Caroline B
Marketing Consultant, Social Media Marketing Consultant & Coach, Entrepreneur
Twitter?
Is anyone using Twitter for business? How do you use it? How often do you update? What type of result are you seeing?
Clarification added May 29, 2008:
Follow me: http://twitter.com/TweetCaroline
Answers (41)
Jim W
Talent Acquisition Manager
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Useless. Just another website you have to track. I have yet to see any value in Twitter.
Devesh D
Experienced Management Consultant
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Talk to Joseph...
Devesh D also suggests this expert on this topic:
James M. K
Registered Professional Architect at James Koenig Architecture LLC
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Carloline,
What's a Twatter?
Jamie
Yes many of our clients are using it to either engage with related communities or for business intelligence purposes.
There is no doubt Twitter is a time consuming tool but used wisely it can bring benefits. Need more details contact me online.
actually i find twitter to be extremely useful for my current role as director of marketing for a social media marketing company..
I use twitter to "follow" social media pundits and marketing guru's such as Seth Godin, Guy Kawasaki, Robert Scoble, and many more - it clues me into what the experts are discussing,provides me with a window into their thinking..relationships with other pundits...current passion points...and breaking news.
And i can use it to promote blog posts, new videos, company news and / or promotions
the key to twitter is in who you follow...and of course in who then follows you.
Warren S
Partner & VP of Strategies at Lift9
Best Answers in: Events Marketing (2), Advertising (1), Direct Marketing (1), Using LinkedIn (1)
Many companies are using Twitter in innovative ways. Dell has sold over $500K in products via twitter. Zappos is forging stronger relationships with its customers on Twitter. It has over 100 of its employees actively using twitter including its president. Comcast, HR Block, Southwest Air and other progressive companies are using to Twitter to improve customer service. Mzinga has had`press conferences online via twitter. The list of smart companies on Twitter goes on and on.
Find me on Twitter: @warrenss
Links:
Useless? I think not.
You can use it in many ways - my favourite is as a social search engine.
I ask a question of my network, and hopefully they can provide an answer from the knowledge they have built up.
It obviously requires you to build a network, but over a period of 3 weeks my network is small (under a hundred) but strong.
Just today:
- I was provided with an alternate to the Mobile Twitter interface for my PDA.
- Zappos CEO advised me that they do not have Australia on their radar for shipping any time soon.
- Created some noise and generated discussion around a security flaw in a recruitment website.
- Directed traffic to my site to publicise a new mix for download and generated 370 downloads withing 12 hours of posting. Increase of about 35% on previous downloads in the first day.
- Posted job vacancy and received two phone calls with leads.
10 minutes of use for just this today. Now that's well worth it.
Links:
I find it pretty useful for snagging news tips and tracking aviation happenings. I also have had some success with it keeping track of a group of friends and where they were at an airshow as of late, which saved a lot of phone calls (hard to do at shows with all the noise) and wasted trips from one end of the airport to the other. I intend to use it at the EAA Oshkosh AirVenture this summer with myself and a news team as a way to do both things I mentioned above. Configured to send and receive via my mobile phone, it makes things easier than using it solely through the web.
I have also found some interesting insights on technology and social media through the people I track. I feel pretty welcome when it comes to asking questions as well, again helping provide some insight into areas I know only a little about.
It has also helped direct traffic to my blog... but that's not really business as my blog is more personal now anyhow.
I think the your success using Twitter is about using it smartly... follow and be followed by people in your industry or business niche (again, aviation for me). Update with useful information, ask questions, and generally build friendships and networks with your Tweeple.
Clarification added May 27, 2008:
http://twitter.com/ryankeough
Hi Caroline,
Actually a lot of people are using Twitter even for business.
It's basically a microblogging tool; "Social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface."
You can refer to the 1st link below for detailed intro from Dosh.
It's how you utilise the tool to make a different. Whether or not you should is really a decision. I've seen people simply use it as a tool to syn articles/news to generate more traffic.
Also, some companies showed great abilities to master this tool such as zappos and Dell. Dell is said to make $500k a year off Twitter (Ref: 2nd link).
Checking out the trends in Twitter is also helpful to businesses (Ref: last link).
Hope this helps.
Rocky
Links:
OH yes. Twitter is addicting and fast pace. Amazing Viral affects. Recruitment tool, marketing tool, data gathering. I learned a great deal from twitter. Some of our clients are using it for recruitment purposes.
