Twitter and business- 7 basic ways it can be useful

by Startacus Admin

Twitter is unique amongst social media platforms for many reasons, not least of which is its relative obscurity when compared with the likes of LinkedIn and Facebook.

Twitter is a much harder ‘sell’ than these platforms because the concept itself is rather difficult to wrap you head around. I can only speak from my own experience, but as someone who grew up alongside the explosion of social media (using Bebo, Facebook and Myspace throughout my teenage years) even I was somewhat perplexed on my first encounter with Twitter…how utterly strange and pointless it seemed.

Nearly a decade on and I am thoroughly hooked on what has become my favorite social media platform, both from a business and personal perspective. That being said I know that if you have never used Twitter before the benefits that it can bring to you business are difficult to see.

So as a quick introduction to this little blue bird, we have picked some of our top reasons why Twitter can have a positive impact on your business.

Increase your customer base - The global nature of Twitter can mean that it is a great way to expand the reach many different businesses. By creating a following on Twitter you open up the opportunity for your business goods/services to be solicited by a much much wider range of people. This is particularly the case when the good and services that you provide are not geographically specific, but could be utilised by anyone from the worldwide Twitter community.

Check out the competition - If your competition are using Twitter as part of their marketing strategy then keeping an eye on them can be a great way of ‘knowing your enemy’.

Communication - Twitter can go a long way to enhancing your communications with a whole range of people who are associated with your business. There is a level of informality which can make everyday communications with suppliers, partners, clients and government agencies simple and straightforward.

Customer Feedback - Twitter can help to remove barriers between you and your customers by providing a platform upon which a conversation can take place. This does not simply mean ‘it gives customers somewhere to complain’ (some might) but also offers a great opportunity for you to gain valuable feedback about your products, services and business practices.

Day to Day Marketing - As well as helping you to create a loyal band of customers, Twitter can help your marketing on a day to day basis by allowing you to highlight and share special promotions, items of interest, competition and so forth.

Stay on trend - Few things are more instantly representative of and reactive to public opinion / tastes / trends than Twitter. It can be a great way to keep on the crest of all the things happening with your particular industry so that you can constantly shape and change your offerings based on customer demands.

Gives your business a human touch - This can especially be the case if your business is not one which usually has much direct contact with its customers. Twitter gives you the opportunity to have one-to-one contact with your customers but can also allow you to show the personality of your business through the content that your share, the people you engage with and the things that you retweet.

So why not give Twitter a try and see what benefits it could have for your business?

If you enjoyed this post then you might like to take a look at some of these recent posts (and dont forget to follow us on twitter!)

An introduction to Twitter analytics

5 Reasons not to buy Twitter followers

Using Twitter or business, beginner basics

 

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Published on: 1st September 2014