In this increasingly connected social media driven world it becomes more and more important to self-promote you and your brand. It doesn’t matter the business type as any business that desires to succeed online needs to get the word out about its products and services.

It can seem arrogant or even like your bragging but that’s what needs to happen. If you don’t champion your business you’ll struggle to find anyone else who will. Remember that the online world is very crowded and so making a fuss about your business is not only important but also necessary.

Let’s consider then the best ways for your business to self-promote itself and in turn discover a loyal audience willing to retweet, share, and talk about your brand.

Your online presence is important

There are literally thousands of lack luster Twitter accounts with terrible descriptions and ones that share boring or mundane content. The most effective and cost effective way to reach your audience is by building a strong online presence.

This is a full time job in itself and it requires an active blog, social media profiles on Facebook, Twitter, and any other social sites – whatever’s useful to your brand. Your online presence should be engaging, easy to use and navigate, and full of information that informs users about your brand.

Remember to share things on Twitter that promote conversation. Post thoughtful insights, photos and blog articles and use clever hashtags. That way you won’t be a voice shouting in the wilderness and you’ll find better engagement with your work from a growing audience base.

Identify your niche and market yourself accordingly

Every business has competitors that do something very similar (if not the same) so its important to champion the things that make you unique. A brand must establish itself and be known for what it does and is good at.

Your niche is where you’ll find your audience too so be careful and ensure that you target the right one. Bad marketing at this point will only hamper your efforts.

Use social media to have a conversation

Using social media marketing is the simplest and easiest way for a brand to spread the word and connect with potential fans and clients. Ensure that your followers and friends feel appreciated and respond to comments as soon as you can. Make people feel valued for interacting with your brand and you’ll start to develop that elusive loyal Twitter following. Ensure that you actively engage with online conversations and monitor any mentions of your brand.

Social media provides a valid platform for testing out new products and business concepts. You can effectively gauge public response and find out the concepts that suit your audience the best. It’s always a good idea to implement new business practices on a small scale and then up scale later.

Doing it this way means that you can test out ideas without breaking your marketing budget and with newfound insights you can run a much more successful campaign further down the line. Then you can invest more heavily with a better understanding of how that money will work towards your business’ advantage.

Word of mouth advertisement is still useful

Online sharing is of course a hugely beneficial way of getting new followers and better reaching preexisting ones. Remember thought that positive word-of-mouth advertising is still an essential part of promoting a brand and its business.

Make sure that you talk to people in person too and target professional acquaintances. They don’t always have to be within your niche (although it can help) as getting your name shared positively is always of benefit.

Keep in mind the reasons why your business is worthwhile and worth audience members sharing and investing in it. The beginning stages of developing a social media presence are always going to be tedious and time consuming. Keep at it however as persistence is key – set yourself some small milestones and you’ll notice your audience growing.

More specifics for Twitter

The above information may have been more generalized but it’s all about getting started well and effectively. Remember to build a strong brand as communities flourish when they have a valid and convincing ethos and philosophy. Ensure that you have a good brand presence and one that matches your offline brand identity – consistency is important.

You must understand the lingo and acronyms used on Twitter. You want to look the part and reflect the ‘genre’ that users are used to. If you’re unsure of anything check out Twitter’s handy glossary.

The other elements to keep in mind are simple enough and merely revolve around good etiquette. Firstly ensure that you respond to all messages. No one likes to ignored so make sure you validate everyone who has taken the time to interact with your brand.

Remember to promote others to (its not all about your brand) and you can do this by retweeting other Twitter users, sharing content and making introductions.

Foster a strong sense of community and ensure that your brand is reachable. Follow the above advice and you’ll find yourself building a loyal following on Twitter.