If you don't know what Twitter is then according to Wikipedia.org:Twitter is an on-line social networking service and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based messages of up to 140 characters, known as "tweets".

With over 500 million registered users, of which there are over 200 million monthly active users, this would appear to be a great area to focus your marketing time, energy and possibly dollars, BUT WAIT. Before someone convinces you to throw marketing money at them to create a Twitter presence consider the following:


1. Who is actually getting the message you are sending ?

2. Who will be responsible for creating these "tweets" in your office ?


Here are some tips if you do make the leap:


1. Decide on your "tweeting" vision: This is how you want the focus of your tweets to be. Do you want to pass on jokes of the day? Offer specials on company products/service? Talk about industry issues or a combination of many ideas. You need to decide which direction you want to head in and create tweets that link you to your audience through this message.

2. Keep it professional: Once your message is out there..IT IS OUT THERE and you can't get it back.

3. New to Twitter, ask an expert: If you have teenage kids...grab them..if not find the closest one. 20minutes with them will help you immensely.

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4. Find a "ghost" Tweeter: If technology is not your thing but you want to get your company to have some presence then hire a "ghost" tweeter. The summer is a great time to hire a student to help you get some social media presence and their knowledge in this area coupled with your industry thoughts could help get your name out there without taking you away from your core business needs.

5. Keep "Tweets" short and sweet: You have 140 characters at a time..use them wisely. A report by "Buddy Media" showed that Tweets shorter than 100 characters get a 17% higher engagement rate.

6. Tweet Often: Most users have a screen that shows them the most current tweets with older ones scrolling down. Because of this some people say that 2 to 5 a day is a good range to make sure you presence keeps it in the visible area more often.

7. Be Patient: Unless you are a celebrity or sports figure you won't have a huge following, especially right away. Make a plan or a goal to see the effectiveness of this type of social interaction. Offering discounts or other incentives to those that contact you because of tweets area great idea, especially at first.

Is Twitter for your company? Perhaps, but come up with a plan and realistic expectations on what you want to get out of it and then evaluate after a reasonable period of time.

I hope you found the information above helpful. If you have any questions or comments about my thoughts please don't hesitate to contact me. I always like to discuss and learn how the "NEW MEDIA" can help us do business in today's crazy fast paced IT era.

Wayne Lipkus
President
Mobile Software Technology, LLC
waynel@mostfor.com

About Mobile Software Technology, LLC
With over 45 years of contracting experience and 20 years of software development experience MO.S.T. Contractor was formed in 2008 to solve the major workflow issues facing HVAC/Plumbing/Electrical contractors across the country.

Mobile Software Technology was formed to developed to make workflow from the field and office much simpler, more efficient and profitable. Our experience within the industry demonstrated to us that most Contractors handle the same data entry many times which is very inefficient. For more information visit us at www.mostfor.com