Established as well as new small business owners are familiar with the terms “Twitter” and “Tweets”. It’s a social networking and micro- blogging tool which allows its users to send as well as read 140 character text messages, known as tweets. Twitter statistics report that close to 200 million people log into Twitter daily and around 400 million tweets are sent every day. Therefore, the question is, do small businesses understand the power of Twitter?
Importance of Twitter
It’s just not the celebrities and big brands such as Starbucks, Coca Cola who can leverage their brands through Twitter, but also the small businesses. According to the statistical portal Statista.com, one fifth of Internet users in the United States are likely to have a Twitter account in 2015. As per their report, the number of users have grown in leaps and bound from 15.2% in 2012 and is likely to rise to 24.2% by 2018. Today, there is an increase in the mobile users and the report shows that compared to desktop users, mobile users are more active on Twitter. That is 79% of the smartphone users access Twitter at least twice a day. Here we look at some of the reasons why small businesses should use Twitter.
- To Promote your Business– Twitter is a tool that allows you to harp about your product and your company. A Kissmetrics study conducted in 2011 had surveyed small business owners who reported that Twitter helped them get new customers. The report further said that 64% of the Twitter users were likely to buy from the brands they follow. The “Promoted Products” feature helps to promote your Twitter profile that is compatible with other users.
- Connect your Business to Customers to Build Relationships– Millions of people use Twitter daily for various purposes. Therefore, it’s the best place for any small business owner to look out for potential customers and at the same time, connect with their existing and loyal customers. Relationships that help to grow your business can be built by keeping your customers and followers updated on the most recent events, through tweeting important, interesting and useful information. Experts opine that engagement is higher by 200% for tweets that include image links. It’s also seen that the re-tweet rates are higher for tweets that contain links.
- To Listen and Get Feedback– One of the reasons why people own a twitter account is to talk. Therefore small businesses should tap into what their followers are saying about their products, services or about any other products and services. When a small business retweets, it shows their clients and followers that they are being heard. It adds a personal touch which will enhance their professional reputation. A small business can understand how the public views their business by closely following what the followers have to say.
- Online Reputation Management– Keeping watch on Twitter conversations involving your brand will let you know whether any of your customers are unhappy with your service or products. By providing solutions to the problems faced by your customers you can avoid negative publicity and thereby mange your online reputation.
Twitter is a free tool therefore it’s an ideal marketing solution for businesses of all sizes and kinds. Use this tool to promote the company blogs and also as a part of your marketing and branding strategy.