I do use Twitter.It gives me a daily dose of updates in the online industry as and when they happen.It also helps me connect with the best in the industry and have meaningful discussions around the same.The usefulness of Twitter lies in who you choose to follow. It is also a good tool to disseminate information to your peers in the most concise manner.
Dave F
Account Director, Social Media at Thornley Fallis Communications
Best Answers in: Blogging (1)
Numerous companies are using Twitter effectively. Dell is an obvious example, with numerous employees engaging through the service (@RichardAtDell, @JohnAtDell and @LionelAtDell are examples but there are many more). HR Block, Comcast, JetBlue all use it regularly. From the media side, the LA Times, KPBS and others used Twitter to communicate during the California Wildfires in late 2007.
Unfortunately, some companies now seem to be approaching Twitter in the same way they approach traditional media, pushing marketing messages out to people. That's much less effective.
I don't use Twitter officially on behalf of my employer, but I use it extensively to support my work. I have just over 1,000 followers (@davefleet), and I regularly throw out questions to get advice from those people.
For example, a colleague approached me at 4:30pm on a Friday saying she needed a graphic designer to produce a logo the next Monday. I posted a request on Twitter, and 20 minutes later four organizations had contacted me - two replies on Twitter, one email and one phone call.
I find it very valuable.
From what I have seen, Twitter is a great way to get a simple yet engaging message out to a mass group of people. The only thing is that most companies that I have seen only display facts or simple questions. Non engaging content is often the downside of most Twitter campaigns.
I would agree with Jenni that if used correctly, it can become a great way to engage with clients and get customer feedback. As long as you have the time to monitor and LISTEN to your customers and engage them, otherwise you are just talking at them.
Links:
Maybe not useless. But Most Twitter advocates I run across have WAY too much time on their hands, either that or they are spending a disproportionate amount of time reading and writing things like, "brushed my teeth, took a crap, kicked the dog, missed the bus".
For me the question isn't whether there is value or not: the question is how much value for my business, and what am I NOT doing while I am Twittering away my precious time.
More exposition available: "Is Twitter another Second Life?"
Links:
If you are looking for good business applications of Twitter, I would check out Zappos and Southest Air. both companies are doing some very interesting things with it. Zappos encourages it's employees to use Twitter.
Links:
Caroline:
Incredibly valuable for business, networking and recruiting. Zappos has been referenced a lot here - I would reference JetBlue as well. It's a great way to have conversations with customers, whether they are looking to buy a product, take a trip or apply for a job. Companies ignoring it are missing an opportunity.
Jason
Links:
I follow 500 people on Twitter and deliberately don't follow people who I know have a Techmeme effect because other tools alert me to their thoughts in more expansive spaces. Following several hundred people means I get Lazyweb answers to questions I pose.
However, I follow 150 people on Jaiku and when I ask those people the same kinds of questions, I get better answers. That's because Jaiku threads the answers and people often try to share better information than the people in the thread of discussion above their own comment.
I update 10-12 times a day. I've made more than 5000 updates. I sometimes feel like I'm making more noise than conversation.
I have no faith in Twitter being a legacy of myself. Its archiving is fragile. When people drop into my life from outside of my world, it's because they have found my main blog or they have found my name on Jaiku (owned by Google) and then followed Jaiku's pointer to my blog.
I'm trying to cut down on the number of hours that I glance at Twitter. According to Rescue Time, I spend a little more than two hours a day on Jaiku. I need to reduce that amount of time significantly and return to more productive work.
Links:
Kirsten W
Blogger. Creative mind. Thought provoker. Graphic designer. Avid reader. Fashion addict. Republican. Muscle car driver.
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Twitter is by far one of the most amazing website's I have come accross. But, it does have it's good and bad. I have written a couple bog posts talking about all the sides of twitter, as well as the research I did about whether or not it is useful. We do use it for business, and since linking it to my blog (using twitterfeed), or readership has gone up! In addtion, our visitors to our website has gone up, and I have made some valuable business connections. I believe when used correctly, twitter can be great to make a business more human, therefore more liked and trusted.
Links:
Well, as I was saying to someone earlier today, perhaps we aught to keep this one to ourselves! A lot of people try Twitter and then abandon it simply because they don't know how to use it.
It is unmatched for giving you access to industry movers and shakers--in any industry you care to name. In common with thousands of others (some big names) I use it to keep up with the very latest, bleeding edge industry news, inspiration from others in my network, and even work. I have formed a couple of tremendous joint-venture associations through my Twitter network. There: I've said it and the cat's out of the bag.
