Twitter is not for spam
By Sam PascuaHow Twitter Can Help Your Business
Twitter is no longer just a fad. With millions of people around the world tweeting at all hours of the day, businesses are eager to join the conversations. Twitter holds the potential to be a new communications tool that can help connect businesses with current and potential customers. But how exactly does one go about fitting a “unique selling proposition” into the Twitter-imposed limit of 140 characters?
A lot of marketing experts who have been schooled in traditional business communications view Twitter as a great platform for disseminating their message. At first glance, they’re correct. Twitter is a low-cost way to send marketing messages to hundreds or thousands of customers. Unfortunately, any business that actually tries to take this approach will find that it backfires. Why?
Twitter is designed to be a tool for communication through online conversations. It is a platform for give-and-take among friends, colleagues, and total strangers, but at its core it is a tool for starting and continuing conversations. Unlike conversations in the offline world, Twitter conversations take place in a public arena, where others can join in at any time to let their voices be heard. And the corollary is that people can also step away from a conversation that they no longer wish to participate in – hence the marketer’s dilemma.
Yes, Twitter makes it easy to create and disseminate marketing messages, but because Twitter is an “opt-in” platform, chances are that no one will stick around long enough to read those marketing message. Tweeters can easily pick and choose which conversations they want to be a part of, and marketing-heavy approaches from corporations aren’t going to make the cut. But if a business uses Twitter simply to talk rather than to market, it may very well find that people are not only willing, but also eager to listen. And businesses will get even more out of Twitter if they use it as a way to listen to their customers more than they talk to them.
The true benefits of Twitter are apparent when you consider using it to complement and enhance other parts of your business beyond just the marketing department. Most notably, a Twitter account can be a great tool for your customer service department. Tell your clients that they can reach you with any questions, comments, or complaints through Twitter. Some companies may be leery of doing this, since any complaints posted there will be visible to the public. However, your response will also be visible to the public, so others can see and admire your high level of customer service. Likewise, if a customer uses Twitter to praise your company’s products or services, everyone else who has opted into that conversation can view their testimonial, too.
When used correctly, Twitter can be a fantastic tool for building strong relationships with your customers and encouraging referrals through word of mouth. Just be careful not to use it as another form of spam, or you’ll find yourself talking to a lonely audience of one.
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