Twitter is one of the fastest growing social media platforms in the online space, which means it offers many benefits to SMBs. Although there are a number of pros and cons with the use of any social media platform, not considering Twitter as an opportunity could be a possible negative for business.
Twitter can be used for a number of purposes and needs to be part of a broader overall social media strategy to maximise benefits – if used consistently and strategically there are many possible advantages to small businesses
Here are eight benefits of using Twitter for business:
1. Industry Conversation: Participating in a conversation that’s relevant to your industry makes you visible. Reporting on industry news and providing commentary promotes your expertise, and by listening to the audience as they engage, useful knowledge can be uncovered about their latest interests, needs and wants.
2. Competitive Intelligence: Following on from the previous point, useful information can also be gained by monitoring what your competitors are doing and saying. This constructive information can be used for dynamic intelligence merely by scanning their tweets, profile and contacts.
3. Twitter and Mobile: As Twitter is limited to 140 characters, its mobile use and interaction is effortless. Receiving updates is easy via SMS and it therefore becomes a mobile communication tool, which in modern day business can be very influential.
4. Brand Awareness: Twitter allows SMBs to keep their brand at their customer’s and potential customer’s top of mind. By linking to articles or content on your website, your brand name can be kept at the forefront of people’s minds. The benefits of this cannot be underestimated.
5. Feedback Mechanism: Launching a new product or website? Twitter is a tool that allows for instant reactions and responses. Not only is it free, the feedback is valuable as it is from your target audience.
6. Ask Questions: The feedback mechanism can be taken ever further – do you have specific questions that you want answered? These queries can be posed on Twitter with instant and constructive comments.
7. SEO Increase: Use Twitter to drive traffic to your website (or a preferred page), particularly if you have valuable content for you audience. This may assist in turning website visitors into customers – it’s all about creating conversion on your website.
8. News Management: Whether you have a major announcement to make, want to publicise a press release, or solely communicate business news, Twitter allows this to be done quickly. The best part is that it can be done in the tone of voice you want your business to have online.
Although these benefits can also apply to other social media platforms, the uniqueness of Twitter’s 140 character limit can be used to your business’s advantage. Most individuals don’t want to read long pieces of information, so short tweets providing valuable content (or links to information) that your target audience finds beneficial is priceless.
This kind of communication can translate into trust and confidence in your expertise. The future lies in mobile communication and Twitter is ideal for this interaction.
