Twitter… and how it can work for your catering business Fast Twitter Facts: 44% of companies have acquired a customer using Twitter* 21% of the world’s Internet population use Twitter every month* Nando’s is the most followed brand in the UK* Whatever the size of your business, from a chain of restaurants to a sandwich delivery service, a small café or an events catering company, marketing is vitally important to stand out from the competition and ensure you have a constant stream of new customers. One of the newest and most hyped forms of marketing is Twitter. Everyone is doing it… celebrities, MP’s, big consumer brands and ordinary people like us, and whilst the media give it a bad press, it can be a great way to build loyalty, offer instant promotions and demonstrate how you’re different, all in 140 characters. So if you’ve not yet taken to flight and twittering away, here are some things to take into consideration when Who are you? Keep in mind that your business name or brand on Twitter is associated with your twitter name so choose it carefully. Your chosen name will appear beside all of your tweets and it is how people will identify you on Twitter. The profile you set up is equally important. Make sure to tell people where they can find you by giving them enough information about your business such as your location, your website and a little overview about who you are and what you do. Your Twitter profile photo is a square photo that appears next to every tweet you send so it should represent your brand (if your company is just you as an individual than use a personal photo, if it is your company logo, you can use that). Your Twitter profile header is very similar to a Facebook cover photo and should help tell the story of your business, whether it’s a photo of your premises, your food offering or your staff. Make sure to complete your profile completely. Who to follow… and be followed A good starting point is to follow people that you know are already on Twitter and are your customers. Follow your suppliers, your retailers, your contractors and anyone who deals within your industry… even your competition. Trade and professional organisations for your industry and trade magazines are great to follow too as they may tweet something interesting that you want to re-tweet to your followers. When you send a tweet, or reply to one it is going out into the public domain, so be very measured about what you say. Don’t say anything that is likely to damage your businesses reputation or indeed your own. You can mention someone using the @ symbol before their twitter name if it is something of interest or of credit to them. Retweeting (RT) is a message that another twitter user has created and sent but you are allowed to share it with people who follow you and you deem that message is relevant to them. You can send private messages if you need to using the DM (Direct Message) function. What should I tweet? Twitter is a platform for sharing just like all social media. Use this platform to tell your story, your history, where you’re going so your followers can join you on your journey. You can use it to announce daily specials, discounts and deals, or even simple things about a slight change in your opening hours. The trick is to keep the tone of voice as ‘chatty’, as though you’re having a conversation with a friend. You can tweet just about anything… links to your website, menus, press cuttings, your blog or even photographs of your delicious cakes… or if you’re feeling brave, you could add links to video content on your website of you preparing a special dish! Twitter is also a good place to get feedback from your clients. Encourage questions and client tweets about their experiences with you so their followers also hear and read about you. What’s a #hashtag? Hashtags are used to identify a common topic or theme and people search for them on Twitter. A good example is #GBBO which is easily recognised as the Great British Bake Off! However, more common terms such as #catering are also searched for finding relevant content. You can create your own unique hashtag for your own marketing purposes and to help people find your company as well as any conversations about it. Give people information that is useful to them and relevant. Information that will answer their questions and give them tips. This will make you a valuable tweeter and a member of their community - an important first step to winning a new customer. Once you gain confidence using Twitter you can begin to start measuring your Twitter performance results and focus on building your Twitter community. Social media is a great way to communicate with your current client base as well as potential customers. Handy tip: If you’re very busy during the day, you can schedule your tweets using the app TweetDeck – check it out at www.tweetdeck.com * Source www.phewinternet.co.uk #twitterforcatering #tfsBusinessTips https://plus.google.com/107243509942555646923/posts/eLY8HTtLkbB