Design Rangers Camp Blog

Design Rangers has the pleasure of posting this article written for us by Tammy Oler – our dear friend and awesome wordslinging partner. Enjoy!

Twitter for Business: Using 140 Characters and a Good Strategy to Build Your Community

As media buzz builds about Twitter, more and more businesses and organizations are starting to realize that the micro-blogging site is not just a teen textfest or an outlet for discussing your breakfast cereal of choice.  In fact, Twitter has evolved into a thriving professional network, a real-time news feed, and an effective way to share information and resources online.   So what can your organization do with 140 characters?  A lot.  

Here are four powerful Twitter activities that are essential to any good social media strategy:

Listen. Twitter is a powerful tool for finding out what people know and think about an organization, a product, an issue, news, or an event.  Use Twitter to find and solicit feedback and opinions.  But be prepared to receive honest feedback, which means that it may be less-than-positive.  It may not be what you want to hear, but it might be what you need to hear. Twitter’s search engine isn’t bad, but there are lots of robust search tools out there.  Check out Twitter Search, Tweetbeep, Twazzup, Tweefind, and TweetDeck.

Reach Out and Connect. Twitter is a great way to post news, events and promotions, but don’t stop there.  Post links to related information, and retweet news and resources that will be valuable to your followers.  This is especially powerful for non-profit organizations, but it’s useful for businesses, too.  And don’t just promote yourself!  Give your followers useful resources, inform them, and entertain them — you’ll build credibility and loyalty.

Promote and Join Conversations. Talk to your followers, respond to questions, and join conversations that you discover through searches.  Remember: Twitter isn’t just a communications or marketing tool.  It should also be part of your customer service strategy!

Give Your Organization a Personality. Your customers don’t want to interact with a brand identity or a public relations message. The best way to create trust and relationships is to be honest, ethical, transparent and friendly.  In other words: be human. Check out this great Mashable post (with examples!): 7 Secrets to Tweeting Your Corporate Culture.  My favorites: reveal industry insights, profile customer successes, and be responsive.

If your organization isn’t on Twitter, you’re missing out on a lot of opportunities to connect.  And if you’re already using it, make sure that you’ve got a strategy to get the most out of it.  When it comes to building your business or cultivating a community, every 140 characters count!

Tammy Oler is a freelance wordslinger, consultant and member of the Design Rangers Auxiliary in Brooklyn, NY.  Follow her on Twitter here.