8 Ways to Market with Twitter as a Creative Business Leader

Marketing with Twitter can put you in touch with millions of prospective customers. If you’ve used Twitter for any length of time you likely also realize the impact Twitter gives you to keep in touch with your current customers and clients as a creative business leader, helping you to strengthen existing relationships and gain repeat sales. 

Business Insider reports in its March 31, 2011 “How Many Users Does Twitter Really Have?” article that of Twitter’s stated 175 million registered users, 85 million have one or more followers and 119 Twitter accounts that follow one or more other accounts. Given that there could be some overlap between the two, it appears that a large number of Twitter accounts are not held by active users. On the other hand, Twitter reports that it receives and sends nearly four billion SMS (Sending a Text Message) messages a day. All it all, Twitter leaves you with sizable working room to market your products and services as a creative business leader. 

Some Small Business Owners Open Twitter Accounts Instead of Building Websites

In fact, some small business owners open a Twitter account and forego building a website altogether (not a supporter of that choice, but it’s proven to be successful for some creative business leaders). There’s next to no cost to maintain a Twitter account unless you hire a writer to create and post your Twitter messages for you. Create an account and no one knows whether you’re a small two-person mom and pops hardware store or a mid-size retailer.  

Because you can search on Tweets it’s a good idea to use one to two keywords that are relevant to your creative business when posting messages to your Twitter account. Additional ways you can market your company on Twitter as a creative business leader include: 

• Tweeting about specific discounts or specials you’re running at your brick and mortar store or website (Tweet about events that happen during the discounts – e.g. a lady entering the store wearing an elegant, feather hat, a customer coming in during the sale with a dog dressed in a leather jacket)
• Post information about stops you’re making as a creative business leader (e.g. book tour locations, speaking engagements)
• Post a Twitter “Follow” button on pages at your creative business website
• Upload pictures to your Twitter account (As of September 21, 2011 carriers you can upload photos from are “AT&T, Verizon Wireless and C Spire Wireless in the US; Vodafone, O2 and Orange in the UK; Vodafone Italy; Rogers Communications in Canada; VIVA Bahrain; and, TIM Brazil.” Twitter is working to expand the carrier list.)
• Tweet from your telephone while you’re at exciting business or community events
• Follow “Twitter Blog” to keep up with the latest Twitter updates
• Target Twitter accounts that have similar interests that you do (As with other marketing efforts, instead of trying to reach “everyone” connect with people who already have a genuine interests in your products and services.)
• Follow marketing gurus and gain free tips you can use while Tweeting and during other marketing campaigns 

Who knows for sure how many individual Twitter users there are? What is clear is that creating a Twitter account as a creative business leader, especially if you’re a writer, painter, singer, musician or other creative artist who owns the rights to your work as an entrepreneur, can help you to get your message in front of tens of millions of people. If you create separate personal, colleague and creative business Twitter accounts you can also keep in touch with family, friends and team members on the social network.  

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Sources:

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/heart/articles/2008/06/23/time-in-the-sun-how-much-is-needed-for-vitamin-d (New York Times: Marketing Small Business with Twitter)

http://blog.twitter.com/2011/06/searchphotos.html (Twitter Blog)

http://articles.businessinsider.com/2011-03-31/tech/30049251_1_twitter-accounts-active-twitter-user-simple-answer (Business Insider: How Many Users Does Twitter Really Have)