We will be exploring different mediums of Social Media, and today we're going to talk about Twitter and why it's good for Small Businesses and Individuals. Taking a look back, Twitter originated in 2006 when an NYU undergrad introduced the idea of using SMS messages for small groups during a brainstorming session at then podcasting company Odeo. The name "Twitter" came from the defining characteristic that messages shared would be 140 characters or less - like a chirp or tweet from a bird. At first it was designed to be a social status update service, however over time it became more of a microblogging and information center. Today, people use Twitter to share statuses, pictures, videos, blogs, articles, or really any kind of web content or idea. It connects to other social media services like Facebook, Instagram, Foursquare; as well as third party social media tools like Twitterfeed and Hootsuite which help bloggers share their content across multiple channels.
Marketers from Large, Medium, and Small businesses have used Twitter to help promote their brand and drive new sales leads. Twitter provides a venue to find and convert prospects who are interested in your industry, and a place to have an interactive conversation. Unfortunately many companies just use Twitter as a broadcasting center to promote themselves, and don't actively engage with their followers. It is important to grasp this concept of "engagement" when we're talking about social media, because unlike advertising you're not talking AT your prospects, you're communicating WITH them. Think about how you react when a commercial comes on when you're watching a TV program; most of us have the ability to fast forward through the millions of dollars spent by big companies on advertisements just to get back to watching the content we really wanted in the first place. Not to harp on the same thing, but that N=1 concept I touched on in my last blog is really the overarching theme for why Social Media engagement is so important overall.
For Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs it is even more important to have an engaging social media presence, because just by the nature of SMALL business, your following will be smaller and hopefully more intimate. You must also consider that you're competing with a lot of noise from larger companies with bigger advertising budgets and flashy campaigns, so you'll need to work on standing out, providing riveting content, and a specialized, comfortable, and fun setting for conversation that your prospects and clients can't find anywhere else. It is crucial to develop a passionate group of followers - the kind that Seth Godin calls out in his book "Tribes, We Need You To Lead Us". Speaking of my buddy Seth (I wish I could call him a friend, he's so cool...) - if you haven't checked out any of his marketing books, I highly recommend doing so! (And no, this is not a paid endorsement, it's just good reading if you need a boost.)
The best thing about Twitter is that it's probably the easiest place to get started with your Social Media Strategy as a small business or entrepreneur. The set up is intuitive, finding people and businesses is pretty straight forward, and even finding your friends and peers is easy. It's also helpful that you can access Twitter from your computer or your smartphone, so you can make quick updates as inspiration strikes and you're on the go.
If you'd like to talk about Twitter strategies for growing your brand and your business please let me know!
Follow Me on Twitter: @CoriB_ENT
