Twitter isn't for everyone, it has to be said, in fact it's one of those things that you either love or hate and this fact is often determined by your age group.
In this article we will try to persuade you, as a marketer, that Twitter is an essential marketing tool.
Primarily it's a platform where a simple string of text, 140 characters long, can be quickly sent and received; these communications being known as tweets.
However its simplicity and limitation on the amount of text seems to also be its strength.
Users can send or receive very short non complicated messages which suit our present fast pace life-styles and don't tax us too much mentally.
Tweeting, as it's known, has also developed its own shorthand.
This allows users to cram more content and meaning into a message, albeit in a shorthand form, whilst at the same time justifying the users limited grammar and vocabulary.
For non users, reading a tweet can be like reading a foreign language.
Don't let this however put you off using Twitter as a potential marketing tool, the extent of Twitter's reach and the number of people using it is huge.
Professional marketers were very aware of its potential right from the start.
How Twitter actually works would require numerous pages and there are some great resources out there where you can learn all about it.
Twitter basically works around a time line, this is displayed on a continuously updated single page and you can add your own personal message, a tweet, to the timeline.
By sending and receiving tweets you build a list of followers and here is where the magic happens as far as we marketers are concerned.
Here is an opportunity to build a LIST on autopilot at virtually no cost.
Surely this has to be worth your investment of time.
You may be thinking, wow this is great, a tool that can build a list virally, there must be a downside and there is.
• Twitter needs to be updated constantly, at least several times a day if not more, a lot more.
• Is this really the best use of your time and effort, updating tweets on your Twitter account? • Is this the best way to market for your business? So is Twitter of any practical use? How does it compare with other forms of social media marketing? These are questions that only you can answer and before you condemn Twitter to the online dustbin let's review its potential.
Twitter's strength is its simplicity and viral application, so how could you as a marketer capitalize on this? Well the same way you would focus any viral marketing strategy, you could send out a single tweet to an interested group i.
e.
your niche market or your followers, and they in turn to their followers.
Better still send a tweet to a business contact, think affiliate or JV, they in turn can focus the tweet to their lists with your special offers.
Your message is no longer a random tweet but a focussed viral marketing campaign with others doing most of the leg work for you, the possibilities are endless.
So there you have it, Twitter isn't a fad, it's a fantastic opportunity for building your list and spreading your name and message out there on the web.
Just to allay any further fears you may have about the technology, it's very easy to set up a Twitter account.
Sign up for your account and set up your profile, it couldn't be easier.
There are many tools available for use with your Twitter account but that's a topic for another article on another day.
A few words of caution before we sign off.
• Never SPAM • Be very selective with whom you follow.
• Link only with people who are genuinely interested in your content or line of product you propose to sell.
• Your time is precious, don't waste it.
• A followers list that is inflated never made anyone rich.
You will be better positioned by building strong relationships with smaller groups and with the members in that group.
This will allow your social influence to grow organically and thereby grow your list.