Use Twitter to Make Your Design Business Grow

By Tobi Fairley

Social Media is a powerful thing. It moved my business ahead 10 years in just 12 months and that was over 3 years ago. Now that kind of evidence is hard to ignore. When it comes to the online space, most people catch onto blogs and Facebook quite easily. But what about this funny thing called Twitter? How does it work? Why should I tweet? And does anyone really want to know what I ate for lunch?

Well, Twitter has been a major force in my business and here are my top tips for making it a force in yours...

1. Listen before you speak. Remember how your mom used to say "if you don't have something nice to say"...? The same rule applies to Twitter. I recommend you don't feel compelled to talk at all, nice or otherwise, until you listen first. See what people are talking about and then feel free to join in the conversation. And by all means, be kind!
2. Give real value. If you are going to tweet, give people something of value. Nobody cares that you had a hamburger for lunch unless it's from the world's best Hamburger joint in Maui. And then tell how to get there and what to order, so they can enjoy a juicy burger on the beach for themselves.
3. Be consistent. Just like with other forms of social media, consistency is key with Twitter. If people take the time to follow you, they are interested in what you have to say and if you only say something once every 2 weeks, then they aren't going to stick around to hear what it is.
4. Sell – but not all the time. It's ok to sell on Twitter, but if that's all you do then people will get bored. Even when selling, add some value for your readers that is absolutely free of charge! Then it will be a win-win for you and your followers.
5. Be yourself. Authenticity goes a long way on Twitter. Be real and it will build trust. Then people will listen to what you have to say.
6. Make friends. If you spend enough time on Twitter you will develop real friendships that will support you and your business.
7. Collaborate. Many a collaboration was born on Twitter. Have an idea, put it out there and you just might find a partner. My fabric line was born from one innocent tweet.
8. Give it away. Twitter is a great place to promote freebies and giveaways.
9. Join in the chat. There are lots of regular chats and forums on Twitter. Don’t be afraid to join in the conversation, you just might learn something.
10. Monitor your successes (and failures) with Twitter. It is important to know what people are saying about you in the online space, especially when a "thank you" is in order.
11. Support your blog. Twitter is the perfect place to announce your latest blog posts, contests, and more.
12. Hash it up. Use hash tags # so people can search your tweets easier. Talking about interior design? Then you might tag it #interiordesign
13. Just say no to Auto. Be careful using auto-generated replies to your followers. It will seem insincere.
14. Don't count your chickens. Or your followers for that matter. It's not about the quantity of followers you have, it's the quality of the audience. Having more followers that are potential ideal clients is what will equal dollars and "sense" for you.
15. Practice makes perfect. If all else fails, just have fun on Twitter and it will all fall into place. The more you tweet, the more you will get the hang of it.

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Tobi Fairley is a nationally-acclaimed interior designer based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Named by Traditional Home Magazine as one of the Top 20 Young designers in America in 2009, Tobi's work has graced the cover of House Beautiful and been published in Traditional Home, Southern Living, and At Home in Arkansas numerous times. Tobi recently launched her own fabric line and will release several other products lines in 2012. Her DIY design service InBox Interiors and her Design Camps have been wildly successful. Tobi recently launched Tobi Fairley and Associates, a consulting group dedicated to helping firms with the business of design. She also blogs at Tobi's Blog.