people know of your profile outside of Twitter

You can’t efficiently build a Twitter following if nobody knows about your profile. Post links to your Twitter page on your Facebook profile, your website, your blog, your email signature, or anywhere else where people outside of Twitter might see it. Post your Twitter handle in your storefront window, or your promotional flyers. The more creative you can get, the more people will remember you.

Simply put, social media is all about interacting and building relationships.  Combining the above five simple techniques while making your tweets interesting, relevant, and friendly, will go a long way to improve the effectiveness of your social media marketing campaigns.

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