Dear retailers, the little blue bird dwelling in www.twitter.com has turned a right-hand man for people in the retailing business. Really, it can be an excellent content marketing tool for you! A study by Compete, a media data analyzing company stated that Twitter-ites who see a retailer tweet are more likely to visit the retail website and make a purchase.
It was after @ernestsewn, a clothing brand that other retailers realized the impact of this tweeting site. Check out these tips to learn how the retailer can bloom through the blue bird:
Bloom while you sing the blues with the Twitter Blue Bird
Sign up on www.twitter.com. It’s is free and quick to create an account.
Tip #1 Listen before you tweet
It isn’t just about tweeting; it is about posting an informed and relavant tweet. Listen to what your competitors are tweeting and analyze the strategies they are using to engage their followers. Follow what potential customers are saying and looking for.
For example, you could search for people who have mentioned your business on Twitter and thank them. This will help you gain even more visibility and hopefully inspire customer loyalty.
Tip #2 Get a voice for your brand
Twitter provides a brand voice. Your brand isn’t solely a ‘brand’; it can engage in conversations, interacts with potential customers and engages them. Choose an authentic voice that works best for your brand.
Customers will relate and respond more if they find your tweets to be more conversational, rather than one directional.
For example, a person tweeted to @HamptonCoffee saying that the coffee talk is making his mouth water and that he will stop by at Hampton. @HamptonCoffee responded saying ‘Ask for Juan at the front counter. Lunch’s on us’.
You need not always need to give something to those who mention you. You don’t want to bag a loss. Kohl’s ensures that they respond to every tweet they are mentioned in a fun and non-formal manner. Simple!
Tip #3 Create a Tweet calendar
With a content calendar, you can form a recurring weekly cadence. On a certain day in the week, say a Sunday, tweet a promotion offer that is exclusively available only on Twitter.
Tip #4 Presentation matters!
For any business, it is very much about making a first impression. The first impression on twitter comes from the look of your page. Embed your brand in the ‘look’ of your page so as to reinforce it into people’s minds even if they only glance at your page. You can use the avatar and background to brand your page.
For example, as you land on the page of Target (@Target), the graphics and colours are clearly branded: “Target!”
Tip #5 Track your reach
You can search what twitter-ites are saying about your brand using tagged conversations, hashtags or the basic search bar. To further increase you reach, use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite to run more than one account and schedule and monitor your tweets. You can also peep and see how many people your tweets have reached to through tweetreach.com.
So dear retailers, bloom while you sing the blues with the blue bird!
Image source: http://blog.commarts.wisc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/twitter_bird_follow_me.jpg