Social media is a solid strategy for generating new leads and ultimately gaining new customers for your small business. When you think of social media platforms to use to gain new customers, Twitter may not immediately come to mind. Instead, you may think of LinkedIn as the ultimate lead generating tool for business. In some cases, LinkedIn may be best for your business, but Twitter has also proved itself to be a valuable resource for small business owners.

To get started with using Twitter to generate leads, your small business needs to first have a Twitter presence! Visit Twitter.com, follow the steps to create an account for your small business and then begin sharing quality content and engaging with other Twitter users.

Now comes the part where you begin actively seeking out potential customers. Most business owners fail to gain customers using Twitter, or any other social media platform for that matter, because they are going about gaining customers the wrong way. Social media shouldn’t be used as a tool to just broadcast your business. It should be used as an outlet to establish relationships, share quality content helpful to your community of followers and then as a tool to share information about your small business.

To get started on using Twitter as a lead generation tool for your small business, follow these steps.

Share quality content

For someone to consider using any products or services that your company offers, they want to know that you’re knowledgeable in your field. Share quality content that pertains to your small business to catch the attention of those looking to purchase what you offer. Also, keep in mind to share other types of content that doesn’t necessarily pertain to your business. It’s always good to mix it up!

Listen to conversations relating to your industry

When engaging with people across social media, you’ll want to know what’s being said about your industry and even your company. With Twitter’s fast-moving updates, it can sometimes be difficult to keep up with conversations. But you can easily stay current with what’s going on in your industry by reviewing specific search terms in Twitter and creating Twitter lists.

  • Reviewing search terms: Use the Twitter search bar to search for information about your industry. Save the search for future reference and you’re easily able to go back to see what’s being said about your industry.
  • Create Twitter lists: Once you get the hang of Twitter, you’re sure to start following more people. This means that you might miss out on some important conversations. To avoid missing out create Twitter lists segmented by certain topics that you want to follow. These lists could include industry experts, breaking news, other small business owners and much more.

Establish authentic relationships

It’s been proven many times over that people do business with people they like. Therefore, focus on creating authentic relationships with people you connect with over Twitter. Though people will be communicating with your small business Twitter handle, it’s essential for them to know that there’s a human behind the Twitter handle. Reveal who you are by sharing your personal Twitter handle in your small business handle’s bio. This will let people know who they’re communicating with.

Share useful company information

If you’ve followed the steps above, by now your Twitter followers should feel comfortable with you sharing information about your small business. But you’ll still need to tread lightly. Make sure you share information about your small business that will be useful to your followers. Before you hit the send button, make sure your tweet will serve as a resource for your followers and not annoy them. For more tips on using Twitter to generate leads for your small business, visit Twitter for Business. Have you generated leads for your small business through Twitter? I’d love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment below sharing how you generated leads through Twitter and if it led to any sales for your small business.