Should Your Business Use Twitter for Marketing?
There is no doubt Twitter can be a powerful marketing tool for your business.
Many people make Twitter part of their daily routine, checking their feed first thing when they wake up, right before they go to bed, and many times in between.
But should your business use twitter for marketing? There’s no right and wrong answer to this question, however, there are several things to consider before you decide if marketing your business with Twitter will be profitable and workable in your business plan.
Will You Connect with Customers on Twitter?
Twitter is a great social media tool for connecting with customers, but if your customers are not using Twitter you are wasting your marketing time and money.
If your strategy is to communicate branding, value, special offers, and business related news, and your customers aren’t using Twitter, then they’re not getting the message you want to convey. However, if you have an active Twitter following, using this social media platform for connection and communication can be invaluable.
Since most avid Twitter users check their Twitter feed several times a day, including first thing in the morning, at lunchtime, and before they go to bed. These are prime times for you to connect with your customers.
Automate your tweets so that you can connect with your audience morning, noon and night.
Depending on your marketing plan, you can communicate product specials, other products and services, and invite customer feedback through Twitter. By learning how to use hash tags effectively, you can track customer concerns and positive reviews for better customer service.
One downside to using Twitter to connect with customers is the constant stream of information hitting customers every second.
Your important communication may get lost, however, there are ways to overcome this challenge with a consistent, workable tweeting plan.
Do You Have the Time to Devote to Tweeting Regularly?
For Twitter to be successful in reaching your customers you need to put the time into creating effective tweets.
Tweeting regularly shows that your profile is active. If you tweet sporadically or only once or twice a week at unpredictable times, you will get lost in the flood of other tweeters who are vying for your customers’ attention.
To be a successful tweeter you should pre-plan your tweets and have a schedule as to when you want to send them. This takes time. Time you may not have, however, without preparation and careful planning the time you do spend on marketing on Twitter can be wasted.
There are several ways to reduce the time spent marketing your business on twitter including scheduling posts instead of tweeting live and hiring a social media management service.
However, someone will still need to take the time to schedule and respond to tweets and hiring a social media management service might not be in your budget.
Do You a Have Social Media Maintenance Budget?
If you don’t have time to devote to setting up and maintaining your Twitter account, then you need a social media management service. But before you hire one, you need to determine if outsourcing is in your budget.
Launching a new Twitter account with content creation and customer interaction can run between $2000- $4000. On top of that your business will be charged an additional monthly maintenance fee.
Even if you have an existing Twitter account, you may need restructuring to take your business to the next level and have Twitter be effective for marketing your business. This could also run between $1000-$5000 a month depending on your goals and needs.
Deciding whether or not you should use Twitter for marketing your business comes down to knowing your goals and marketing plan.
Do you want to establish your brand and connect with customers? Are you interested in profiting from marketing with Twitter? Will the time spent marketing your business on Twitter yield the payoff you’re looking for? And most importantly, do you have the time and money to invest to make your marketing on Twitter a success?