I have actually created Twitter profiles for clients, complete with a network which includes high-profile industry leaders for their particular niche. Clients love it. :) I would put my new website in here for this particular service, but it's not fully operational yet. You'll have to Skype me.
Carolyn-
Twitter and apps like it are changing the pace of media and the way news, information, and personal experiences get distributed - much like cable tv and niche news channels changed the pace in which breaking news was aired in the 80s.
For PR and marketing pros, this is potentially a game changing way to engage with customers and allows for two way communication.
My latest blog post details this and includes a Common Craft video on the basics of Twitter.
Feel free to reach out to me if you want/need more information.
-Todd
Links:
Xurxo V
Co-Founder, Search Marketing Strategist at Bloom Search Marketing | xurxo@makeitbloom.com
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Hi Caroline,
Twitter as some have pointed out can consume a lot of time and actually waste a lot of time for many. For others, it's a great way to stay up to date with industry events, collaborate with colleagues on solving problems, and stay top of mind with industry people and potential clients.
In addition it's great for PR as a quick news platform where you can provide fast updates on your business and events to your network. It's a great way to let people know what you're working on, blog posts that you've recently written and things that you're seeing in your industry.
You can also use Twitter to help boost your profile on other social networks such as Sphinn for example, which is a great place to catch up on industry news (Search Marketing mainly).
The more frequently you update and communicate with others in a meaningful way that adds value, the more you'll be able to get out of Twitter.
It's easy to add a personal feel to your Twitter presence with the occasional update that's more personal in nature, but what's gotten the best results for me is having proportionately more updates that are informative in nature so that those following can directly benefit from the information I'm sharing.
Making your updates interactive by way of questions or calls for opinions can help generate response and awareness. Twitter is also a great way to get some "airtime" and help you get recognition for talents that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Links:
Clarification added June 10, 2008:
Recently came across this free resource on Twitter: http://www.geekpreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/twitter_book_geekpreneur.pdf
Bryan C W
Seeking a marketing, sales management or senior sales role in a technology-based company. http://twitter.com/BryanCWebb
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Twitter - nitter.
I don't see value in knowing what all are doing every minute of the day.
My head hurts just thinking about it.
Shauna N
Digital Business Strategist
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Twitter provides a micro-blogging interface that builds community like no other.
People who don't find value in it may not be using it to it's full potential. In one month, I've networked my way through metro-Detroit. I've found interviews, professional information, and ideas through an incredibly open and talented team.
Links:
Caroline
I just finished using Twitter for a Stanford Peace Innovation Experiment, and have become very fond of the critter. The great thing about Twitter is it allows you to capture conversations about any topic, including brands at any time. Best tracking tool I have found is 'summize'. It also links you directly to the people who are commenting about your brand. I also remember finding quite a few blog mentions on the use of Twitter for customer engagement.
The three limitations I can see are: 1) the - still - small size of Twitter audience, 2) their demographics have to match your brand's - not too young, not too old, so far, and very limited international involvement -, and 3) the site keeps on crashing!
Hope this helps.
Marguerite
Hello. My name is albert and I use twitter currently. I have gotten a lot of Screen printing/design jobs recently. Things are going well with the store - www.eatsleeptweet.com as well.
Links:
Gahlord D
Strategist and Maker of Things
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I've assembled a variety of links about Twitter as a business tool at the Union Street Media blog. Much of them are related to Real Estate (our main clients) but I think anyone in a lead-generation business would be able to synthesize the information just fine.
I've included some of the best twitter naysaying as well in order to keep it rounded.
Link provided.
Links:
Hi Caroline,
A few months ago I put together an introduction to Twitter for marketers. This might be something of interest to you. It discusses purpose, function, take aways, third party applications, etc. I have linked in below for you.
Links:
Though I am on Twitter I am not a frequent user "tweeter" at this point and it is primarily to communicate with friends. But, I read about it often and recently came across an article on Social Media Insider about how Comcast has appointed a guy to communicate with those who complain about their Comcast service on Twitter. On one hand great to see that a company gets the importance of social networking and how it can impact a brand and its relationship with customers. Here is the link to the article:
http://blogs.mediapost.com/social_media_insider/?p=13
I use it mainly to drive traffic to our blog. But, in doing so, have developed relationships with several awesome people within my industry (Real Estate/Mortgage). @titlerep
Twitter is great to update the clients/customers connected to you with any new updates to your business. For example, I know of a great marketing consultant who uses Twitter to update his clients about his new blog posts
