Twitter is a "micro-blogging" service that allows you to make posts of no more than 140 characters (including spaces). This allows you to send very short messages to people and therefore has a range of useful business applications.

Initially, when Twitter was launched in October 2006 it was seen as a method of updating people with your current personal activities. So, it quickly became populated with messages such as "I'm just going down to the shops" or "Had a bad day, off to bed now". These mini messages are called "Tweets" and their random and personal nature has meant that Twitter has not been seen as a serious business tool; but it is.

There are several ways in which Twitter can be used positively within businesses and organisations of all sizes. For instance, the Los Angeles Fire Department has its own Twitter account to alert people about current emergency situations; that could save lives. The University of Texas is using Twitter to pass on useful information to students. Hewlett Packard is delivering press release headlines via Twitter and the BBC is using Twitter as a breaking news service.

Clearly, there are plenty of organisations and companies using Twitter in innovative ways. But how can your business benefit from this micro-blogging tool? Well, the first thing to do is ignore the notion that it is just for people who seemingly want to tell the world they've just fed their cat, or made a cup of tea. Instead, think of all the kinds of short pieces of information a business needs to pass on. These could include:

• Staff in/out status
• News headlines
• Emergency information
• New staff appointments
• Event listings
• Price list announcements
• Stock availability
• Share price index

There are literally dozens of different types of short pieces of information that every business provides already - perhaps via phone messages, on web sites or in person. Twitter merely provides an extra delivery mechanism - and the means of automating existing ways of getting short items of information out.

The 140 character limit for Twitter is there for a reason - it means your Tweets can be sent via SMS (text messages) on mobile phones. Your customers, for instance, could choose to have your Twitter information sent to them on a mobile, or as an RSS Feed, or via email. As a result, Twitter can deliver short pieces of information in exactly the way your users want.

Twitter as a PR tool
As an example, consider the delivery of press releases to journalists. At the moment, it might come as a surprise, but almost no press releases ever get read by journalists. They are far too busy to read the millions of words that are sent to them each day. But what if your business had separate Twitter accounts for the, say, four groups of journalists you would like to keep in touch with. They could subscribe to your specific set of Tweets relevant to their interests. They would be able to read the 140 characters and only then look at any more in depth information if they are interested. The "old" way of delivering the news meant that journalists were presented with the in depth material first - and this put them off right at the outset. The Twitter way of PR means increased engagement with the media. And this is just one possible way of using Twitter.

Twitter as a sales promotion tool
As another example, consider how you currently let customers know about price reductions or special offers. You might change your web site, or send emails, or print special promotional leaflets. Whichever way you choose, your customers either need to come to you or your web site to get the information, or you need to send them the information which makes them feel "overloaded" and hence it gets ignored. Now, with Twitter, you can update selected customers with a Tweet for each individual price change all via SMS or an RSS feed. In either case, customers only get the new price information they need, in a short bite-size chunk, making it much more acceptable.

Whatever kind of short pieces of information you send out already, Twitter will provide you with a way of making that material more accessible and more acceptable. Without using Twitter for short pieces of information, your business will start falling behind the competition which will be using Twitter as a business tool.

Using Twitter in business
How do you start? Firstly, draw up a list of all the kinds of short pieces of information you currently produce or could produce. Then, write down all your separate audiences you would like to reach. With both of these lists you can then decide on the specific Twitters you can set up.

Having got your target audiences and sets of information organised, go along to Twitter and set up your free account. You will need one account for each target group you are aiming at. Once your accounts are set up, click on the Settings link for each one and then on the Notices tab and add a mobile phone account. This will allow you to update Twitter by adding Tweets from your mobile phone when you are away from your desk or don't have Internet access. You can also add a picture and change the design; you may want to do this if you have several Twitter accounts so that you can distinguish between each one.

You should also get a Twhirl account organised as this will allow you to manage your multiple Twitter accounts in one place. Twhirl is a desktop computer program, so it is only of value when you are at your PC; even so, it makes using Twitter much easier if you have several Twitters for your business.

Another multi-Twitter tool is Tweetlater. This allows you to arrange Tweets in advance. You could, for instance, programme in a series of price reductions into a price promotion Twitter that were automatically added over a series of days, or weeks.

One more essential tool is Twitterfeed. This allows you to automatically post items to a Twitter account from an RSS feed. So, going back to the press release example, you could publish the entire press release on your web site but use Twitterfeed to submit just the headlines to your interested journalists. That way, all you have to do is write the full press release on your web site and let the combination of Twitterfeed and Twitter do the rest.

Join the Twitter Club
The Twitter Club is a useful source of information and help for anyone using Twitter. There are plenty of other Twitter users there who provide ideas and support; join in the discussions to find out more. There is also an active blog and discussion about Twitter at Twittown that is worth reading. You should also check the Twitter Fan pages to find a long list of downloads and services which can all enhance Twitter.

Twitter is not something you can ignore; there are increasing ways of using Twitter and every business can benefit from having at least one Twitter account. There are over 100 competitors to Twitter and Google has recently bought Jaiku. However, it is likely to have an uphill battle because of the vast number of Twitter users alerady in place. Google's argument is they don't need the Twitter users, as they already have millions of their own. What Google is forgetting is that Twitter is currently integrated with virtually every social networking site around. Adding members to Jaiku might be straightforward for Google; but disconnecting Twitter from the networks will be much harder. So, even though Google is currently working on the micro-blogging boom, using Twitter is a pretty safe bet. Besides which, if you don't start using Twitter, your competitors will.

