4 brand new Twitter marketing tips to boost your business

Twitter marketing is still a relatively nascent art, but the platform is already claiming its place as a serious business tool. Not only is it an ideal channel for promoting offers, but also for expressing brand sentiment and executing efficient customer service.

Many companies are still tweaking their strategies to fine tune their messaging, and working to adapt to the plethora of new tools on the market. Here, adapted from her video interview with Social Media Examiner, are some especially useful insights from Onefourty founder, Hubspot inbound marketing expert and author of Twitter for Dummies, Laura Filton.

1. Twitter tools are advancing – make use of them

A first visit to Twitter.com can expose you to a bombarding amount of ‘stuff’. It would be madness not to maximise your experience by using some of the best tools on the market – such as CoTweet, HootSuite and MediaFunnel – combining them for efficiency and impact. Check out onefourty.com for expert and user reviews and ratings, as well as industry-specific advice on which Twitter tools will assist you in sorting the wheat from the chaff.

2. If you learn one thing about Twitter – it is to be useful…

…or as Laura condenses it to four words: listen, learn, care and serve. Keep your fundamental business principles in mind by constantly asking what problem do you serve, what impact do you make and – most importantly – why should people care? “Focus on content around that and you’re going to win,” she assures.

3. Use Twitter to make the online-offline connection with your audience

For example, TwitGift’s service supplies free physical goodies, including chocolate chip cookies, to frustrated or influential customers via Twitter. This exemplifies a new and delicious level of customer service which is sure to boost engagement and improve brand perception, while capturing consumer data through a sign-up process.

4. Link up Twitter and SMS to interact with a vast audience

Twitter is poised to open the gates to a truly mass audience in the near future. You can use new tools such as FastFollow, which encourage your audience to text a number to become an instant Twitter follower (to visualise the potential – picture a rock star at Wembley telling the entire audience to text a number to join him on Twitter.) They are then instantly signed up to your SMS newsletter – receiving your company’s content direct to their mobile.