A Guide To Twitter Marketing

Twitter has grown beyond all expectations since its inception 5 years ago and the popularity of this method of social networking has given rise to the social media marketing genre. Companies use the medium to interact via the medium to their customers and potential customers. The challenge, twitter limits its tweets, that's what they call their posts, to a 140 character limit. By keeping to a few basic guidelines, you can make the most of this medium

One of the first barriers to overcome when using Twitter as a marketing tool is learning how to get a marketing message across without going over Twitter's 140 character limit. Since it is difficult to give an accurate product description with such limitations, it's generally a good idea to include a link in each tweet to an expanded product description hosted elsewhere on the web. More often than not, this should be a site that allows the customer to purchase the product as well. With this in mind, it's advisable to use a service that shortens the product's URL to as few characters as possible, freeing up characters that can be used to encourage customers to click the link.

The key then becomes utilizing the tweet to adequately hook other Twitter users into following the link and hopefully purchasing the product. In standard marketing, this would usually involve talking up the product, which is fine for an actual product description on a website. On Twitter, however, this marketing has to be a little more creative. Instead of overly romancing the product or service, the tweet should tease the reader into clicking on the link. One of the most effective ways to do this is through the use of humor. Finding a way to incorporate humor into the tweet about the product will not only encourage users to purchase the product but it will also encourage other Twitter users to "retweet" the link to others, further increasing the product's exposure.

If incorporating humor isn't an option, another suggestion is to offer a way in which the product or service could help potential customers. If the product is a revolutionary laundry detergent, for instance, the tweet could start off by asking "Need a product that can get rid of any stain? Click the link for a revolutionary development," or something similar. By phrasing a tweet like this, it doesn't seem as much like a sales pitch, but rather someone trying to help others with a common problem.

Once the marketing message has been condensed to less than 140 characters, the struggle then becomes gaining exposure on Twitter. In order to gain a presence on Twitter, a link should be incorporated onto the company's site that easily allows customers to follow the company on Twitter. A product-specific link can also be used on each page to encourage users to share the product with others on Twitter. A hashtag can also be used to more easily allow users to find a particular tweet that relates to what they're searching for. If the hashtag "trends" on Twitter, the product will gain even more exposure. Twitter even offers to promote tweets for a nominal fee. Gaining twitter followers who will share the company's tweets and products with others is the quickest way to a successful Twitter marketing campaign.