Twitter can be a gold mine for small businesses if you just get creative with your marketing.
We all know that Twitter is a big sensation with just about everyone these days.
How can you use that phenomenon to drive customers to your store? With a little creative thinking, you can easily turn Twitter into an on-going marketing campaign that costs you little or nothing to implement.
Every customer who comes through your door most likely has hundreds of followers on Twitter.
They are all friends, family and like-minded people.
For every one customer that you can get to follow you or promote you online, you are reaching hundreds of people.
That being said, it only makes good business sense to make the most of this opportunity.
Here are just a few ideas that you can use in your business that will increase the number of customers through your doors every month.

1. Have a Twitter contest.
   Select a popular product from your store.
   Create a large, visible display in your store with signage to let people know that you will be drawing the name of one of your Twitter followers to win the product.
   Make that product a good one.
   You want to make it worth their while to follow you and make the contest last at least a month.
   Let people know that if they make a Tweet about your store, they will get an extra entry into the contest.
   This will not only grow your list of buying customers, it is free advertising that has the potential of going viral and bringing more and more followers to your Twitter account.
   When you do make the draw, announce it on Twitter.
   You can bet that the winner will have tons of good things to say about your business! When you announce the winner, also make an announcement of your next contest.
   This will create a big buzz about your business and people will flock to your list in droves because the winner of the contest will be singing your praises at the same time.
   
2. Let your customers know that you have Twitter specials every month or every week.
   Plan to put one product per week at a seriously discounted price.
   Once per week, at a set time, announce what product is on special this week.
   Give them a "code word" that they must mention to get the discount.
   The only place they will get that code word is on Twitter.
   Make signage to announce in-store that you can only get the discount code by following you on Twitter.
   You will be surprised at the number of customers that will whip out their phones and follow you right from the store.
   
3. Have a Tweet contest.
   The customer who posts the most Tweets about your store wins a big prize.
   This one can go crazy for driving traffic to your business website and to add followers to your Twitter list.
   Suppose you get 200 customers all competing on Twitter to post the most number of Tweets about your business.
   Do you think this might bring you more business? You bet it will! It will also do wonders for your Google Live Search results too.
   

These are just a few social marketing ideas.
Creative thinking and social media can open up all kinds of opportunities for your small business.
Once you have all of those followers, you can announce in-store specials or online sales to the masses which will result in a serious increase in your sales.