While Twitter has become a great tool for social interaction and networking, many companies are still unsure how, or why, to use it. But in fact Twitter can be a great sales tool for almost any retail business. Here’s 5 tips for using Twitter to increase your retail sales:

1. Place a Twitter link on your web site and in all your promotion material with an incentive to follow you (daily specials, exclusive offers, coupons, etc.).
2. Be picky as to who you follow back. Following back some customers but not others can lead to resentment. So stick to manufacturers, associations, and industry insiders.
3. Schedule tweets throughout the day. Use a free Twitter tool like HootSuite or TweetDeck to manage your account activity.
4. Keep it strictly business. Don’t tweet about personal stuff or anything that could dilute your message or negatively influence your image.
5. Keep the conversation going. Thank people for following, ask opinions, respond to comments, answer questions, and use your Twitter account as a customer service tool.

Marc Gordon is a marketing expert and professional speaker. Get more marketing tips on his website, marcgordon.ca and on his online show, marctv.net.