Social Media Tools - Twitter

I have to admit that Twitter is still a bit of an enigma to me. Even after attending a small business seminar on how to use it to promote your business, it is still one of the less utilized tools I use. I think that needs to change this year. I’ve read many articles online extolling the virtues and benefits of Twitter as a business strategy that works.

My Twitter username (or handle) is @jasper_moon. Jasper Moon is the name of my company. If you type that into the search box, my name/company comes up. That is what you want, for people to be able to find you. Keep it simple and straight forward. If your name is Mary Smith and your company name is Mary & Co., don’t have a username like @shopgirl. No one will ever discover you and the fantastic products you offer, defeating your whole purpose.

When tweeting (sending a message/post) on Twitter, use hashtags whenever you can. A hashtag is a word or an unspaced phrase prefixed with the hash symbol (#). You will notice words in messages on social networking services such as Facebook, Google Plus, Instagram, Twitter, etc. that may be tagged by putting "#" before them.

Hashtags make it possible to group such messages, allowing you to search for the hashtag and get the set of messages that contain it. Please note, hashtags are not linked or connected to pictures or messages from different platforms.

So, when I type #prayerbeads into the Twitter search, I see other people who are talking about prayer beads on Twitter and can connect with (Follow) them if I want. Hopefully, they will follow me back. The more followers you have, the more exposure you get. And look, there is my recent tweet about a set of prayer beads that I have listed on Etsy.

But how to get more Followers? For starters, make sure your profile is complete with an avatar that shows your face or company logo and a solid bio or description.

You should have a minimum of one tweet per day, ideally three to five posts per day to maximize your visibility. Make sure you're tweeting on a variety of subjects and not just your personal thoughts or what you're doing at the moment.

Talk about your hobbies and interests, share a piece of insightful advice, a great tutorial you found and the occasional sales pitch for your products. Post interesting links on current events. Post pictures, videos and even sound clips here and there can make your posts more fun to follow.

Embrace digital platforms, like Twitter, and discover new ways to engage your customers, sell your goods, and spread your message.