3 Ways Your Brick and Mortar Business Could Use Twitter

There’s a lot of talk about how Twitter can help the solo entrepreneur to grow their network and get more clients.

However, in all of this talk I think a vital segment has been overlooked: brick and mortar businesses.

For some reason, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of talk in the blogosphere about how these small business owners can use tools and technology like Twitter to increase their brand awareness and gain more loyal customers.

Perhaps, that’s because a lot of small business owners aren’t on the Internet discussing the aforementioned topics. They’re probably busy running their establishments while trying to stay afloat in this economy.

That said, I think you — yes, I’m speaking to you Mr. Retail Owner… and you too Ms. Restaurateur — and your community of “offline” business owners can benefit from something as simple as incorporating Twitter into your marketing, promotional, and branding efforts.

Below, are 3 tips and examples of what you can do to realize these gains.

1. Monitor your brand for negative and positive comments.

This is something I talk about often. If you’re on Twitter (or even if you haven’t completed the sign up process yet) you should definitely be monitoring it for mentions of your company’s name.

Twitter is a social tool, and that means people will be social with their grievances.

Many who follow me on Twitter are, by now, well familiar with my dislike and disdain for Charter Communications (my cable and Internet service provider). For the longest, my complaints — and the hundreds, if not thousands, of other frustrated customers — went largely ignored.

That changed when Eric (@Umatter2charter) started listening to what was being said on Twitter. And, not only did he listen — he responded, too.

Via Eric, Charter is now beginning a long overdue dialog with their customers. The service in my area still leaves much to be desired in my honest (and irritated) opinion but this is a HUGE, Neil Armstrong-like leap in the right direction.

2. Build a following by doing something unique

There’s a coffee shop in Houston that has incorporated Twitter into their existence in a rather interesting way. Customers of CoffeeGroundz (@CoffeeGroundz) can now tweet their orders into the shop.

It’s “Twitter meets to-go ordering.” Owner, J.R. Cohen credits this one little implementation of the micro-blogging tool with doubling his clientele.

It’s a unique example, but, fortunately there are principles and concepts within it that can be implemented into virtually any retail business or restaurant — and probably more than that.

Think of ways you can use Twitter to interact with your customers on a more personal level. And as always, be engaging!

3. Keep up with the people who matter most — your customers

Twitter is a two-way street. Participating in the conversation is encouraged AND expected. There are very few profiles on Twitter that exist solely to disseminate information… ESPN (@espn) is one of the few that come to mind.

But, for everyone else without the studio in New England or the multimillion dollar budget, Twitter users WILL expect you to join the chat. And there’s nothing wrong about that.

In fact, it’s a prime opportunity for you to find out what your customers like. Have some fun and do some investigating for a while. Read some of their old tweets and find out what a certain customer likes.

It doesn’t really matter what you do, as long as you’re engaging, dynamic, and sincere.

To recap, use Twitter to monitor your brand/company for any negative comments, then take steps to correct them. Remember, bad news travels fast.

Also, think of something unique you could use Twitter for. Perhaps, sending out unannounced VIP passes for a restaurant, or maybe daily motivational quotes for your Yoga students.

Whatever you run with, just make sure it’s something that compliments your business well. Finally, remember to connect with your customers. These are the people who matter most.

They’re the ones who will heap praises onto your small business. They’re the ones who will kick-start your word-of-mouth campaigns. And, ultimately, they’re the ones who will ensure the success (or failure) of your business.

About The Author

Carol Hansen, a Twitter specialist focusing on building and monetizing your network. You can connect with Carol on Twitter or Facebook and follow her latest projects, blog posts and cool tips on building and monetizing your Twitter following.

About The Author

Dali Burgado, also known as "The Dali Blogger" teaches creative entrepreneurs how to carve a web presence that connects with their Inner Guru and their target audience. Her first online marketing love is SEO. She's an avid connector on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+. When she's not coaching or teaching, she's tweaking sites for Search Engine Visibility, working on her PHP and Javascript coding skills, Singing Opera, or learning about gardening. Circle Dali on Google+