At first glace, Twitter seems like a limited platform with its 140 char Tweets. But take a second look. The way I explain Twitter to my clients is to have them look at Google. If you look at the Google search result pages (SERPs), you’ll notice they look very similar to Tweets. Each listing has a link which shows the title meta and a description which is slightly controlled by the site’s owner. Searching through Twitter you’ll see similar results. The difference between Google and Twitter is that the users have a much greater control over the content within the Tweets and the information Twitter is much fresher. Google’s results are usually 1 day or several days old where as Tweets are updated instantly. If Twitter continues to grow at the rate that it is, it might change the way we search for information and make Google obsolete.
Here are the biggest reasons people use Twitter:
1) Learning tool: Twitter has links to thousands of great articles. The best thing is you can follow experts and often they post lots of useful information. Twitter is a community so often there is a lot of chatter about current events or news. By using hashtag # search, you can find people chatting about things that interest you. For those interested in stocks or invest there are many people to follow that feed out stock information or hot tips. There are even tools that you can use to monitor this activity like Tweetdeck and Monitter.
2) Branding tool: When I first joined Twitter, it marked a change in my business direction. Previously, many companies I worked promoted my SEO services but not me. Whenever, I met new clients I felt like I was starting from scratch having to explain myself and my years of experience. Using Twitter I really made an effort to promote my brand. Because Twitter uses the concept of followers, it is easy to see who the trend-setters are. By having over 10,000 followers it looks like I am one to watch. By Tweet my articles and insights I can built confidence that I do in fact know what I’m talking about. Twitter for me acts a living resume and means to stay in constant contact with people who might become my clients.
3) Celebrity tool: Ashton Kutcher brought the world’s attention to Twitter. Because of this Hollywood connect Twitter has been completely embraced by Hollywood, the media, and by celebrities. As result it is a useful tool for learning everything there is about entertainment. If you are looking for the latest buzz or want connect with your favourite actor, Twitter is the place to be.
4) Social tool: Many people seem to forget this, but Twitter is a social media site. Often people Tweet solely about themselves and miss the importance of the medium. Twitter is all about being social and connecting with others. Success on Twitter results from building relationships and gaining trust. Using replies @ , hashtags #, and direct messages DM are great ways to make these connections.
5) Spamming tool: Though I’m not recommending this, often people use Twitter to spam. Spam on Twitter is abundant. Twitter is a great to reach many people very fast. Because it is so easy it often gets abused. Fortunately, Twitter, partly to establish its legitimacy, has cracked down on spammers. Most spammers end up with banned accounts.
What are your reasons for using Twitter? Tell me and I’ll post them here.
Any questions about Twitter marketing or why to use Twitter, please feel free to contact me at 905-417-9470 or by email at allanp73@gmail.com
