You probably already have a Twitter account for your business and regularly send out tweets that are informative and helpful to your followers. You might reply to all inquiries and use your Twitter account as a venue for Q&A, customer service or a mode to distribute news and information about your company. But is simply sending out tweets and replying to your followers enough?
One of your main goals for using Twitter for business should be interaction. That’s what social networking is all about: being social. So how do you get your followers to interact with you? Here are five easy, cost-effective steps you can take to convert your followers from being passive readers of tweets to active participants in a conversation.
Hold a Contest Nothing generates more buzz online than word that a company is giving something away. Have a contest and you’re sure to get people tweeting. Encourage your followers to take some sort of action to help spread the word about the contest, either by retweeting or posting the contest info on their Facebook page. Be sure to keep in mind any legal terms and conditions that you will need to adhere to for your contest to be legit. And remember to post your contest guidelines somewhere on your website and link to it in tweets so the rules are easy to follow and view.
Give a Special Offer Make your offer one that’s nearly impossible for a fan to refuse. And make exclusive to Twitter followers or Facebook fans only. With a special offer made just for them, you’ll make them feel special and glad that they’re ‘part of your club’ and following you. It might be a discount, a freebie or a ‘two-for one.’ Regardless, an offer distributed to Twitter or Facebook users alone might help you generate more followers or ‘likes’ and help create a buzz around your offer that can have far-reaching effects through social sites.
Have an Event Throw a Twitter party or a Tweetup as a way to open the lines of communication in a fun, interactive way. Pick a date, time and hashtag, as well as a theme. Invite an expert on the subject of the party to join you as a guest host to help answer questions of those in attendance. Give away some prizes during the party to generate more attention while promoting it and attracting more people to the event. A Twitter party can be a fun and informative event that not only gives your followers the opportunity to learn from you and interact with you in real time, but gets them talking about your business before, during and after the event. (For a guide to the differences between Twitter parties and Tweetups, click here).
Seek Opinions Another great way to engage your followers is to ask them for their input. Often TweeParties has asked our followers about what they like or don’t like about Twitter parties, things they would like to see change, what some of their favorite events have been like, etc.. The feedback we have received not only has shaped the way we host parties, but it also has helped us stay connected with our followers and better understand their needs and expectations. It’s a win/win situation: you engage your followers in a conversation, and you gain valuable feedback that you can apply to make your business even better. You’re also showing your followers that their opinions matter.
Make Them Feel Special People like to feel that they are part of something special. Everyone wants to be a VIP. This last point calls on you to make your followers feel that they are part of a select group or club. They’re your followers so they must be an awesome group of people, right? Make them feel that way by creating special offers or giveaways just for them; let them be the first to learn of any news or changes within your company or with your products or services; and always do what you can to respond to their tweets in a timely manner. Give them a peek at the ‘face’ or personality behind the Twitter avatar. Let them know that there’s a person (or persons) behind those tweets and that you’re hearing what they’re saying. Make a connection and you’re sure to feel the love in return. Or hopefully, feel the love in the form of more tweets and retweets about your business.
Tags: Engage followers, social media tips, Twitter, Twitter party
