Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/84151
50 • OCTOBER 2012 • WORLD FENCE NEWS More customers at minimal cost: Who could argue with that goal? If you're like most fence retailers, you'd love to find ways to beef up sales with- out shelling out more money. How to? Social networking seems to be the answer for more businesses today. Twitter and Facebook especially are garnishing kudos for their ability to stretch the reach of a sales message into larger pools of customers. Let's take a look first at Twitter, a service which combines the immedi- acy of a phone call with the informa- tional content of a letter. The result is a high impact message that grabs cus- tomers and promotes loyalty to your business. Should you Tweet? When you use Twitter you send personalized messages, called "Tweets," that show up immediately on customer cell phones and e-mail programs. These "real time" messages announce business innovations of vital Profiting from social media Modern marketing tools can spark sales BY PHILLIP M. PERRY interest to your customers. They offer links to helpful articles. Even more im- portant, they respond to comments and questions with an immediacy that communicates your concern for your customers' well being and strengthens loyalty to your business. Twitter's proactive nature is espe- cially valuable for smaller operators. "Twitter is a great way for small busi- nesses to compete against the giant companies," says Frank F. Chiera, ex- ecutive vice-president for social media integration at Kel & Partners, the Boston-based public relations agency (www.kelandpartners.com). "Big outfits have the money to overpower the market with advertis- ing. Your situation is different: You have to be more creative in finding communications vehicles that target your best customers and most likely prospects." The good news is that Twitter won't demand much from you: It's easy to get started, it's free, and the people who do regularly engage on the network seem to be enthusiastic. An estimated 75 million people now "tweet" their time away on every topic imaginable from personal dining decisions to critical business moves. The secret to success is to find those participants who represent prospects for your business and then build your own list of "followers" who want to receive your tweets. Here's how to get started: Go to www.twitter.com and sign up for your free account. You don't need to pro- vide anything but your e-mail address. Type in your business name in the "real name" field. Then create a user- name and a password. Your next step should be to find out if your current customers are al- ready on Twitter. "Twitter is not for everybody," says Steve Dodd, a technology con- sultant in Toronto, Canada. "If you have customers living there then you should be there. If you don't, then there is no point." Use the Twitter search box to find some of your current customers. What topics are they tweeting on? How often are they posting messages? Also en- gage with customers personally. Ask "Are you using Twitter?" and find out what they like about the service. Be aware, though, that many peo- ple do not use their real names to post their tweets. So cast a wider net by searching for Tweets on subject areas of interest to you and your customers. You can do this by searching for topics by what Twitter calls "hash tags." Try searching for "fence instal- lation." Such searches will uncover posts from individuals whom you can "follow." In exchange, these people may start to follow you. Don't confine your market re- search to your current customers. Try searching for other businesses in your field as well as your suppliers. Start "following" them and watch what they do. What kind of tweets are they posting? How often? Are they taking pains to engage their customers in a personalized way, rather than just posting advertising? Are their customers responding in productive ways? Smart Tweets By this time you'll have a good idea as to Twitter's potential. If all signs are "go," then start tweeting on your own. tweeting: Here are some tips for successful • Emphasize relationship building. Avoid posting a series of ads. That will only irritate people and cause them to stop following you. Instead, empha- size how you want to assist your fol- lowers. "Get involved with other people who tweet on your topic and ask if you can assist," says Dodd. Relationship building will create a solid foundation for sales. • Encourage engagement. Twitter Many items in stock - caps, finials, rings, wall mounts, column bases ….. Custom made parts Short volume runs In-house tool & die shop Phone: 301-334-9100 Fax: 301-334-7846 www.cpalmerdiecastinginc.com is about conversation. "Businesses that use Twitter best don't just broadcast," says Dana Lookadoo, a Sacramento- area-based consultant (yoyoseo.com). "Avoid broadcasting 'me me me' messages. If you are just talking about yourself you are just posting a stream of information. Look at what people are saying and interact with them." Word your tweets in ways that in- vite feedback. For example: "What is the one thing that we can do to make our serv- ices better?" Thank everyone who re- sponds and ask people to comment on everyone else's responses. • Promote prudently. There's noth- ing wrong with posting an occasional advertisement, but do it in a way that rewards Twitter users. For example, occasionally post a link to a coupon that is good for a dis- count or a gift for any Twitter user who calls within 24 hours. • Vary your posts. Keep things in- teresting by varying the content of continued on page 52