If you don't know what Twitter is yet, here's a short video called "Twitter in Plain English," that will explain it to you.
If you're reading via RSS or email, click here to watch the YouTube video.
Those of you who know what a geek girl I am might be surprised that I just started using Twitter yesterday. Usually quick to test out new internet marketing tools, I thought I'd wait and see if this Twittering thing would flame-out. But from what I'm seeing online, Twitter is here to stay for at least 2009 and beyond. I'm seeing plenty of social evidence too. Just as people mention who said what on Facebook at dinner parties now, I'm hearing people talk about their Twittering friends and business connections. So I decided to check it out.
Although Twitter can be used as social tool to keep in touch with friends, I'm interested in it's potential as a business community builder. NO-I don't mean a spamming machine, although I can already tell there's plenty of that on Twitter. I'm thinking about it can be used as customer service system. A few potentials I see:
- You can provide a health or beauty tip of the day.
- Share a link to a resource you just discovered.
- Promote new products or services.
- Announce when you've got a last-minute appointment opening.
- Customers can ask questions about products or services they've bought from you.
- Invite people to come join you and your coworkers for a casual get-together.
- Get to know your customers' personal interests and deepen your relationships.
One thing I like about Twitter is that the interface is pretty easy to use, and the content that you write on it is really short--only 140 characters! It's a perfect solution for those of you who've thought about blogging, but don't have the time to write full articles. Tweeting is very quick and fun!
Ready to check it out? Do these 3 steps, that can be completed in 30-minutes or less:
- Click on this easy-to-understand article called Twitter 101 for Business. It walks you though setting up your account and explains how to use the features.
- Create your free Twitter account. (Tip: You can create a company-named account and/or a personal account. I did both.)
- Follow me on Twitter, so I know you're joined! Here is my Twitter profile:
http://twitter.com/JayaSchillinger
That's it! It's easy to set up and there's no cost.
For those of you who are already Twittering, let me know how it's working for you. You can send me an email or comment on the blog, but your tweets would be especially welcome!
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