20 Ideas for Twitter

You might have mixed feelings about Twitter. It sometimes appears to be not much more than a platform for bored people to give their opinion on things they know nothing about or insult people they don’t know.

For sole traders and small businesses, it can be a great marketing tool. You can engage with other businesses (local and national), suppliers and customers in a way that would be hard through other means.

Also, it’s worth looking at how other businesses use Twitter to sell services and products. Lessons worth learning!

Build an audience

Twitter is a very good way of getting a speedy response from big companies when the normal complaints channels don’t seem to be working. Tweets can be recirculated (reTweeted) at a pace that would seem faster than the speed of light. This great when it’s good news but potentially devastating when it’s an angry customer. You need to be vigilant about any complaints posted and address these rapidly or you can find your audience has turned against you.

So how do you go about using the platform to engage with others, what do you Tweet? To benefit and build an audience, it’s best to post something regularly.

20 Ideas

To get you started, here are a few ideas.

1. Follow suppliers and comment on products you like to use – they are likely to re-Tweet if positive
2. Follow local businesses and network online. Re-Tweet if you support their views
3. It’s a bargain – highlight special offers (yours or your suppliers)
4. Comment on relevant news items, local and national
5. Take photos of your work or products and comment
6. Add links to help guides such as those from trade organisations
7. Retweeting ain’t cheating – comment on other comments
8. Give helpful tips to customers
9. Reminders – for example Self Assessment deadline for accountants, last posting dates if a delivery service
10. Be seasonal –  wish people a happy Christmas, Diwali etc
11. Thank others for great service or product – be a business champion
12. Inspirational quotes
13. Local traffic updates if you have spotted an accident
14. Be the expert – show what you know. Comment on news stories which relate to your area of knowledge such as changes in legislation.
15. Support a good cause publicly and demonstrate your business values
16. Run a competition
17. Highlight new information on you website
18. Share your company news
19. Introduce new staff or recruit
20. Show what’s happening in your business right now – new delivery, McMillian coffee morning, happy staff, the office cat etc.