How to use Twitter for a small business

Posted by Professional Writing Services

May 5, 2010

How to use Twitter when you have a small business is the topic for my rant today.

BTW Most of my SEO specialist work is moving to working exclusively with web designers for their small business clients which is where a lot of my rants are coming from.

What I’ve noticed is that some of the big issues facing those I work with, and that keeps rearing its head, are the multitude of questions that come in from clients.

These questions usually have nothing to with the work being provided to the client.

However, when you are the go-to person it is usually a good idea to help out–the problem is that these questions take a lot of time and don’t usually pay your bills or earn income.

I’ve said it before and I will say it again, the job of the web team is to help a client with specific work not to tutor or instruct them–unless of course you offer classes.

This makes me want to ask, “Do you have specific tasks and services clearly outlined for your clients?”

If not, perhaps you need to make that a priority.

Helping clients (aka exceptional customer service) earns good will and referrals…but one of the reasons I am working on the Small Business Guide to Websites & SEO is to take away some of that burden because it is bogging down web professionals all around the web.

Hence, they are not answering their phones and then the client complains to people like me.

Anyway, I had to laugh since one of the mutual clients I share with a very adept web designer emailed me asking me to teach her about Twitter.

Eesh–someone told her it was a good idea.

Is it?

Yes and No.

Yes, because all businesses or organizations should be on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

They can find you, interact with you and you can better connect with them if. you. use. it. right.

Big Bear businesses and the surrounding rural towns fail on this one big time–the exception being those Realtors who are working overtime.

But we already set this client up and she is good to go–even optimized for it.

However, no is the other answer because in the Twitterverse a business needs quality versus quantity to attract the right people to it and to maintain good relationships with those people.

However, someone misled our small business buddy into believing that she needs a lot of followers to help her out.

Which is the wrong reason to add people.

Most people would not do that in their non-virtual life–why would you in cyberspace?

Yes, yes, some markets (like social media marketing) do go crazy with numbers. BUT that is their business and what they do!

Quite frankly I am amazed at those who actually manage their business with thousands of followers.

The best way for a small business to grow on Twitter is to