Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Why Twitter Matters

Have you ever had an older relative or friend ask if you’re into “that 'tweeter' or Facebook stuff?” Or - better yet - and more relevant to our purpose -  have you ever been asked - "Why should my business have to do all that stuff on social media?"

We have.

Social media can be a difficult thing to understand on a number of levels. Primarily - anyone who's not 40 or under - is probably wondering how it will help them sell, how it will help them increase business - or how it will help them do anything - other than not waste time trying to figure it all out.

Social media is still sort of new, and it is rapidly changing; but there is enough data to prove that there is some stable ground: your customers need to hear you and they need to hear you where they feel comfortable. 

We get this. 

But I can't lie.

I often wonder - Twitter? Really? Why do I bother tweeting? We have a whopping two sentences to share, and it really seems like a celebrity venue, or vehicle for celebs to communicate to the world - and for their fans and followers to connect with them on some level. I see it all the time and Twitter is full of spam, too - so what's the point? Is that really a great fit for a local landscaping company? Is it a good fit for MY CLIENTS?

The answer - in short - is yes, for the most part - Twitter is a good thing to be doing - for any company.

Twitter early on established itself as a top platform on the social media landscape - many suggest it is only second to Facebook when it comes users. Although Twitter is not short of praise, it is often misunderstood and neglected. There’s more to Twitter than Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. It allows you to communicate with your customers, new customers, potential customers, friends, and others - quickly and succinctly.

How often do you sit and read an entire article? How often do you skim? Research suggests that we, customers and clients of businesses all across the globe, want information quick and direct. We don’t have time to sift through uninteresting commentary to find the small bit of information that we think we can use. Some of your potential prospects are on Twitter.

As a matter-of-fact, software engineered to track Twitter users’ interests and activities might be one of the fastest growing software niches in the entire tech world.

How do you reach them? Find a member of your target audience and engage with them. Share their content; develop relationships with those whom you see as prospective clients. Don’t be afraid to ask for RT (retweets) from your fan base. If your customers feel connected with you, they’ll do so without hesitation.  Twitter is a great place to build not just brand awareness and exposure - it's a great place to create advocates for your business.

A Twitter profile also shows up in search results. That's a perk.

Simply put, there are folks on Twitter that are interested in what you do - and they’re asking questions. Get in there and find them. Answer their questions, provide your service—and chances are you won’t just have a purchase, you’ll have a brand advocate in your corner for years to come.