Okay, that's silly. But before you dive into using Twitter for your business, remember that it's like any other marketing plan (and, really, like any other goal, period): You have to know where you want to end up in order to know how to get there and when you've arrived. First, decide what you want to achieve. Come up with your mission.
Before you do that, though, think about it. Do you even know what's possible? Twitter's strengths, the things that work best in that micro-blogging format, are the keys to deciding what you want to accomplish.
First and foremost, it's immediate. How long did it take for photos of the Miracle on the Hudson to start circulating? How long did it take for the world to know about the explosions at the Boston Marathon? For that matter, a whole lot of fans knew that Whitney Houston had died about half an hour before traditional press outlets began reporting it. There are case studies abounding of restaurants and other retail businesses using Twitter to correct customer service mistakes on the fly. Someone tweets about poor service while they're waiting in line. The manager gets an alert when her business name is mentioned (yeah, you can do that). She tracks down the unhappy customer and makes it right on the spot.
It's immediate. Plan on that.
It's also direct. The person on the other end of the tweet is an individual who asked to see what you're tweeting. That's powerful stuff. This isn't a TV or online ad that you hope will be seen and noticed by someone matching the general classification of your typical customer. It's an actual person, and they've already indicated, by following you, that they're at least a little bit interested in what you have to say. No one sees your tweets without deciding to sign up for them.
From the reader's perspective, it can have even greater impact. Sure, odds are it's someone who gets paid for social media who's composing tweets and monitoring the big corporation's account, not the CEO. But more often than you might think likely it is the real deal, the head honcho, the celebrity, the big cheese him- or herself who's reading and tweeting. And those tweets give customers and fans a direct line to someone they want to talk to.
That's more potent than it sounds. If you run a small business you might think that your customers can reach you whenever they want, anyway. All they have to do is call or use the email address on your website. But a receptionist answers your phone, callers have to leave voice mails, you get two hundred emails a day…even if you, personally, keep on top of all your communications with your customer base (and potential customers), the perception is that there are layers between them and you.
But a tweet that goes straight to your phone, your Twitter feed…? That's like being able to send a text message. It's more likely to get your attention. It's less corporate communication and more open access. Direct.
And, finally, Twitter shows your style. Whether your clients want to see that you're a respected expert in your field, or that you're funny and in tune with the latest goings-on (or the full gamut in between), Twitter is a great place to build a reputation, fast. (Refer to the 'immediate' thing above.) The Dallas Stars (my favorite team, as anyone who has known me for more than a few minutes is aware) is developing a reputation for being clever, cool and funny, thanks to their Twitter feed. There was the Cowboys/Romo incident, then a poke at the Anaheim Ducks. Certainly, the Stars use Twitter to report scores and news about the team, or to direct fans to their website, but by allowing a little personality to shine through, they're creating a persona that attracts attention, i.e., followers.
Your brand, whatever it is, has room for some personality. Gravitas, silly side, obsession with being on the cutting edge of market conditions, current events or pop culture…whatever. There's something you can express through Twitter that will set your brand apart.
So the question is: What's going to be the most productive for you and your business? The immediacy? Having direct contact with a pre-screened customer base? The chance to create a direct link between your brand and the image you'd like to convey? Take a look at the things that Twitter does so well. They'll help guide your Twitter mission.
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