Twitter is a powerful and widely used networking tool, and among other communities, it is very popular among designers and web professionals. While many think it is just for announcing day-to-day social activities, there are many ways to harness Twitter for your graphic design business.
1. Business Announcements
Whether you have 1 follower or 1000, Twitter is a great place to make announcements about your business. These announcements can be anything from a new project launch or update to your portfolio, which will keep people seeing your work and hopefully thinking of you next time they need a graphic designer. It will also show others in the design community the type of work you do. While you may also make such announcements on your website, in your newsletter, or on other networking sites, a Twitter update is quick and easy and will immediately reach another part of your audience, without being too intrusive.2. Build a Following
Since there are so many people on Twitter, it’s a great place to build a following. You never know what “follower” may be your next client or collaborator. While it may seem daunting joining Twitter with no followers, start with any friends and family who are already on Twitter. You can add a link to your Twitter page on your website and in other places that reach your audience. From there, just the act of “tweeting” will help build a following, as people often search for specific keywords or topics in order to select people to follow… tweet about design and the type of business you do and you will slowly build an audience of people with similar interests. You can also seek out people to follow and many will follow you in return.3. Participate in the Community
Once you start following those with similar interests, and they start following you, Twitter will become another way to participate in the graphic design community. It may be as simple as a direct message here and there to a fellow designer, or promoting each other through a “retweet,” but it will be another way to meet others. You can also get advice on your work if you are willing to open it up to the public.4. Keep Up with Others
Whether or not you are frequently tweeting, Twitter is a great way to get updates on business and individuals that you are interested in. Many software companies have twitter accounts to keep their users up-to-date on new features and releases. If you have favorite products you use in your business, see if the companies have Twitter accounts. You can also follow your favorite designers, many of whom will tweet their latest work and blog posts.5. Give Your Business a Personality
While you may want to keep your posts professional and mostly business-related, you can also use it to put a personality behind your work. If you want potential clients and other designers to know more about you, tweeting is a great way to reveal little things about yourself and add a personal touch to your business. Anything from a movie tweet to a meal tweet can show others you’re not “all business,” as long as you remember that anyone may be reading what you’re writing and potentially judging you, and your business, based on it.
