Tweeting Basics

Posted 2 Nov 2009

twitter-birdeMarketer predicts that over 18 million people will be using Twitter by the end of 2010, making Twitter one of the top 3 destinations on the Internet. Persistence, creativity, patience and consistent tweets will help you gain more Followers. Keep in mind that several of our recommendations could also apply to your Facebook Fan Page.

Follow the steps below to increase your presence on Twitter:

1) Sign up for an account if you don’t already have one.

2) Once you have tweeted a few times, find other users to follow. Follow people and companies in your industry, competitors (to know what they are tweeting about!), friends, colleagues, people and companies you admire (for business purposes). Twitter apps like Twellow can help you find others by topic. With time, people will start following you, too. Your tweets will be somewhat different from the life updates that most individuals share. Although life updates provide variety, keep them business-focused. For example: Got a great review on TripAdvisor? Thank the guest. Did they call out a specific team member or department? Thank them! Recommend people. Ask questions, encourage interaction!

3) Follow the tweet subjects below to maximize Twitter’s business utility:

  • Industry news, trends, sports, etc.
  • Live event feeds. If you have a special event at the hotel or restaurant, or if you are hosting a contest, have someone tweet it live. It can be a contest for team members as well. You can also tie it to charity causes, walks, marathons and special events that are happening in your city, state, or around the country. This would not only help a good cause, but also create awareness.
  • PR firefighting. If something that could potentially damage your reputation happens, post your defense on Twitter. A lot of big companies are doing this.
  • Job postings. Post short descriptions and a link to where followers can learn more and apply.
  • Promos, Special Offers, Last minute deals. Don’t forget to include a promo to exclusively reward your Twitter Followers! Some ideas: Free Drink, Free Coffee, Free Appetizer, Free Dessert, 10% off. Don’t forget to include restrictions. These promos are here to help you, not hurt you. Consider assigning a unique name that only your followers will be able to request. When they come in, they can request the special drink by name and get it free. Tweet contests are also a great idea – guess the winning team and get a free beer! – or special codes that people can show on their cell phones.
  • Reply to people’s tweets. Get in touch with them personally and within a reasonable time.
  • Retweet. Show others whose tweets you’re interested in.
  • Ask your followers for feedback, encourage interaction, ask questions. Ask about their experience with your property, new ideas for events, promos etc. If they bring up something negative, take it as a constructive criticism and work on getting the issue resolved.

4) Periodically search for who’s talking about you using #hashtag searches. For example, do a search #yourbusinessname to see who is talking about you. Use other hashtag searches to follow industry news and what other users are saying about your competitors.

5) Promote yourself and your page! Include Twitter logos on your hotel’s homepage (if you don’t already have it), your e-mail signature (your entire team could add it to their e-mail signature) and any correspondence and printed materials, including your business cards.

At WRS, we are here to help keep up with the latest trends in Social Media. We offer social media training sessions and social media setup and maintenance packages to better assist you. Contact us should you have any questions or desire more information. You can reach me at socialmedia@wrsol.com

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