Many small business owners don’t see how Twitter can help them market their business. But many major retailers have already gotten the hang of the Internet’s fastest-growing and most talked-about social media site and are using it to their advantage.

• Dell recently announced it’s made $7 million in sales through Twitter, by hanging out and tweeting with “no strategy” in particular.
• Best Buy’s Twelpforce has answered 20,000 customer questions since July, and is featuring Twelpforce in company TV ads.

How can you use Twitter to grow your business? Here are 5 basic tips to get you started.

1. Make a profile. Fill it out completely, providing a good description of your business, and a link to your company Web site. You may want to set up two or more Twitter accounts – perhaps one as a customer-service channel, and another as the main company page.
2. Listen & learn. At first, don’t post much… just search for Twitter users in your sector who have a lot of followers and watch what they’re saying. Follow them – some will follow you back and you’ll start to build an audience. Locate influential Twitter users and read their Twitter tips.
3. Care & share. Start retweeting interesting posts from others. Participate in discussions. Search on your company name and find customers with problems – then solve them. Share news about your company too, but keep it to about one-quarter of your total posts.
4. Attract attention. Hold a contest, take a poll, make a Twitter-only free offer, ask a question, or start a hashtagged discussion thread (a key word that begins with the # sign). Start a blog on your company Web site and post links to your posts on Twitter to draw visitors over to your URL.
5. Promote it. Feature your Twitter handle prominently on your own site and in all your marketing materials to help customers and prospects connect with you on Twitter and build your following.

(Source From Register)

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