Becoming a popular, widely-used tool takes time and a lot of public speculation. Looking back through history, some of the greatest inventions and innovations initially deemed useless have left significant impact on society. Things like cell phones, Velcro, and the Internet. These inventions all faced initial public apprehension and criticism but have since proven to significantly improve society and its processes.
Twitter falls into this category of being extremely beneficial but facing public apprehension and criticism. With over 40 million users since its 2006 birth, Twitter is one of the fastest growing forms of communication to date. The services rapid growth has provided many potential benefits to business as well as personal use. However, apprehension about using the service is excluding many from the benefits of having a Twitter account.
Branding / Marketing
Twitter has the potential to be an extension of your brand. Through participation in Twitter conversations, your business has the opportunity to create a positive image in the customers’ minds. Involvement generates awareness, which in turn, will bring your brand to the forefront of customers’ minds when they are in the marketplace making decisions. Not only can Twitter build awareness, it also adds a personal level to your company and its brand. Take a look at this list of companies who utilize Twitter to present a personal side of their business. Most tweets are not specifically about selling a product or service, but rather focused on the idea and image behind the specific product and service. Take for example, Starbucks’ Twitter feed which does not attempt to push the Venti Latte but rather captures the aura of Starbucks’ brand and identity. Creating this identity makes your Twitter page interesting thus making your business interesting.
Communication
Furthermore, Twitter provides an extremely low-cost method of being directly involved with consumers’ communication. First, Twitter can be used to target the users of your product. After locating these users, you can become involved in their conversations through answering questions, providing insights or just providing general information about your business. Take Kogi BBQ, a mobile Korean BBQ Taco Truck based out of Los Angeles, CA., as a an example of an information provider. Kogi uses Twitter to inform customers of the locations of its various BBQ trucks. Visit their Twitter page and you will see various tweets about each individual truck’s location and special lunch deals. With 46,926 followers, Kogi has found an inexpensive way to keep its customers informed and interested in their service through Twitter.
Creating Beneficial Relationships
Creating a brand and successful communication on Twitter can lead to the building of a successful business relationship. Having the successful business relationship involves a combination of sharing information and handling customer’s inquiries and complaints. Local cable provider, Comcast, has excelled at using Twitter as a hub for customer service. Senior Director of Comcast’s National Customer Service, Frank Eliason, uses his Twitter account to field customer complaints, comments and service issues. By using Twitter, Eliason has made providing cable, a very impersonal service, personal through Twitter. Check out Comcast’s Twitter page to see Elison in action, handling questions and creating goodwill for Comcast’s customers.
These three examples scratch the surface of how Twitter can be utilized. With a growing base of users, Twitter’s potential for business grows daily. Becoming involved with the service now will generate more opportunities for your business in the future. Take the leap and get involved with the new wave of communication at http://www.twitter.com. Now is the perfect time to sign up and follow VQC Designs because we are giving away a brand new Acer Netbook! Visit VQC Designs’ Twitter-Hunt page for more details.
