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TweetScan for Business Intelligence

tweetscanlogoTwitter can be a powerful tool for getting your message out, but it also can become part of your business intelligence arsenal.  TweetScan can help you keep track of what is being said about your company and products and get updates via email, rss or on their website. You can scan up to five phrases for daily or weekly delivery.  Best of all, there are no ads or spam in the emails. It also can be used to check for lost replies and direct messages. TweetScan’s homepage has a keyword cloud representing hot topics on Twitter.  You can also search for specific keywords by particular users.

Using TweetScan for business intelligence may take a bit of experimentation.  Obvious keywords are your twitter username, company name and any brand names for products or services.  Less obvious keywords are those which may represent hot topics in your particular industry.  For those, try looking at industry blogs, forums and publications to see what’s hot and then use the TweetScan search functionality to see what people are saying about it.

Obviously this type of business intelligence works best if your industry has a large number of Twitter users.  But it can still be useful for keeping track of general industry topics.  Twitter’s usage is also growing fairly quickly since it easy to tweet from mobile phones, browsers and desktop applications.  From a business intelligence standpoint, it is a rich environment for research because Twitter users tend to be actively engaged in the community (even if they are only broadcasting and not interacting).

If you use Twitter for Business, please share in the comments how you keep track of conversations and important topics.

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Twittering for Business Startup Guide

bookslinpernilleYesterday we discussed some issues you should consider when deciding whether or not to twitter for your business.  Once you’ve decided to go forward, here’s how to get started:

Choose a Name

You’ll need a twitter name so that people can find you.  Usually businesses choose a name related to their company name or a particular brand.  If your name isn’t available, contact twitter.  According to their TOS, companies can gain control of names they own.

A little about you….

The bio and website information will give people an idea of what you do and why they might want to follow your updates.  These are especially important when people are searching for people to follow by keyword.

Publish your tweets

Setup your twitter feed on your blog and website, add your twitter address to your emails and other correspondence.  Twitter is a great way to quickly add snippits of information to your websites and keep in touch with your customers.

Welcome tweet

Even without any followers, make sure you at least have a welcome tweet.  People won’t follow you don’t have any tweets.

Find people to follow

You can use the twitter search to see if your customers already are on twitter, or find people to follow on blogs you read.  Many people will also follow you back when you follow them.

Listen & Respond

Listen to what’s being said and monitor twitter for mentions of your company and brands.  Politely respond to any concerns people have and to any questions you can be helpful with.

Be Relevant

Share relevant information with your customers via twitter.  Links to articles or posts of interest can be twittered.  Retweeting information others find can be a great way to connect too.

Keep Tweeting

You probably won’t find a twitter audience overnight, so keep sharing relevant information and use Twitter as another tool to connect with your customers.

Don’t Spam

While you need to keep providing good content, don’t overdo it.  Tweets should only be every so often else they get really annoying.  How often you can tweet depends on the tolerance of your audience, so it’ll take a bit of trial and error.  A few tweets per day should be safe.

Be Patient

It takes time to realize the benefits of Twitter.  Keep at it, keep listening and stay in the conversation.

What Twitter tips do you have?  Please share in the comments.

(photo by Lin Pernille Photography @ Flickr CC)

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11 Ways to use Social Media for your Business

socialseier

Now that you know a little more about what social media are, how do you use them for your business?

  1. Listen to what your customers are saying, not just about you, but what their concerns and problems are.
  2. Network with other companies and customers in your industry.  Get to know people.
  3. Connect with potential customers and partners.
  4. Share your expertise and information valuable to your niche.
  5. Answer questions and help others.
  6. Leads, for your company, but also for others in your network.
  7. Market subtly within your areas of expertise by being a part of the conversation.
  8. Reputation building, both for your company and for your personal brand.
  9. Content to add to your website, blog, resources, etc.
  10. Research what people think, what the next big thing will be, how to position yourself for the future.
  11. Traffic being directed to your blog and website.

How do you use social media for your business?  Please add to this list in the comments section.

(photo by seier+seier+seier @ Flickr CC)

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