Most small business owners grasp the concept of Facebook as a powerful marketing tool but when it comes to Twitter many users shy away. Twitter in essence is microblogging. You are given 140 characters to say whatever you want through different mediums like IM, cell phones and directly on twitter.com. In general people have a hard time grasping this concept when they can do the same thing on Facebook by changing their status often and still engage with friends all on one site. In fact, Twitter had a hard time retaining users initially. People will try it based on all of the hype but just don’t see the need for it. So is there really a benefits to posting “tweets” ABSOLUTELY!

The benefits of Twitter are especially evident to small business owners and start-ups. On Twitter its all about networking! Twitter gives you a way to connect with a large group of people you normally may not have access to and build a network quickly. When you first start using Twitter you can search to find users with similar interests. You can choice to follow a user and read there posts. As you post tweets other users may take interest and follow you, before you know it you are building a social network. I am starting to loss count of the direct messages and conversations that I’ve had with other designers, people that I never met but exchange ideas with constantly. As you build you network you build traffic! Through conversations and links in your profile you can direct visitors to your website.

Other ways small business owners can benefit from Twitter is through feedback and idea exchange. People on Twitter seem to be really honest! Perhaps it’s the fact that there are only 140 characters to say something so you eliminate the fluff and get right to the point. The good thing is you get a sense right away what people think which can come in handy for product reviews. Occasionally when faced with a creative block for website layout I am working on I’ll post a link on Twitter and gain instant feedback of what users like and dislike. In some ways Twitter is an instant focus group right at your finger tips.

If you are interested in establishing a Twitter account for your business and need some assistance send me an email at matt@540designstudio.com.