So many people claim to “not understand this Twitter thing”…like David Letterman, and my Mom. Well, now the people at Twitter have made it nice and easy for new users and skeptics, especially businesses trying to get in on the free marketing and promotional opportunities. The Twitter 101 guide for businesses spells it all out with images and comprehensive explanations of everything from searching Twitter to using hashtags and retweeting.
Anyone can benefit from this “Learn the Lingo” page that explains all of the different symbols and tricks for using Twitter effectively, but this “special guide” is geared specifically towards businesses trying to access the marketing goldmine that has been portrayed in the recent news, including several articles in the New York Times.
Assisted by screenshots that demonstrate the usefulness of many Twitter tools, a conversational voice that feels like a real friend guides readers through the “mysteries” of the Twittersphere. All the “secrets” are being revealed, and tactics are being rendered transparent… “Remember to post the badge onto your website that tells visitors to follow you on Twitter!” Here is just one of many encouraging messages from the site:
“One of Twitter’s key benefits is that it gives you the chance to communicate casually with customers on their terms, creating friendly relationships along the way—tough for corporations to do in most other mediums.”
Other pages on the site include Best Practices (tips on how to use the site properly), Case Studies (examples of successful business accounts), and Other Resources (books, blogs and websites that offer more advice). I think this site does a particularly good job in the Case Studies examples, by choosing a mixture of globally recognized brands as well as small and local businesses. They describe the various innovative and authentic ways that these companies found a niche, an audience and a boost in name recognition via Twitter. These examples demonstrate the power of Twitter as a tool, and reminds us that along with that tool, each company has to find their unique concept. Just like a website, or a blog, your Twitter account needs to stand out from the crowd and offer something completely exclusive and different.
I started my own series of mini-case studies a few weeks ago because these sort of success stories are so interesting and inspiring. Plus, they are the best way to encourage myself as well as others to keep re-inventing ways to use the Internet. Twitter is only one of the many tools available to individuals and businesses looking to grow their presence online. The businesses and organizations that I follow and tweet about are mostly local (Bay Area) and small because I believe they are more accessible. Using huge names like Nike or Dell to say “You can do it too!!!” is a weak tactic. You can find my Twitter Business Example Series on the HyperArts social media blog, by following my tweets, and searching for the topic #TwitterBizEx on Twitter.
It’s good to see Twitter opening its arms wide to welcome the world in…but will all of the jaded, seasoned Twitter users (who were there back in the beginning!) be as friendly? Already you hear people bashing celebrities like Oprah who stumbled into Twitter and gained millions of followers overnight. Another pet peeve of many users are the fresh new crop of opened accounts with just one tweet…”Trying out this Twitter thing…not sure what to say…”
This feels like the beginning of Twitter’s future…they still need to find a way to make money, don’t they? If they can become increasingly accessible (they already have the notoriety under their belt), then it should be easy to monetize. They will have established a loyal user group and created a raging demand. It only seems like the next logical step to start charging for their valuable services…which will be interesting to see played out. As if the time we all spend on Twitter isn’t expensive enough!
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