AUDIO: The secrets to getting Twitter traffic

TORONTO, ONTARIO
June 30, 2009 12:01am

Twitter is not just for aimless, inane comments. As one of the most powerful of the new social media such as Facebook and YouTube, Twitter is being used by businesses to increase sales.

But used inappropriately, it can sink sales just as fast, cautions Alicia Whalen, an expert “e-strategist” and principal of A Couple of Chicks Marketing of Toronto, Ontario.

“The key with Twitter is that it is really an amazing communications vehicle,” says Ms. Whalen. “It’s allowing consumers direct access to brands. From a marketing perspective, it allows the brand to have a personality.”

Ms. Whalen says one of the great strengths of Twitter is its free direct access to customers that a business may not otherwise be able to reach.

Before you start “tweeting,” make sure your company’s website is up to date and looks as professional as possible, says Ms. Whalen.

She also says that when creating a Twitter page for your company, make sure your user name is a real name of an employee. The Twitter page should feel like a conversation and followers need to feel as if they are talking to a real person, she says.

Following is one of the most important aspects of Twitter, she says. A fast and easy way to find potential customers is to visit a competitor’s twitter page and follow their followers, Ms. Whalen suggests.

(Alicia Whalen suggests more tips to tap Twitter’s powers in today’s CVBT Audio Interview. Please left-click on the link below to listen now or right-click to download the MP3 audio file for later listening.)

“Once you have created your twitter page, found followers and engaged in conversation, you should see a spike in your company’s website activity and sales,” says Ms. Whalen.