While Twitter is a relatively new social media, it’s becoming more and more important in the business landscape. And having a well thought-out Twitter strategy is a necessity.
What makes Twitter so important?
- 106 Million Users
- 52% are women
- 48% are men
- 27% login everyday
- 37% login via a mobile device
- 25% follow a brand
- 67% of brand followers will purchase that specific brand
To put it simply, the sheer number of people using Twitter makes it a very strong platform to be on.
Twitter is a Multi-Purposed Business Tool
There are many different ways to use Twitter. Unlike other marketing tools that just have one use (e.g. AdWords = Generate traffic), Twitter can be used for many things.
It can be used to get new people into your sales funnel. People who’ve never heard of you will discover you and your products when someone retweets you.
Twitter can also be used as a follow-up tool to existing customers. People who wouldn’t normally give away their email address would feel very comfortable following you on Twitter instead.
It’s an excellent customer service tool. If your customers can send you a simple tweet and get a response nearly instantly — that goes a long way in appeasing them. Not that you’ll always handle it on Twitter, but letting them know on it will make them much happier.
Twitter can also be used as a PR rescue tool. If there’s ever a PR emergency, such as a bad rumor circulating, it can be addressed instantaneously with Twitter instead of using other methods that take a lot longer.
Finally, Twitter’s search capabilities make it easy to see what other people are saying about your company, your market and your competitors. It can be a mighty powerful research tool.
That’s just a handful of the different ways to use Twitter. As you can tell, it is a very powerful tool that can be used in many, many different ways.
Different People Have Different Communication Preferences
Your customers have a lot of choices in how they stay in touch with your company. They can
- bookmark your site and come back when they want
- give you their email
- follow your RSS
- join your Facebook page
- follow you on Twitter
People have their preferences on how they want to be communicated to. There’s a very, very large audience on the internet that prefers Twitter over just about every other medium.
The idea is not to use Twitter to replace other mediums. It’s to give your customers the medium they prefer. If they like Twitter and prefer to follow content through Twitter rather than other means, it’s usually in your best interest to let them do so.
Twitter has the traffic. It has many compelling business uses. And it has a strong following of people who prefer to get updates via Twitter rather than any other means. These are three very powerful reasons why business owners should seriously consider building a Twitter strategy for their business.
Your Turn…
How are you using Twitter for your business? Is what you’re doing effective?
