By Toby Bloomberg, Founder, Bloomberg Marketing
In this article, you will learn:
1. Which companies are using Twitter to communicate with their customers;
2. What micro-blogging is and how you can use it to strengthen the bond between you and your customer.
Most, if not all, social media "tools" were developed not for marketers, but for people to keep in touch with each other. Enterprises slowly began to realize that these "tools" e.g., blogs, communities, photo sharing and most recently micro-blogging (Twitter) could be used to communicate with customers and other stakeholders.
Micro-blogging is rather like an "old fashioned" discussion board where anyone can start a conversation or post a comment. What makes it Web 2.0 is the ability to take it mobile and to build a base of "followers." Some platforms allow photos or audio; Twitter, the most popular today, allows live links.
The term micro-blogging comes from the limitation of the number of characters you are allowed in a post. Usually it is no more than 140 characters, making this a low-risk time investment. You are sending short
bursts of information to keep in touch with your network. Like other social media platforms that businesses have adopted the best "Tweeters" (Twitter has a language all its own) combine value added information with a bit of the personal.
Businesses are beginning to use Twitter for customer service outreach (e.g. Dell, Comcast). Zappos is using Twitter not only to create stronger relationships with its customers but to build its internal culture. Yes, people are finding business leads and even jobs through tweets.
Keep in mind that, like other social media initiatives, the strength of micro-blogging comes from developing relationships. People want to do business with people they know and like ... be that a huge Fortune 100 firm like Dell or a mom and pop plumbing company.
I’ve included some resources with this article for those who want to take a deeper dive into the world of Twitter. For a small time investment it could reap big rewards. If you want to know what I'm up to on Twitter follow me at http://twitter.com/TobyDiva
Resources:
Interviews:
Toby Bloomberg is a highly-regarded expert on social media strategies and speaks regularly on the topic at industry events. She is the founder of Bloomberg Marketing, a social media marketing consultancy that helps organizations first understand and then build programs that leverage tactics such as blogs, video and photo sharing, social networks, widgets, etc. to build stronger relationships with customers and stakeholders. Launched in 2004, her internationally recognized blog, Diva Marketing was one of the first "blog brands." She is a Yankee from Boston now living in Atlanta with her rock star YouTube Westie Max.
Who is Tweeting on Twitter?
