Twitter Is Good For Your Business

You might have seen my last post on why Twitter is bad for your business. The argument basically says that not that many people actually use Twitter (probably <10% of the US population), and it ends up distracting companies from other online marketing venues.

A few people responded that they have had success using Twitter, even that it was their primary sales channel.

So let’s look at what can make Twitter worthwhile, and see if it counteracts the bad.

Spreading Ideas/Posts

Twitter users love to share. Many of them rapidly post to Twitter anything interesting they find online. If you’re creating good content, there are few better places for it to spread than on Twitter. You don’t necessarily have to take part in Twitter to take advantage of this, but building a group of dedicated followers will help your content rise to the top.

Connecting With Customers

Through Twitter, you can connect directly with those most interested in your business. Encourage people to follow you to keep up with the latest news and deals (or even Twitter-only specials). Listen for discussion of your company and engage with those already talking about you. Offer up customer service, providing another easy avenue for people to get in touch.

This is really the heart of Twitter, and companies that do it well can build a much more loyal customer base.

Getting Noticed

Twitter is one more place for people to hear about your business. Some of this happens through the natural sharing that takes place, but can also be encouraged (the contests where businesses encourage people to tweet about them in order to win prizes are a good example). Many Twitter users are looking for something to do, and if you sound interesting, they may click through to your company’s website and learn more.

But What About The Downsides?

As I said before, Twitter is not for all businesses. Let’s tackle the criticisms in that article:

  • Twitter Is Not Widely Used – This is true. But the group that uses it is young and tends to share, leading to an outsize influence. If your company appeals to young people, so much the better.
  • Twitter Takes Time – I had at least one person tell me that Twitter really doesn’t take him any time, despite having thousands of tweets. That is a sign that the time’s not being tracked very well. However, most marketing costs either time or money – as long as you’re watching the time and measuring the impact, it’s possible to make sure that time is going to good use.
  • You’re Not The First – There’s no getting around this one. Your crème brûlée cart probably won’t get featured in the New York Times for using Twitter. But this doesn’t take away from the other possible benefits.

So Where Do We Stand?

It’s true, yesterday’s article was a bit much. Still, I stand by the assertion that most companies could find more profitable ideas for marketing online than Twitter.

If, however, you’ve already covered the other bases pretty well, or think some of Twitter’s benefits are particularly applicable to your company, give it a shot and become one of the businesses using Twitter. Just remember to watch how much time you’re spending, and pay attention to whether it’s really paying off.

We’ll be covering some ideas for using Twitter and ways to do it efficiently in the future. Subscribe via RSSemailTwitter, or Facebook.

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One Response to “Twitter Is Good For Your Business”

  1. Robert Salko October 6, 2012 at 9:38 pm #

    Twitter does nothing for me now . Hopefully that will change in the future.