The Twuth about Twitter, part deux

by Gale Martin, Director of Marketing and Member Relations at the S. Dale High Center

Since numbers of Twitter users are growing even faster than numbers of Facebook users, it's time well spent investigating how businesses, large and small, are using Twitter. (Or in reading a blog post by someone who's been studying up on Twitter.)

One of the things I really value about Twitter are the links to great content readily available. Nearly every worthwhile news and business news publication is on Twitter and posts links to their news: Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, Inc. Magazine.

I follow all these publications and numerous others. In very little time, I can scroll down my feed and find several things that would be of interest to family businesses or those who work with family businesses. Besides posting our own Tweets on Facebook, I use content I find via the Twitter feed to post on the S. Dale High Center's Facebook page. So, if you've already made the leap to an organizational Facebook page, Twitter can be a great resource for valuable content. And, if I repost a link to their content, it's a win-win in the Google Juice arena--they get more, we get more.

If you don't want trivial and useless information coming through your Twitter feed, you need only be selective about who you follow, or simply "unfollow" anyone whose not offering the content value you're seeking.

Business2Consumer uses of Twitter
If you are a family business with retail operations, Twitter has so many uses:

• Post links to daily or weekly specials detailed on your website, driving more people to that that website you spent so much time and money creating. 
• Provide instantaneous customer service by responding to anyone who says anything about you. (Remember Lauren's experience with Dunkin' Donuts on Twitter, and they got back to her--even game her a nickname--"Latte Lauren"). You can subscribe to a service like Social Oomph and receive a list of anyone who mentioned you, or just use the @ feature built-into Twitter to know where your company is being mentioned instantaneously.
• Promote upcoming special events.
• Host a contest and offer prizes to someone who can answer a question about your product or from one of your advertisements.
• Provide a link to a discount coupon.

The only caveat I would offer is that in between promoting your company, take time to respond to customers. Time invested is well spent. Spend as much time talking about others as you do yourself, and you'll be a valued member of the Twitter community. Twitter is a no-cost customer service tool that can be as effective as your telephone. Maybe better--you have to pay for phone use.

If you're not sure how to use Twitter for your retail business, here is a list of retail practices and retailers on Twitter. Follow them and watch what they're doing. You'll soon be expanding on their ideas or come up with ideas of your own, based on your resources.

Business2Business uses of Twitter

• Post job openings with a link (bit.ly) back to your careers page.
• Post new product announcements with a link back to your page.
• Check out the Tweets of new hires or, even better, future hires.
• Search company name to see what is being said about you.
• Use Twitter to make connections with executives you haven't been able to connect with otherwise.
• Respond to industry leaders about their Tweets--relationship building.

At present, opening a Twitter account is free to anyone. I've heard rumblings that may change for commercial users, but the only costs at present are opportunity costs. If you decide to have a Twitter presence, from what other marketing functions will you draw the time and the people to do so? 

If you are interested in social media, I would advise you to think about whether you have the personnel to make your Twitter presence truly personal and authentic, and whether you can stay active. Having an inactive account is almost worse than no account at all. 

Twitter has great search engine optimization potential. If you are a retailer and have been talking about how to ramp up hits to your website, you really should see if Twitter is a fit for your organization.

If you'd like more information about Twitter uses for family businesses, don't hesitate to send me an email at marting@etown.edu.