5 ways to make Twitter a more effective business tool

As the turmoil in Egypt continues, I was amazed, once again, to see the influence of Twitter on world politics. It got me thinking about how, even though its efficacy can be seen on the world stage, many companies are still baffled by Twitter or still don't seem to realize its potential as a communication tool. This usually stems from their inability to understand how to effectively leverage the medium.

With that in mind, I'd like to share five things you can do to make Twitter more valuable to your marketing objectives and business goals.

1. Develop a Twitter Strategy
   It may seems obvious, but history is littered with examples of things that seem obvious but were overlooked. Most companies understand the popularity of Twitter, and want a presence. So, they create an account and send out a couple of tweets. But you need more than a presence nowadays. You need to develop a solid strategy that enhances your business goals. How do you want to use Twitter? What do you want to accomplish by using Twitter? What will you tweet about on Twitter?

   Map out your Twitter strategy and ensure that it aligns with your overall business goals. Only then can you measure its effectiveness.

2. Create a Twitter Schedule
   The effective use of Twitter is a commitment. Unfortunately, like a new exercise routine, Twitter is often used vigorously when companies first adopt it, only to be left neglected in a few weeks or months. One way to overcome this burn out is to create a schedule. If you are maintaining a corporate twitter account by yourself, then give yourself a certain time every day to tweet. Consistency is key in this situation. 

   If you are part of a larger company, then create a group schedule. Either have people systematically log into and take over Tweeting from a single account at certain periods of the day. Or if you have multiple accounts, have each Tweet at a different time of the day. This way, your company maintains a consistent presence on Twitter.

3. Provide Value
   As with anything in social media, you need to provide value. If all you do is retweet what others have created, you'll soon be ignored and be seen as irrelevant. Find and tweet good information. Of course, that is not to say that retweeting is bad. It just has to be done in moderation. And if you do retweet, try not to retweet information from very popular Twitter accounts. More than likely, your followers have already seen the link.

   If your company has multiple Twitter accounts, use the individual strength of these accounts effectively.  For example, your Director Sales could tweet about sales techniques and sales tactics. Your CIO could tweet about IT as it applies to your industry.  Your designer could tweets about graphic arts, cool new design tools, etc.

4. Leverage Twitter for SEO
   Google recently confirmed that social networking has an impact on search. And as such, you need to address the SEO aspects of Twitter.  Start with your Twitter bio. Just as you would optimize your Web site with keywords, you must do the same with your Twitter bio. It should be authentic, obviously, but also, if possible, keyword heavy. Also, use keywords in your Tweets when appropriate. Another tactics that increases your "Google juice" with Twitter is too provide good content (see #3 above). But more than that make that great content easily retweetable. That means not using all 140 characters and leaving space for comments or for the "RT <@your Twitter handle>:" if they like to use the old school style (which I do).
5. Use Twitter as a Sales Tool
   Believe it or not, but Twitter is a great  sales tool. And by that I don't mean you post links to your latest products or sales. But from the point of view of trying to establish a relationship with a new client, Twitter is a great tool. Commenting on a tweet and retweeting are great ways to establish business relationships with people. It goes without saying, although I'm saying it anyway, that these communication must be authentic.  However, if you authentically follow the tweets of someone you'd like to establish a business relationship with, Twitter can make breaking the ice and developing that relationship a lot easier and a lot faster.

I'm sure for some of you these tips seemed remedial. But for those still with doubts about Twitter, I hope that these tips shed light on the fact that, if used correctly, Twitter can be another effective tool in your marketing arsenal.

What do you think? How do you use it and how does it have value for your business? 

Kevin Duffy is the Creative Director for The Duffy Agency's Boston office.

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