Use Twitter to boost your publicity efforts
By now, you’ve heard of Twitter, a social media service.
Considered a combination of social networking and texting, Twitter allows users to write short (140 characters or less) messages which anybody can read.
Often used by companies as an alternative to memos and even intra-office email, Twitter allows almost instant distribution of messages to a large number of people at once. If you have something appealing to say, you can find yourself with a large number of users following your tweets (as Twitter messages are known) in a short amount of time.
That’s why it can become a great avenue for getting the word out about you and your business.
You can use Twitter as a way to notify your readers about news and exciting developments, develop a powerful presence – as do many celebrities – and develop more credibility as an expert.
Since Twitter allows you to create a sort of personal relationship (or at least a perceived relationship) with your followers, it can be a powerful tool to create appeal in whatever you’d like to let the world know about. On Twitter, there’s a level of intimacy that many will recognize immediately: Call it the “Wow! Demi Moore just sent me a text! She’s eating lunch!” factor. (I used to brag to my pals that I had a conversation with Supermodel/Entrepreneur Kathy Ireland on Twitter, but at least our conversation was about healthcare… not lunch!)
Start by signing up for a Twitter account and filling out a profile page; try to give a feeling of how you’re an expert in your field and share a bit of your personality. Others who resonate with who you are and what you have to say will find you and follow you.
Using Twitter as a Publicity Tool
If you’re promoting a organization, it’s a good thought to find other business owners in your industry who are on Twitter and observe those with the largest followings to find out what they are Tweeting about. They are doing something right so follow in their footsteps by finding out what’s working.
Boring posts about what you had for lunch or your kid’s bowling score won’t inspire people much. Instead, place interesting view about your area of expertise, occasionally including a link to your site when related to the content of your Tweet.
If you’re not familiar with text messaging, the 140 character limit may be challenging at first. If it helps, think of it as a form of haiku; economy is the key to writing Twitter posts.
Make sure to invite folks you already know to follow your Tweets. Like other social networking sites, people are more likely to start following your Twitter feed if their acquaintances do. You’ll start off with a small following, but it will grow.
Post at least once a day and before you know it, you’ll have the attention of more Twitter users than you ever thought possible. And as these people get to know, like and trust you, they will turn to you when they have a problem that can be solved by you.
