If you are still getting your head around the psychology of texting, then the concept of tweeting is probably quite foreign. Much like Facebook and Youtube, Twitter is a social media phenomenon that has captured the attention of the masses. More importantly, Twitter has become a central way for businesses to network and connect with their audiences.
How It Works
Twitter users connect by posting and reading micro-blogs, or tweets, which are similar to SMS or text messages. Each tweet can be a maximum of 140 characters or less and is sent in real time to other users of Twitter who “follow” you. Followers are those who choose to receive your tweet messages.
Since its launch in 2006 and its rise as the latest big player in social media, more and more New Zealand businesses are realising the importance of marketing by using Twitter.
The Benefits for Businesses
- Reach—Twitter is receiving record sign ups of up to 10,000 a day, with a user base of around 5 million. Median age of a Twitter user according to available research is 31, while you might have assumed it was 19.
- Connection—Twitter provides an excellent opportunity for businesses to talk directly to their potential and existing customers. It also provides an opportunity to receive direct feedback, answers to questions, and responses to product or service offerings changes.
- Brand Awareness—Like other social media giants, Twitter provides a great avenue in which to promote and evangelize your brand. Other people advertise you, for FREE.
- Target Market—Gain a better understanding of who your customers are, what they want, and how they want to be communicated to/with.
- Communities—Participating in community discussion promotes brand awareness and connects you directly with your customers.
- Reputation—Your reputation is everything; Twitter allows you to manage and respond to what is being said about your business online.
- Content Promotion—Providing useful tips or information via your blog is a great way to give back to visitors. By promoting your blog content via Twitter, it’s easy to let people know about the content you are creating.
- Increase Traffic—You can drive traffic to your website.
- Create Buzz—Use Twitter for interesting announcements. Promote your press releases, link to news, profile projects or customers.
Twitter is free to join and it’s easy to tap into the marketing power of this instant media messaging service. Start by setting up a Twitter account for your personal use and test it out. You can then find people to begin following, invite others to follow you, and start tweeting. Tweet about subject matters that interest you and that will be of value to others, or watch and learn from other Twitter users. You may choose to begin by following us, www.twitter.com/thewebco.
Once you are comfortable and confident with Twitter, you can then set up an account for your business and assign logins to various members of your staff, or just assign one person to manage all your company Twitter activity. Using Twitter, you will be amazed at the kind of access and influence you have into your followers worlds. To ensure you make the most of Twitter, you’ll want to use a Twitter client (think e-mail client like Outlook), such as www.hootsuite.com or www.tweetdeck.com.
Learn More
To learn even more about social media and discover the unrealised opportunities for your business, give us a call. We’re here to help.
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