Prospecting & Networking with

Brandy StemenEmerging Media Product Manager

The San Diego Union Tribune/SOSD.com

Today’s Agenda

• What is Twitter?• How to use Twitter for Business• How to set up a Twitter Profile• How to find leads and engage customers

There are

450,000 new Twitter

accounts created every day!

There are

200,000,000 registered Twitter

users!

Twitter 101- What is it?

• Twitter is a social media application that allows you to communicate by sending a 140 character message to a group of people, or an individual (both privately or publicly)

• The 140 character limitation was devised to make Twitter more compatible with mobile devices

Almost

88%Of people have awareness of

Twitter

As many as

52% of users update

their status every day!

Twitter Lingo- know the basics• Twitter Handle: Also known as a user name.

This is the name you select to represent yourself on Twitter

• Follow: You click the “Follow” button on that person’s Twitter Page so their tweets will be shown on your homepage so you know what they are doing

• Follower: A person who has followed you to receive your updates

• Update/Tweet: Each message can be no longer than 140 characters you post your updates in the white text box under “What’s Happening?”

• @reply: A message sent from one Twitter user to another by putting the @ sign before their twitter handle in the body of a tweet

• Hash tag (#): A twitter tagging system used to aggregate the conversation surrounding an event, topic or theme. Hash tags can be easily created by combining a # with a word, or phrase and used as a tag within tweets that is searchable. Example: #sandiego

24% of all users check

Twitter several times a day!

approximately

40% of all Tweets come from a

mobile device

6 ways to use Twitter for businessTwitter is a relationship-building platform. You can meet potential customers and leads in

the same way you would at a networking event or tradeshow.You can use Twitter to: 1. Develop and promote sales products for your territory2. Interact with your customer base3. Track what your customers are tweeting (talking) about4. Create buzz around upcoming special sections or events (using Hash tags, Example:

#sdutcollegeprep)5. Generate sales leads in your territory6. Establish yourself as the expert thought leader in your industry by sharing articles, stats,

and marketing information

There are

18,000Search queries every second

1.5 millionTwitter users

follow more than 500 people

Setting up your ProfileYou’ll need to set up a personal account, but keep in mind that you’ll be using

this account for business to: • Keep your customer base up-to-date on your events• Promote recent blog articles or news• Update your customers about products/services• Give real-time updates about conferences and events• Act as a liaison to the public for your company• Expand your business network and make connections

As much as

75%Of traffic comes

from outside Twitter

61% of all Tweets are

in English

Setting up your Profile

Go to: www.twitter.com and click the “ sign up” button

Select your user name and passwordNote: Your username is very important,

this is how people will find you.Ideas for Twitter Usernames: 1. Your full name (JaneMurphy)2. A variation of your name (JMurphy)3. Combination of your name &

company name (SDUTJane)4. Combination of your name and

industry (UTadvertising Jane)

Personalizing your Profile• Click the “edit your Profile” link to

complete your profile by:– Adding your Photo, Name, Location and

link to your Linkedin profile or company website

– Introducing yourself in the “Bio” section, this is your elevator pitch and an opportunity to convince people to follow you back. Consider sharing your company, your position, specializations, and recent projects.

46% of users are male

54% of users are

female

Start Tweeting• Even before you start looking for clients, start

tweeting a few things like: – An Observation: Tweet about what your doing, thinking or

feeling (keep it professional)– What You’re Reading/Watching: post a link to an

interesting marketing statistic, news article or professional blog/video

– What Events You’re Attending: share a link to the next conference you plan to attend

88 of the 100 Fortune Global Companies post

daily news & updates

67% of users are likely to recommend a brand they follow

to others

Network and Find Sales leads

• To begin building your network you will need to find people to follow. You can find people by: – Using the Who To Follow Twitter feature choosing topics or

searching by keywords– Using the Hash Tag to find Customers Example: #sandiego

#chulavista #del mar

75% of users are more likely to purchase from a

brand they follow!

66% of all questions asked on Twitter have

some commercial intent!

Network and Find Sales leads• Other Things to search for: – Chambers, Organizations, Groups– Target Accounts (find out what they are talking

about and open your sales pitch with what they are talking about on Twitter)

– Current customers/contacts (Follow them, interact with them via Twitter)

30% of Twitter users have

a household income of over

$100,000!

43% follow a brand on Twitter

for special offers/deals

Questions/Sources

• Questions: Brandy Stemen x1463• Sources: @touchagency for bubble stats,

@hubspot for content, @thenextweb for graphics