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Marc’s monthly marketing tips: Tweeting for business

July 10, 2012 — While Twitter has become a great tool for social
interaction and networking, many companies are still unsure how, or why,
to use it.

But in fact, Twitter can be a great sales tool for almost any retail
business. Here are five tips for using Twitter to increase your retail
sales:

1. Place a Twitter link on your website and in all your promotional
   material with an incentive to follow you (i.e. daily specials, exclusive
   offers, coupons, etc.).
2. Be picky as to who you follow back. Following back some customers
   but not others can lead to resentment, so stick to manufacturers,
   associations and industry insiders.
3. Schedule tweets throughout the day. Use a free Twitter tool like HootSuite or TweetDeck to manage your account activity.
4. Keep it strictly business. Don't tweet about your personal stuff
   or anything that could dilute your message or negatively influence your
   image.
5. Keep the conversation going. Thank people for following, ask
   opinions, respond to comments, answer questions and use your Twitter
   account as a customer service tool.

Marc Gordon is a professional speaker and marketing consultant. Get more marketing tips on his website, www.marcgordon.ca and on his online show, www.marctv.net.