It is to your benefit and the benefit of your business to use Twitter to grow your business list for free. Well, with the way Twitter is set up, you can use it as a free list builder. You can create your own personalized lead list simply by going through the profiles of existing Twitter users. Using this technique, you can get leads that are definitely within the parameters of your target audience. An even easier way to search for leads is to find people who are actively talking about the business you’re in. For example, you have an online travel agency. You can do a search on who is tweeting about “travel” and similar keywords and target those people first. In many ways, Twitter is an even better free list builder because it knows for sure what background and preferences your leads have, rather than just getting a bunch of people from regular lead generation companies whose lists may not be as accurate. as you wish. On Twitter, you get exactly what you want for free.
Twitter also puts a different twist on free list building. Instead of just getting a list of people, you get a platform where you can interact and communicate with them, through the website. Traditionally, if you’re going to buy a list of leads, it’s up to you to contact them, by email, phone, or snail mail. So, in addition to the money you pay for leads, you’ll also have phone bills to contend with. With Twitter, once you’ve targeted your audience, you can start communicating with them right there on the website. This system eliminates the need to spend more money just to get people to notice you and your business.
Now, with your free account and followers, you have to be careful how you present your business to followers. Remember to avoid a traditional sales approach when dealing with people who choose to follow you on Twitter. It just doesn’t work like old school lead generation anymore. The key difference here is that you need to build relationships with your customers first rather than pitch them a sales pitch right from the start. If you want to turn these free leads into business deals, you need to present yourself not as a salesperson, but as a Twitter user. Chat with them and tweet about things they might find interesting. Ask them questions about their interests and become their friend. Once you get them to become customers, continue to be their friend, follow up with them, and maintain the relationship.
Twitter as a free list builder is awesome, especially for small businesses that have a niche market or are trying to grow a business on a shoestring marketing budget. In many ways, this free list builder is much more effective and cheaper than relying on paid leads.