Why Twitter

So we’re all told we should be using twitter for business…. We hear from our marketing departments that it’s a free, simple and effective way to spread your message and increase a company’s brand awareness– but how true is it and what are the real incentives to sign in? What does Twitter really deliver?

Here’s what PRorigins would suggest are the top reasons for using Twitter:

Twitter is Free and Easy

Twitter is the only social media platform that was born on a mobile and was adopted by desktop, hence it’s focus on short sharp messaging that is constantly updated.

For businesses, this provides a free platform for search engines like Google something new to offer its customers.

Confused already? Don’t be. Basically, Google wants to give people answers, Twitter is full of content-rich answers to people’s questions. So if you want your business to be the solution to someone’s problem? Then tweet it and Google will find it.

People buy from people

Let’s face it, really – it’s not about your brand or your amazing website. People will do business with you if they like you. If people build a good rapport, form a great relationship, or simply find a common interest that helps build a bridge, then they are more likely to want to work with you.

Let your potential customers meet the people behind your brand and don’t be afraid to show a company’s personality – let Twitter show your customers what you’re really about. Think about coca cola and Father Christmas!

Sound too fluffy? Take the locksmith industry, flourishing on Twitter as locksmiths discuss latest crime prevention tools, trends in cylinder manipulation, pinning tools and share intricate installation techniques. It’s all about education, sharing experience and driving people to your website via referral links.

Referral Links

Twitter is a huge website with over one billion users. Sound too big when you only need to target a few with a direct message?

Just think it’s online profile is so well respected, that links from Twitter impact on your website authority. Posting links on Twitter is not only a great way to let people learn about your or your business, but also a great way to increase CTRs (Click Through Rates) and in turn, help your website ranking.

Customer Services

We all get complaints now and again – and Twitter or Facebook are likely to be the first place customers will go. Why not be the first to hear it and then respond quickly and positively? Twitter and DM facilities can be a great way of interacting with your customers and also showing how well you do this to others (and also reaping the results of a quick response with positive feedback!)

Easy to measure investment.

Every business needs to know the ROI (Return On Investment) from a marketing campaign. Twitter is digital and therefore easily traceable. CTRs are not only increased and easy to monitor on Google analytics, but if you use a service like URL shortener bit.ly or google url shotener for all your links, you can assess your whole campaign on Twitter in detail too.

Mentions, followers and retweets can give a great indication of your influence and activity on Twitter, and there are many services such as Klout offer a full breakdown of your performance.

Just these five reasons hopefully show that it’s a social world we live in – and Twitter is a major player. We are all ranting, complaining, buying, referring, researching, learning and comparing on the digital superhighway.

Twitter is a huge part of that and it’s becoming less of an opt-in and more of an essential part of any company’s marketing campaign. If your competitors are tweeting and you’re not, then you need to level up that playing field.

Make sure you have a presence on this popular social network and allow people to meet you, the person or people and the personality behind the company image. It’s a powerful way to connect with your customers and build relationships with new ones – and it’s here to stay.