663% increase in people using Twitter to ask for business recommendations
There has been a 663% increase over the past two years in members of the public using Twitter to ask for business recommendations, research conducted by GolinHarris Public Relations on behalf of Orange Business has found.
The research found that the professional services searched for the most on Twitter are: web designer; solicitor; accountant; architect and copywriter.
Mike Tomlinson, small business marketing director at Orange Business, commented: “It is clear from this research that you can't just rely on posting adverts in the classifieds. Today, Twitter represents a compelling word of mouth engine that can deliver significant business opportunities to small businesses across a wide variety of sectors.
“The proliferation of smartphones means that small businesses never have to miss a Twitter opportunity as they can interact with potential customers from anywhere. If professionals do not engage with people on Twitter they risk losing out.
“With the current economic conditions being what they are, it is critical for small businesses to utilise whatever technology they can to win new business. And with 10 million people in the UK on Twitter, what business can afford to ignore that many potential customers? By accessing Twitter whenever and wherever they can professionals can keep a closer eye on any requests for services and respond before the competition does, keeping them an important step ahead in rough economic times.”
Orange Business gave five tips to professionals looking to use Twitter to grow their business:
1. Mobilise your Twitter account: Being able to access Twitter wherever you are makes it easier to respond to work requests in a timely manner and allows you to make the most of any ‘dead time’ to see if people are shopping for your services.
2. Be prepared to offer advice: Professionals need to showcase their expertise and accessibility over Twitter. It’s not about giving away free counsel but showing you know what you’re talking about and sharing information which might spread far and wide. Your words of wisdom will reach far more potential customers than your silence.
3. Be quick: Twitter is all about the now. If you don’t offer your services to somebody looking, your competitors will.
4. Reach out to communities of tweeters: The more networks you are engaged in and the more people you follow and engage with, the fewer degrees of separation there will be between you and potential business leads.
5. Demonstrate ‘real-world’ credentials – Make sure you can easily link from your Twitter profile to a website that showcases your location, qualifications and credentials. Show what you can on your profile.