These days everyone is “all-a-Twitter”. It is on the tip of everyone’s tongue’s. Every mainstream media outlet and celebrity has a Twitter profile and revels in the real time aspect and direct contact they can have with viewers and fans. One of the coolest things on Twitter is the use of hashtag symbol (#) to tie together a topic and using the Twitter search function you can see an amazing discussion/reporting of something in almost real time. The downside that amazing feature is that spammers watch the trending topics, use their dummy accounts and spam into that particular conversation stream.
Despite this there are some real benefits for a small business in using Twitter and one true caveat that will mention at the end of this post.
Six Small Business Benefits of Using Twitter
I recently came across this article from the Kherize5 Marketing Agency on Six Small Business Benefits of Using Twitter:
1. Expand Reach. As a small business it can be expensive to advertise to build awareness. Twitter allows you to search, converse and engage while at the same time gaining exposure for your product/service.
2. Interact with Customers. Most small businesses attract new business by word-of-mouth. Tweeting with customers shows that you are attentive to their needs and do not stop after the sale is completed. This also provides almost instant feedback on your product/service and saves time and effort in researching reviews that customers may have posted on other sites.
3. Receive & Share Information. Following leaders in your industry will provide invaluable information that you inturn share with your followers and/or customers to show your level of involvement in your industry.
4. Offer Help. Searches assist in finding people who are in need of help. Offering a solution allows you to showcase your area of expertise and engage people. This will take time to become a trusted information source however while interacting with people, it will expose your business offerings.
5. Enhance Email Marketing. Whether you are currently utilizing email marketing campaigns or plan to in the future, Twitter is another source to further the campaign by driving people to the landing page for the email.
6. Meet Local People. One of the biggest benefits of Twitter is to meet-up with other local tweeters. This is not just another networking event where people just show up, Tweetups bring together a community of people that acquire and share information.
HOWEVER….Consider the Opportunity Cost of Twitter as You Integrate it into Your Small Business
While you think this might be a whole new sales channel, you should consider the opportunity cost of Twitter. Direct Marketing Observations blog defines it well – “Opportunity cost is a key concept in economics because it implies the choice between desirable, yet mutually exclusive results. Which is desirable? Making a cold call or reaching out via Twitter to someone you might get business from? Which is a more effective use of your time? Are the results mutually exclusive? Maybe. But not immediate.”
They go on to say “The notion of opportunity cost plays a crucial part in ensuring that scarce resources are used efficiently. If I have 2 phones and 2 computers with 2 Twitter accounts-which will be more efficient in the long run? Or the short run for that matter. Opportunity costs are not restricted to monetary or financial costs: it can be the real cost of lost output or lost time. Twitter can be quite inefficient when it comes to working it into the prospecting flow of your work day and treating it like you would your outbound marketing. You have to know how to use it correctly. It compliments, but it doesn’t replace.”
You can easily just pick up the phone and reach out but like e-mail or web sites, it is a way to reach out and engage with current customers or start a conversation with a new customer that might see Twitter as its primary communication channel.
Are you Using Twitter? What has been your experience? Leave a comment.
So is your small business already using Twitter? What has been your experience? Please leave a comment and let’s have a conversation about this interesting topic.
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