Twitter is helping small businesses to communicate…

Whether you understand it, love it or hate it… Twitter is one of the most powerful Marketing tools EVERY business should be using.

But what exactly IS Twitter and WHY is it important to your business?

[Just in case you have been asleep for the past 3 years...]

Twitter is a free service that lets you keep in touch with people through the exchange of quick, frequent short messages – of 140 characters or less – called “Tweets”.

But it’s not just about being able to send short messages to your friends (like when texting started on mobile phones), there are many different ways it can be used – especially where a lot of information is being shared – as more and more people are finding out.

Twitter has been around for more than three years and it is only now that businesses are really adopting it as a way of communicating with members of staff, clients, prospective clients and suppliers.

Is Twitter a Serious Business Tool or Just a Waste of Time?

There are still a large number of sceptics who just aren’t convinced.

I wouldn’t regard myself as a Twitter Expert, but in my opinion I think it is a great communication tool that offers ENORMOUS opportunities for business…

Like many people I have spoken to, I first came across Twitter when reading a story about Social Media, and wondered just how good it would be in helping businesses get their message out into the marketplace. It wasn’t obvious at first. I didn’t really get my head around the benefits and work out how to best use it myself until about 6 months ago.

But there is some weight to some of the things the sceptics are saying and some caution IS necessary – Twitter is a double-edged sword – it can be the most productive but it can also be the most time-consuming social networking application you ever use.

One reason for this is that it can be very addictive and you can easily find yourself sidetracked from what you should be doing.

Twitter may well be about social networking and interacting with people, but you still need to stay focused – just as you do with any other marketing method.

That said, the uses are numerous and varied.

It can be an interface for personal messaging, or a prospecting tool, or an advertising vehicle, or a team communication tool, even a Customers Service tool – the list goes on…

Regardless of how you decide to use Twitter in your business, the important thing to remember is that it allows others to relate directly with “people” in your company, rather than a “faceless” brand.

It can give you the power to get a positive message into the marketplace at lightening speed… but that can also have its disadvantages – bad news seems to travel twice as quickly!

From a usage point of view, there are a number of Twitter “no-no’s”…

Twitter was originally developed as a personable social networking platform, so using it only for promotion goes against what Twitter stands for. Don’t just push adverts, promotional deals or brand messages all of the time. The Twitter community is about people, and people want to see the person behind the company.

Also there is still the big debate about the value in the number of “followers” you have – that is people who are following your comments.

Some “experts” push the “anyone is a prospect” philosophy, using automated methods to build your follower list as quickly as possible, whilst others (of which I’m one) follow the more focused approach of building a naturally targeted list – people who follow you because they are genuinely interested in and find value in what you have to say.

Yet the majority of Twitter users still choose to abuse Twitter with blatant self-promotion through links and promotions without there being even a hint of helping other users or getting involved and interacting in conversations. Don’t they realise that this is the quickest way to LOSE potential customers and gain a reputation for spam – or perhaps they just don’t care.

So How Much Weight Does Twitter Carry In Today’s Business Environment?

A study conducted by O2 showed that more than 6,000 UK small businesses are turning to Twitter every day, mostly to cut marketing costs and keep in touch, while another service reports that over 50% of Twitter users actually use it for business purposes.

Simon Devonshire, Head of Small Business Marketing at O2 said: “The way small businesses are using Twitter is a great example of how the community is embracing new technologies in order to adapt and survive in the current economic climate.”

It is estimated that here in the UK over 700,000 small businesses are now using Twitter regularly, sending nearly three million messages (“tweets”) per day.

In another recent survey, 74% of those questioned revealed they are using Twitter to market and promote their business, whilst 42% are Tweeting to stay in touch with customers and suppliers. 34% also admitted to signing up to Twitter so they could monitor competitor Tweets.

Two thirds of the businesses questioned cited cost cutting as the biggest benefit, with 16% revealing that they had been able to save up to £5,000 since signing up to the service – especially in areas of recruiting new staff.

So should you take as a serious marketing option? Absolutely – and it’s not just small businesses who have taken up tweeting…

Big companies like Dell, General Motors, Kodak and Comcast are among some of the companies who use Twitter to promote brands and to provide customer service. Twitter has also been gathering momentum in mainstream media with news stories appearing daily.

Twitter is incredibly helpful to proactively get involved in a conversation about an individual or even a brand, but it is also an ESSENTIAL customer service tool in today’s fast paced social media environment.

Twitter Is More Than Just A Support Tool

All updates are kept as a public record, which means they can be mined using Twitter Search – you can search the public timeline for messages and keep track of the ones which relate to specific topics you are interested in or that may be beneficial to you.

Twitter can act as a great channel for news, updates, upgrades and customer service, as well as products and services. It can help you gain real-time feedback and it’s a perfect research tool when it comes to finding out your customers’ wants and needs and manage your online reputation.

The ways it can be used to benefit your business are only limited by your imagination, creativity and your persistence to find out what works for you. Don’t allow this to scare you off; embrace it as a new way to talk to your customers and give them what they want.

For instance , I have used it to ask for help with my book title (I had people voting within minutes), I’ve used it to drive people to my blog, I’ve used it to answer questions but mostly I’ve used it to COMMUNICATE and build relationships.

But the things that makes it so powerful in my mind is that it is so simple to use.

Writing a tweet doesn’t take as long as writing a blog article, yet it is powerful enough for you to drive traffic to your website instantly.

You can find out what’s on the minds of your clients and you can search it for trends which may be occurring in your market place. It is open to “information farming” – in real time, which for me makes it the infrastructure of choice when looking for up-to-date opinions and ideas.

Love it or hate it, there is no getting away from the fact that Twitter is a valuable marketing tool for any business which shouldn’t be ignored. Used properly it can work well as a promotion tool and open many windows of opportunity.

Talking to businesses in the UK, it’s official – Twitter IS helping businesses communicate like never before.

Now, onwards… Tweet…

… to your success!

Jez

P.S. If you want to learn how to use Twitter more effectively, there are a lot of courses available – just do a search on Twitter – but my advice is just to go and do it. Action speaks louder than procrastination…