Does Twitter actually help your business?

[Nárrína]

Well, I finally broke down and joined Twitter this week.  I've read a lot of books about starting/promoting your business that recommended having an account on twitter for your business and you constantly hear about how many people are using Twitter that I finally decided to try it.  I'm terrible at promoting my work and have a really hard time doing so (no one likes a pushy salesperson and I'm always afraid it's going to come across that way). 

I know I need to find more ways to actually promote my work so that I'm giving it the best chance I can of being seen (and, hopefully, bought), but I don't want to get sucked into something that's not really going to help, but simply eat of time doing it without any results.

I know a lot of people here have Twitter accounts for promoting their work and so was just wondering.  Has it actually helped you?

[Chainmaille By MBOI]

You know how I feel about this, at least I hope you do LOL. I say join and use it. Twitter is one of the top sites in the world, I know for a fact it brings traffic and sales. The way I figure it the more eyes on your work the better chance you have at selling it. As far as self promotion goes, I do very little of it. I spend 99% of my time promoting others and slip in self promotion every now and then. So that is a method you can use. Up to you. I'm planning on writing another article about link building on the HAFshop. I just wrote one on twitter here  http://handmadeartistsshop.com/blog/tweet-handmade

[dahlish]

I myself have had a love/hate relationship with Twitter.  I can do the planned tweet thing, but I'm terrible at doing the random tweeting about myself or whatever so I feel like my Twitter feed just reads like an ongoing advertisement.     But I do agree that it brings in traffic!

[MakinTheBestOfIt]

I stepped away from it for a while but really need to start Tweeting again because it really does bring in traffic.  I usually schedule tweets for a few days and then slip in personal ones here and there when I think of it just so it doesn't read like an advertisement all the time.

[trusk4u]

It helps to just retweet other people too. That way it doesn't always look like it's always just about you. Make sense?

[Nárrína]

Thanks for all the info and advice!  Well,  I guess I'll give it a try and just see how it goes (it certainly can't hurt). I'm up to 11 followers since joining on Thrusday and that certainly is a more than my blog in far less time (I started my blog in March and it only has 6 people following it).

[trusk4u]

Thanks for all the info and advice!  Well,  I guess I'll give it a try and just see how it goes (it certainly can't hurt). I'm up to 11 followers since joining on Thrusday and that certainly is a more than my blog in far less time (I started my blog in March and it only has 6 people following it).

I'm following now. Blogs do take time, but it will come. Just keep at it. Join the blog ring when we start it up again. It's a great way to get exposure and more followers.

[Nárrína]

Thanks for all the info and advice!  Well,  I guess I'll give it a try and just see how it goes (it certainly can't hurt). I'm up to 11 followers since joining on Thrusday and that certainly is a more than my blog in far less time (I started my blog in March and it only has 6 people following it).

I'm following now. Blogs do take time, but it will come. Just keep at it. Join the blog ring when we start it up again. It's a great way to get exposure and more followers.

Thank ye, Trusk4u! *hugs*

[lisianblue]

I have often wondered the same thing - is it really just something that's going to eat up my time without any  benefit -
I can tell you this - I haven't sent out any tweets in oh 5 months - but I do get so many hits on my items in the HAF shop thanks to all the promotion that's done by Andrew & Kimberly and others here - I have lots of tweets to pay back when I finally get back to my normal life and not taking care of my grand kids ( with mixed emotions).
Funny - even tho I haven't been on twitter for some time, I still get new followers from time to time!

[dahlish]

I've been getting the occasional legit follower too even though I'm pretty bad about tweeting.  I'm getting better though! 

[sewingdreams]

I find twitter helps with views. I have got sales from it also. I talk about what I am working on as well as posting new items & sales

[ldkeesee]

Since I have been twittering on a regular basis now, I have found that I have been getting more views. No sales yet though.  I've read a lot about marketing yourself on social networks, and they say to sharing information and leave comments. So that's what I been doing. If I find good articles, info, etc. or just something I like I post it. I retweet others things and post a few of my things. some say it only takes 15 mins a day, but I seem to spend a lot more time then that.