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There’s no question that social media has reshaped the way we do business online. I’ve posted a couple of times about using Facebook with clients ; however, the real power of social media lies within Twitter. Used correctly, Twitter can become an integral part of your projects from client screening to web site integration to ongoing client education and interaction. In this post I will step through some ideas on integrating Twitter with your projects and clients before, during and after the project process. Before the Project Think of Twitter as a powerful set of ears. You can listen broadly to the chatter going on or you can hone in on specific conversations. This gives you insight into what prospects are talking about, and it enables you to interact with them in a resource capacity. Connect with potential clients How can you use Twitter to seek out new clients? The first thing you need to do is banish any thought of Twitter as a sales tool. It’s nothing of the sorts. Twitter is a resource tool. You help people, follow them and converse with them, and in return they interact with you. You can ignite this relationship with prospects by searching out keywords related to web design, your geographic area or even your competitors. Some people may be explicitly looking for web design services while others may just be a connection to an organization you want to do business with. You should also look up your offline prospects on Twitter to see if you can interact with them at a new level. The key is to be there as a resource. Talk to these people. Engage them. You may never do business with them, but Twitter is a public forum and the more actively involved you are, the more visible you become. Conduct due diligence Social media has ushered in a huge amount of transparency into the online world. Employers can see what their employees are up to on Facebook, your name is at the mercy of Google’s index and you can easily be tagged on photo sharing sites. Use this to your advantage. If you’re trying to complete a deal with a prospect that actually has a Twitter presence, see what they’re up to. Dig into their past tweets to see what they post about. It may help you to learn more about their needs or it may send warning flags up. Be prepared For prospects that are not on Twitter, it may be in their best interest to join. This is where your expertise comes into play and where you need to convince the prospect that Twitter should be incorporated into their online presence. Be prepared for negative reactions. These reactions are typically easy to foresee. For example, the biggest argument against Twitter I’ve seen is that it’s just a bunch of people talking about the nonsensical stuff they’re doing throughout the day. Granted that this is a part of Twitter, it’s not an important part. The important part is where people come together to act as a resource to each other or to respond to customer complaints (or praises). By excluding yourself from Twitter, you’re excluding yourself from the conversation. That’s just one counterargument. The most effective way to convince a prospect to get on Twitter is to prepare real life examples of Twitter in use for business purposes. I constantly find myself referring to ComcastCares , a tired but usable example. Go local Tweet-ups are excellent reasons to network. In a typical tweet-up, several local Twitter users will gather in a restaurant or coffee shop to get to know each other. You never know exactly who is going to show up which makes it a great way to network with new people outside your usual social circles. The cool thing is that there are many people on Twitter who have a number of connections. Malcolm Gladwell, author of The Tipping Point , would call them connectors, and one of them may just show up to the tweet-up. Make sure they know who you are. During the Project You have the client and now the fun begins. Twitter has taken on a very active role in web projects that can help your client to extend their presence even further online. Your job is to help them accomplish this. Introduce Twitter So you’ve convinced the prospect to give Twitter a shot. Don’t stop there. Keep educating them by introducing core concepts and functionalities of Twitter. You can show them desktop and iPhone applications such as TweetDeck , and explain the features of Twitter such as the newly unveiled retweet and list functions. Go from theory to hands-on Most clients can grasp the basics of Twitter but after that it becomes a blur. How exactly can they use Twitter for their web presence? You can’t just setup a Twitter account, show them a few things and then send them on their way. You have to show them hands-on how to use Twitter. Help the client form some initial ideas on what to tweet about. Chances are they’ll want to tweet about their newest sales promotion. Discourage them from posting this kind of content. The best way to get clients thinking is by helping them identify some people to follow. Once the client can see what other effective people post to Twitter, the ideas should start flowing more easily. Web site integration Integrating a client’s most recent tweets into their web presence is a piece of cake. You can use Twitter’s widget or you can deploy one of the countless third party tools that exist. Content management systems such as WordPress offer numerous Twitter plugins as well. You need to be careful when advising the client whether or not integrating Twitter with the web site is a good idea. Is the client using a personal Twitter account or is it a company branded account? If it’s personal and they’re posting questionable content, that’s when you need to think about either establishing a secondary account or excluding Twitter altogether from the web site. Status updates One unique way to think about Twitter for projects is on the status update side of things. If you establish a private account that only your client can access, you can share quick updates on the project progress. This might only work if the client already loves Twitter, but it may be worth giving a shot if you have a lot of little things you need to communicate in a timely fashion. Bare bones At the very least, if the client has an RSS feed for their blog, events, press releases or other timely content, setup a twitterfeed account . Twitterfeed will post each new RSS update as a new tweet. Even if the client isn’t interested in Twitter, then they’ll at least have somewhat of a presence. After the Project The project’s done, the site’s been launched and the client’s happy – congratulations – you’re not done. Twitter is one of those things that you need to constantly stick to in order to succeed with it. This can be hard on the client and where your expertise can continue to come into play. Continue the education Keep the client engaged with Twitter by sending them useful tips and notes on how to use it. Send them new people to follow, answer their questions and advise them on best practices. Even if you’re not being paid a consulting fee any longer, it’s still a great way to continue building a bond with a client without investing too much time. Interact You’re on Twitter and your client is on Twitter. The only natural thing to do is interact with them. Retweet or reply to anything interesting they post, and make sure you drop them a direct message every so often. Twitter is just another platform to help you communicate with clients in a new way. See how you’re doing Most small companies don’t need to worry about this, but make sure you always have a pulse on what people are saying about your organization on Twitter. Just search for your name or your company’s name. It’s not hard and you can unearth complaints, praises or other mentions worth reacting to. And if you work for a large organization, take the initiative to start engaging with clients. Maybe they’re complaining about something you never would have known about. Respond to their needs and repair the relationship. Get everyone in a room If you have multiple clients you’re educating about Twitter, take the opportunity to consider organizing a half-day seminar. You can use the seminar to cover Twitter basics, dip into advanced topics and field questions. I’ve done this before and it’s very effective. You can even charge for the seminar and turn it into a really worthwhile event. The best part is that you’re interacting with your clients in a face-to-face manner, which is very powerful. One final thought In closing this post, it’s worth mentioning one big Twitter no-no of mine. Never, ever post negative stuff about a client on Twitter. It doesn’t matter if you’re vague or careful, just don’t do it. It’s needlessly risky and unprofessional. What if the client stumbles onto your Twitter profile and sees the update? What if they figure out it’s them you’re throwing under the bus? This can lead to an awkward and precarious relationship with your client. My recommendation: Keep it safe and positive if you tweet about clients. And with that said, I’m always interested in learning about how other people use Twitter with clients and projects. Speak up! Leave a comment and share your insight. © 2008 TwiTip Twitter Tips . How to Use Twitter with Prospects and Clients Before, During and After Web Design Projects

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How to Use Twitter with Prospects and Clients Before, During and After Web Design Projects