To tweet or not to tweet

December 2009

Is Twitter a good way to promote your products and services, or is it a complete waste of time? Half of the respondents in a OneNewsPage.com poll say they are actually making money from their Twitter activities, so the question is worth asking.

Let’s take an objective, hype-free look at Twitter. Here’s what it can help you to do:

Build relationships

Address a complaint here. Answer a question there. Show some interest in your customers... If you spend enough time doing these things on Twitter, you stand to pick up some followers, build relationships and influence people. But first check how many of these people are in a position to help your business – do your audiences actually use Twitter in the first place?

Generate word of mouth

If you want these followers to talk about you, and spread your message far and wide, Twitter can help you achieve that too, as long as you give them something interesting to talk about. Some companies targeting consumers have achieved great results with Twitter-exclusive offers – Dell is using this to make millions.

Build your brand

Twitter doesn’t have to win you immediate sales to be worthwhile – it can also help you to build your brand to help you win sales in the long term. But be careful not to see Twitter as a simple advertising medium: most users are looking for something useful or interesting; they’re not just there to hear your business pitch.

Collect data

Twitter can be a surprisingly useful resource for collecting data. Search for your company name or other keywords relevant to your markets and you may be able to collect insight about your followers and how they perceive you and your competitors. And you can use Twitter and various Twitter-focused sites to monitor how popular an industry topic is at any given time.

Get in the news

There are journalists on Twitter, and some are looking out for breaking news or input on articles they are planning. It makes sense to follow them and check their tweets regularly. And if you have something interesting to say, they may start following you too.

Increase your web traffic

If you include links in your tweets, people will be able to click through to your website. And once they are on your home turf, you can encourage them to read about your offering and place an order.

Feel free to follow us on Twitter, and contact us to discuss how Twitter might be useful to your organisation.

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