Twitter is the social channel most Triad service business owners struggle to justify. The 140-character limit feels foreign, the audience is smaller than Facebook, and the time commitment can balloon. But for the right businesses, used the right way, Twitter delivers something no other channel does: real-time access to local conversations.
Which Triad Businesses Get the Most From Twitter
- →Restaurants, cafes, and food trucks in downtown Greensboro and Winston-Salem use Twitter for daily specials and location updates.
- →Real estate agents use it to announce open houses and share Triad market commentary.
- →Professional services with a thought-leadership angle (CPAs, attorneys, financial advisors) use it to share commentary on news affecting Triad businesses.
- →Event venues, gyms, and salons use it for class schedules, openings, and promotions.
Which Triad Businesses Should Probably Skip It
Highly transactional B2B service businesses where buyers research once a year (most home services, estate planning, specialty medical) usually see better returns from Facebook, LinkedIn, email, and search than from Twitter. The audience exists, but the cost-per-engagement is too high.
The Twitter Time Budget
For most Triad service businesses, 15 minutes a day is the maximum justifiable investment. That covers two to three new tweets, replying to mentions, and scanning local hashtags like #GSO, #WinstonSalem, and #HighPoint for conversations to join. Anything more usually trades hours for marginal return.
The Right Way to Set Up a Twitter Account
- →Use your business name as the handle if available. If not, append the city.
- →Bio should mention the Triad: "Greensboro family law attorney" beats "We help families."
- →Add your website link to the profile.
- →Follow local accounts: News & Record, Winston-Salem Journal, Greensboro Chamber, fellow business owners, the local universities. Twitter rewards reciprocity.
What to Tweet
- →Real-time observations: "Roads icing on Battleground after 5pm. Drive safe, Greensboro."
- →Useful links: Articles your customers would want to read, with one line of your commentary.
- →Replies to local conversations: Search local hashtags and add value to public conversations. This is how you grow a real local audience.
- →Photos: Tweets with images get roughly twice the engagement of text-only tweets.
A downtown Winston-Salem restaurant grew their Twitter following to over 2,800 in 14 months by tweeting their lunch specials at 10:30 every morning and replying to every mention. They estimate Twitter drives 30 to 50 walk-in customers a week during their lunch service.
Read our piece on setting up a Facebook business page and LinkedIn for Triad professional services, or have our digital marketing agency handle social media management.