Here a Twitter,
There a Twitter,
Everywhere a Twitter, Twitter!
Twitter "comments" seems to be everywhere don't they?
So before I actually talk about what Twitter is, maybe the first step is to consider how did you actually hear about Twitter.
Did you see it on the news mentioning Twittering a huge event like a presidential election campaign, another CNN current news story, the last holes at the Master's Golf Tournament, the finish line at the Tour de' France? Or, maybe you heard it from some company calling you wanting to sell you online social media services because your business is going to get left in the dust if you don't buy their services? Or maybe you heard it from your kids or that relative/friend out looking for a job because they were just laid off.
Finally, you might have just heard people say, "What the heck is Twitter?"
With the all above thoughts in mind now ask yourself this..............
Have your heard your customers ask you "Why aren't you using Twitter because "I" your customer want you to be using it?
Folks, are your customers asking you to start using Twitter?
At it's foundation, Twitter is a Web tool used to have online conversations about something happening right here, right now. Whether it's Twittering about a news event, or maybe some store that made a gaff of some kind in their policy. The more hype, drama, and excitement the event has the better.
Did you know Twitter comments, or Tweets, are limited to 140 characters at a time. So it truly is a quick flurry of words being thrown around between people saying, Wow check this out. Once the excitement is over, the conversation thread basically dies and people move on to the next exciting thing they seem to have time to check out.
So now, as a business owner, ask yourself a couple questions if you're considering Twitter.
1. Is my target market population, my core customer base, are they using Twitter?
2. Do I have something going on in my business, right here, right now that I can use to market to those currently on Twitter. Something that is going to generate excitement, buzz or drama in a way that the word spreads to all Twitter users for the briefest span of time in a way that I can capitalize on somehow for my business.
Ultimately, Twitter takes time and a thorough, thorough marketing plan to have any hope of being a success tool for a small business. Don't waste your precious time on Twitter if you don't have it as an integral part of your overall marketing plan.
Good luck and as always feel free to call if you have questions.
Chris Nastav
