Is Twitter Making You Money or Wasting Your Time?

Twitter has exploded in the last year so it’s inevitable that business owners and independent professionals are wondering if it’s a worthwhile marketing strategy.  It certainly can be if it’s done correctly.

First of all, you need to understand what Twitter can do for you.  It isn’t a panacea but rather a tool in an already well defined marketing strategy.

Twitter can:

1.  Assist in brand building  You have the opportunity to offer valuable information and assistance delivered in the spirit of your brand.  Customizing your Twitter “landing page” offers you another opportunity for continuing your brand theme.

2.  Provide a venue for relationship building  Building familiarity is key to gaining your prospect’s trust.  Tweeting regularly (and relevantly) allows your potential clients begin to feel as if they know you and the way you do business.

3.  Be a valuable tool for gathering information  This is very useful and far reaching aspect of Twitter.  You can learn about potential clients, partner, and competitors.  You can conduct market research and gauge interest in services and products.

4.  Help you promote yourself  Tweeting about your latest projects, seminars, and special offers will assist you in being seen as the authority in your niche.  It can also help you drive an audience to your newsletters, blogs, and free or paid programs/products.

The key to successfully integrating Twitter into your marketing efforts is to keep your followers listening.  And the easiest way to do that is to make the majority of your tweets about them NOT you. Unless you’re a very well known person that people are just clamoring to know, your tweets need to be informative, useful, and relevant to your audience.

About the Author
Merlyn Sanchez, Business Coach and Marketing Consultant, teaches small business owners, consultants, and other solo professionals how to attract more clients, make more sales and have more time to enjoy their lives. For a free report outlining the “”8 SMART Strategies that Successful Business Owners Use to Attract More Clients™ and more tips on how to create a successful business, visit http://www.smartbusinessowners.com.

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