Today’s guest post is by my good friend Michael Reynolds, the owner of  SpinWeb, an Indianapolis web design firm that specializes in creating and marketing transaction-ready websites for associations, small business, and corporations.

5 Ways to Start Getting Leads from Twitter Right Now

Twitter is still the new kid on the block in the world of social media. Even though it has been around for years, many people still don’t really “get” Twitter and don’t know how to use it to generate leads.  I generally recommend that my clients keep things simple and resist the urge to over-analyze. Twitter is simply a fun, lightweight, flexible communication tool. When it is integrated into your overall marketing and communications system, it can also help you generate leads. So how do you get started?

Here are some tips to help you hit the ground running and start getting leads right now. I’m making the assumption that you already know how to use Twitter in a general sense and your profile is complete and professional.

1. Connect your Twitter account to your website via Ping.fm. This means that any time you post new content (such as a blog) to your website, your Twitter account will be updated with a link to the content. By automating this process, you will extend the reach of your blog (or other website content) via Twitter.
2. Use Twilert to bring prospects to your inbox. Twilert lets you set up keyword alerts that send you emails when those keywords appear on Twitter. For example, a chiropractor might set up a Twitter alert for the phrase “back pain” and localize it to within 10 miles of his or her city to get daily alerts whenever someone talks about back pain on Twitter. Then, he or she can reply to those people with a link to a blog article or perhaps offer a special deal on an initial consultation.
3. Create Twitter-only special offers. Give out a discount code on Twitter for a product or service and let others re-tweet it for you. Everyone loves a good deal!
4. Make referrals on Twitter. You can use tip #2 to get alerts that are good referral opportunities for others in your network. Then, make referrals publicly on Twitter. This will result in others making referrals to you, as well.
5. Be fun. In additional to all the business stuff, be personal and interesting. Be yourself. If you like football, talk about football. If you love sushi (like I do), talk about your favorite sushi restaurants. This helps you increase your followers because people will be more interested in you if you show a human side. It makes tips 1-4 work better.

If you are not sure where to start, try these 5 tips and see how it works for you. You can always get more ambitious later but this will give you a good start. Post your comments below and let me know what other tips you have for those just starting out!

I had a chance to sit down with Michael Reynolds, owner of Spin Web recently.  We talked about how small business owners can use Twitter as part of their overall marketing strategy.

Michael suggests small business owners should make Twitter part of their overall networking plan, using it to extend relationships created at live, off-line events.

A valuable search tool, he uses it to look for business opportunities and keep up with news and events.   The “real time” nature of Twitter, he suggests makes it a more productive search tool then Google in certain situations.

In response to complaints that there is no time for Twitter, Michael says just like any other investment if it is “worth it to you, you make time for it.”

To hear the conversation simply click the link below.  [display_podcast]

Want to learn more about Twitter for business?  Check out Michael’s seminar for Rainmaker University  But hurry, there are just a few seats left!

 And if you don’t have time for the seminar, or want even more, check out the new book by Indy’s own Kyle Lacy