Now that the New Year is here you may be have your 2010 marketing plan on your mind.  We hope that internet marketing is part of that plan and social media is on the top of that list.  Social media will have many positive effects on your marketing strategy from improved customer service to getting your website showing up higher on Google search results.

If you have not setup any social media accounts and the word Facebook makes your head spin, do not worry, in the next few weeks we will be releasing our Social Media resource center that will help you get accounts such as Twitter setup.

For those that are tweeting or want to learn more about tweeting; here are a few of our Twitter Dos and Don’ts for the tire and automotive industry.

1. Do post tweets often a few times a day is good and remember to space them through out the day.  Nobody likes a twitter pucker (someone that tweets 5 times back to back).  You can use applications such as Tweet Deck or Hoot Suite to schedule tweets.
2. Do not talk about yourself too much.  Treat this like a cocktail party.  The more engaging your conversation is the more people want to talk to you.  Start conversations by asking questions and comment back to those tweeting about your topics.
3. Do retweet other tweeters comments and leave their name in it to give them credit.  The tweeter will see that you are doing this and appreciate it.  At the very least you will get more followers.
4. Do not be a shy Tweeter.  It is ok to have personality and have fun with your tweets.  Keep the topics professional but add a little character to give your Twitter account an identity.
5. Do use a Twitter application on your computer and track key words that are particular to your business such as your business name, city name, “tires” and the brands you carry.  The applications we recommend are Hoot Suite or Tweet Deck.
6. Do not be afraid to follow your competition or even other tire businesses around the country.  They will be tweeting about the same things you should be and can be a resource for ideas.
7. Do get your entire company involved.  Encourage your employees to create Twitter accounts and engage in conversations with them.  Be sure to lay out ground rules about language but encourage creativity.
8. Don’t feel obligated to follow people back.  Twitter’s unwritten etiquette rules state that you should follow people back when they follow you.  However, this is not recommended since many times you may get followed by spammers.  We recommend that you follow back when the person appears to be a legitimate tweeter that could be a potential customer.  This would be someone who indicates that they are in the same area as your tire stores or have someone that might be B2B buy such as a car dealership or auto repair shop.
9. Do follow followers of the people that follow you (that’s a lot of following).  When looking for new tweeters to follow, look to the people that follow you.  Most likely they will share common interests.
10. Do thank tweeters for mentions.  Setup Hoot Suite to track your mentions and thank those who retweet or mention you in their tweets.  This will let that person know that you are paying attention and appreciate their efforts which will encourage them to do it more.

Use these Twitter Dos and Don’ts as a guideline when tweeting for your tire or automotive shop and remember to have fun with it.  Social Media’s success is based on the fact that people like engaging in it so be sure to relax and enjoy!