Many still wonder why they should use Twitter. This question is widespread, as much on the individual level as it is on the business level. This post addresses the latter. More precisely, it addresses the business to business aspects of Twitter.
What possible use can my business make of an application that only lets you write 140 characters at a time?
Let me give you an example that goes beyond the typical ‘It helps you connect to your clients’ argument.
Tomorrow, September 30th, both myself and Stephane will be attending a little show called ‘The Art of Marketing’.
Four hundred bucks a seat, 6 ‘bestselling’ authors and ‘leaders’ in the field of cutting-edge marketing, and a lot of talking.
How does Twitter fit into this?
Well, both me and Stephane will be tweeting directly from the conference. We will be tweeting our impressions and our comments, both on the 400$ per seat content and on the speakers. And for that price, it better be good. (For those already using Twitter, simply follow the hashtag #TAOM.)
A simple thing: go to event, tweet about event. Get tons of new followers as a side-effect.
Why is this good for business? Because it’s like networking on steroids.
Not only will we meet peers, other experts like ourselves, but also business leaders who are there because they are interested in incorporating new marketing paradigms into their business practices, but don’t know exactly how to go about it (which is why they will be there).
Being on Twitter does not prevent one from meeting people face to face and shaking their hands. However, Twitter also allows people to broadcast their experiences over the web, increasing their reach, exposure, branding, influence, credibility, and so forth. It allows businesses to prove to their clients that they truly do know what they’re talking about, that they truly do know what they’re doing, and that modern marketing practices work and should not be overlooked or ignored.
This type of reasoning applies to any business in any industry, not matter how big or how small. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, you name it, these things are the future of marketing (well, for some of us they’re the present of marketing, but let’s not dwell on relativistic semantics), and do you know why? Because that’s where the people are, and after all, you’re not selling to birds are you? You’re selling to people.
On a side note, after the conference there will be a little party, a ‘tweetup’, like the cool people like to say (Tweetup, def: a real life meeting of Twitter people, from ‘Meet up’). We invite you all to join us! It will start at 5:30PM and will be at the Daylight Factory (3 minutes from the event). Everyone is welcome!
