In today’s environment
you need to know how to utilize the resources available to you. For example 90% of all new restaurants go out
of business within 5 years. The primary
reason is lack of focus and poor location.
But there is a way to increase your odds of succeeding and that is by
targeting social media.
The business world is
buzzing with talk of Twitter’s highly anticipated initial public offering (IPO)
set to take place this week, giving the company a value of more than $14
billion. Since its launch in 2006,
Twitter has made communicating in 140 characters or less a way of life for consumers and helping businesses increase their sales.
For some small business
owners using the micro-blogging site to reach the consumers most likely to
purchase can be both confounding and arduous. If you own a coffee shop, how do
you find the Starbuck customers you want to win over in your area? Wouldn’t it
be great if you could get an alert each time someone tweets about a product you
sell or service you provide?
Restaurant owner Eduardo Torres, of Sip
restaurant in South Miami has turned to Twitter to help bring in customers.
“Social media in
general is great for generating
exposure,” Torres said. “When we opened we wanted to focus on Twitter to see
what kind of success we would have with it as a way to get people to come and visit the restaurant.” Torres launched
his Twitter account two months ago, and with just 18 followers so far, he’s
determined to stick with it. “We are going to continue to invest resources into
social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter,” said Torres. “If you have a
business, I don’t think you can afford not to use social media to promote it.”
Torres, like many business owners, wasn’t particularly social media savvy when
he opened his restaurant earlier this year. “I ended up getting someone do it forme,” Torres said. “It was a lot of work and if
you’re the owner of a business, you don’t necessarily have the time to do it on
top of everything else.” If you’re a busy business owner with little time to
focus on social media, you’re in luck! Here are five free tools that will help
you capture the attention of your ideal customer on Twitter.
1. JUST TWEET IT
1. JUST TWEET IT
This free tool is
essentially an online directory of Twitter users organized by areas of
interest. There are multiple categories that range from fashion and food to
gaming and music. Take a minute and browse through the categories that relate
to your business. Be sure to list your company on the site as well by
registering a free account. Get more information: http://justtweetit.com .
2. TWEETERSPY
This insightful free
tool is unique. It lets you know which tweets from other people are bringing
you the most traffic.
You’ll be able to
instantly see which Twitter users are most interested in your product or
service. Then you can develop a plan to begin actively engaging with them.
3. NEARBY
TWEETS
How do your target customers on Twitter? What about finding out
who is tweeting near you in real-time? Nearby Tweets makes it possible for you to do both! Simply log on to the Website: http://nearbytweets.com and it will automatically determine
where you are and generate a list of Twitter users and their recent tweets
within a certain geographic radius. Nearby Tweets lets you change your
location, specify the radius and add keywords to make targeting even easier.
4. TWITTER LISTS
As you follow more
people, it can be challenging to focus on the information coming from specific
people and groups. That’s where Twiller
Lists come in. A list allows you to
separate Twitter accounts you follow into groups. You can create lists for; customers,
potential customers, community businesses and people you talk to most.
5. TWEET
BEEP
Described as Google
Alerts for Twitter,
Tweet Beep is a free tool that lets you receive hourly updates via e-mail about
Twitter conversations that mention your company, its product or any keyword of
interest. The service offers a paid option where for $20/month you can receive alerts every 15 minutes. Check it out: http://tweetbeep.com .
6. TOPSY
Topsy.com is a Twitter
search engine that let’s you see if anyone listens or cares. You get to see how effective your marketing
campaign has been within the last hour, day or week. It’s important to hit your target market and
not just blast noise to your followers.
