When your company gets on Twitter, you want to connect with your customers who are on Twitter. Here are several ways you can find your customers on Twitter.

• Before You Start: You have a business Twitter account. You know how to follow people and how to use Twitter’s communication features.
• Learning Level: 2 | Getting Started
• Article Last Updated: Saturday, August 11, 2012

Adding Customers To Your Twitter Community

Here are several ways you can find your customers and follow them on Twitter. You can use one or all of these methods to find your current customers.

Do A Name Search

Twitter allows you to find people by typing in their name or company name.

1. Locate the search box in the top menu.
2. Type the name and click Search.
3. Review the list of people in the right pane.  Click view all to see more results.

If you don’t find someone by their name or company name, it doesn’t mean that they are not on Twitter. It only means that Twitter didn’t find a match based on what you typed.

Find People In Your Email Addresses

You can let Twitter review your email address book (or LinkedIn) to find people.

1. Click Who To Follow in the top menu.
2. Click Find Friends tab in the left pane.
3. Select your email service or LinkedIn on the left.
4. If you are logged in to Twitter (or LinkedIn), you see a list of people connected to you on this service.
5. Follow the instructions on the page to connect with these people on Twitter.

This Twitter search is based on email addresses. If Twitter didn’t find a specific person, it doesn’t mean that the person doesn’t have a Twitter account, only that the email you have on file isn’t used for a Twitter account.

Ask Your Customers For Their Twitter User Name

The next time you talk to a customer or send out a customer communication, as your customers to give you their Twitter user name.

Let Your Customers Find You

The next time you send out any customer communication, mention that you are now on Twitter and give your Twitter user name. Post a sign in your business with your Twitter user name. Let your customers use this information to find you.

Check Your Followers List

It’s a good idea for you to review the list of people who follow your Twitter account to look for customers who now follow you. It’s possible that some of your customers found you and you didn’t notice that they were following you. You must follow them and they must follow you if you want to use all of Twitter’s communication features.

Your turn: How does your company handle finding customers on Twitter? Share your strategy and lessons learned with us here.

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