Labels: blogging, marketing, social networking

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Social networking is clearly taking off. Indeed, Facebook is getting around 150,000 new members every day of the week. Add to that MySpace, YouTube, Bebo and specialist sites like Ecademy and you can see that before long the whole Internet world will be in some social network or another.

Why you should join social networks
Although many social networks appear to be frequented by music loving teenagers, in fact there are several places in these networks for business people, the older generation and anyone with a specialist interest. The average age for people on MySpace is reportedly 43. So, social networks are not just for teenagers - they are for all of us.

However, for those in business, social networks provide a rich source of market research and potential customers. Social networks also help businesses build reputation and brand awareness. Being outside a social network is rather like a business being separated from where the action is. If you have an online business and you are not participating in some way with social networking, there are potential dangers for your business.

What if you don't take part in social networks?
If you don't use social networks in one way or another you will be less likely to keep up to date with current views and trends. This could have damaging consequences as your business may quickly offer things which are considered "old fashioned" or out-of-date. Furthermore, the social nature of these networks mean they can increase popularity for particular products or brands. If you are outside social networks you lose the potential power of "viral recommendation", making what you sell more popular. Therefore if you don't take part in social networking sites, there is a potential downside.

Which social networks should you join?
If you are in business there are four essential social networks. These are LinkedIn, Fastpitch, Facebook and Ecademy. Each has different features and benefits. For instance, LinkedIn allows you to contact people who you have never met before, but effect an introduction through someone they know and who you also know. This means that the contacts are more trusted as they come from people who you know.

Fastpitch is another business-focused social network that helps find people who match you in several ways. This helps automate the process of bringing you into contact with other business owners who could help you, or even be a customer. Fastpitch also provides a way of publishing your press releases.

Facebook has the advantage that it is huge. People from all walks of life are on there, plus there are countless specialist groups on everything from abseiling to zoology. This means you can find people who are interested in what you are selling or who could provide you with advice, support and research in your niche area.

Ecademy is the smallest of the networking groups, but for anyone in business it is a good place to go because it is a network of business people who all support each other and provide ideas and leads for one another. There are also several specialist clubs within Ecademy to focus on specific areas of business.

Finding other social networks
Although the main social networks will help your business, there are plenty of others around that can also provide useful contacts. A good place to look is in the Yahoo Directory of Social Networks or in Online Community Management. Also, take a look at Ning. This has a whole range of specialist social networks; indeed if you can't find a network to suit your needs, you can even start one up using the Ning system.

What to do on social networks
Once you have joined the social networks that are relevant to you, what should you do? Take part, get involved, be visible. An online social network is similar to a traditional meeting. Say you were invited to an evening meeting with drinks and sandwiches where a wide range of local business people were going to be there - hundreds of them. If all you did was cuddle your drink and not speak to anyone all evening it would be a complete waste of your time. You would obviously start chatting to people. Cautiously at first, probably, you would chit-chat before getting on to more serious stuff.

It's the same with online social networks. Just start chatting to people. You can either do this randomly, as you might at that imaginary evening meeting. Or you can talk to people you already know. So, search for your existing contacts to see if they are in that social network. If not, all of the main social networking sites have tools that allow you to invite your existing friends and colleagues to join in. You can even import your contacts list in many instances. Facebook, for example, will trawl through an existing contacts list and see if any of your contacts are already members, if so, connecting you.

Set up a group or club
To get yourself noticed, set up a specialist group on Facebook or within Ecademy, for instance. This will associate your name with that particular interest, helping establish your reputation within the network. Invite people to join that group, advertise it using the tools within the social network and encourage discussion within the group itself.

If a group or club already exists, join it and become one of the regular contributors. You want people to associate your name or company with the topic. That way when other people discuss things in the network, they will probably refer to you.

Make social networking part of your routine
The best way to ensure you get the most out of social networking is to make it a daily activity. Whether you do this first thing in the morning, over lunch or just before bed does not matter. What matters, though, is making it a habit by doing it so regularly it becomes second nature.

Just log in, read any messages, check in to your groups, start a discussion and search for new contacts. That would be a good start to each session with your main social networking groups. Then, take a look round the other groups that are associated with your particular business area. These will be rich sources of market research, information and useful links and ideas to help your business.

Depending on which social network you are working in, you can also post adverts or marketing listings, special events and press releases. However, the key activity you should be doing within each social network is taking part - rather than just reading. Most social networking members are "lurkers" - they simply stand on the sidelines and read what is being written without actually contributing. This means the other people don't know they are there. Being visible in a social networking site will dramatically increase your reputation and brand awareness. To do this you need to be an active member of each network you join.

Build your network
Part of your daily routine in your social network should be to build your network. Find people you can connect with, who share your interests and ask them to connect with you. The more people you connect with, the more influence you can have, plus the more viral your messaging can become. If you give some advice or an idea to one of your contacts they can often pass it on to their friends. But if you have few contacts in your network, you are limiting the impact of your information. The more contacts you have, the more widely your reputation can be disseminated.

So, social networking can be a real help to your business, either in finding new customers or conducting market research. But neither of those things will happen unless you make social networking a real business activity; you cannot "tinker" at it, you need to do it properly.

A useful blog post on social networking can be found at the Digital Biographer.

Labels: social networking

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At December 07, 2007  joyfish said…

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