5 Local Business Twitter Tips

Internet Marketers have, as usual, jumped all over the latest technology – Twitter – in addition to other forms of social media.

Twitter can be a useful tool for local business, though, if it’s used properly. I found some tips from a member of a new band who wanted to keep Twitter from becoming a “time wasting black hole”.

1. Clean up the Twitter feeds you subscribe to. If you are using it for business you don’t need to be following international rock stars or other celebrities. By filtering out most of the “noise” his band was able to quickly pick up on somebody looking for a band on short notice.

2. Subscribe to Twitter feeds with a purpose. Subscribe to local people who relate to, or can affect, your business – in his case it was local bands, clubs and club bookers.

3. Focus your Twitter posts (Tweets) on local issues. You are a local business, so attract local followers with topics that affect them.

4. Interact. The more the better. Like all Web 2.0 it takes work, but can also be fun to interact with your followers.

5. Take the relationship to the next step. Use Twitter which is, after all, a form of social networking to take the next step into the real world with your followers – whether that’s a lunch date with another local business owner or a sponsored party or seminar.

One final tip. You are not trying to build a huge following, you are trying to build trust – build your brand. Don’t try and sell stuff through Twitter. Establish a relationship with your followers. Then, maybe, provide a link to your blog or site for more information on a topic you are Tweeting.