50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
August 20, 2008
twitterbirds
We really can’t deny the fact that businesses are testing out Twitter as part of their steps into the social media landscape. You can say it’s a stupid application, that no business gets done there, but there are too many of us (including me) that can disagree and point out business value. I’m not going to address the naysayers much with this. Instead, I’m going to offer 50 thoughts for people looking to use Twitter for business. And by “business,” I mean anything from a solo act to a huge enterprise customer.
Your mileage may vary, and that’s okay. Further, you might have some really great ideas to add. That’s why we have lively conversations here at [chrisbrogan.com] in the comments section. Jump right in!
Oh, and please feel free to reblog this wherever. Just be kind and link back to the original article.
50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
First Steps
1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor’s names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.)
2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you.
3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn’t sell more widgets, but it shows us you’re human.
4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( @wholefoods does this well).
6. Don’t get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( @jetblue gives travel tips.)
7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out.
8. Promote your employees’ outside-of-work stories. ( @TheHomeDepot does it well.)
9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc.
10. Talk about non-business, too, like @astrout and @jstorerj from Mzinga.
Ideas About WHAT to Tweet
11. Instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?”, answer the question, “What has your attention?”
12. Have more than one twitterer at the company. People can quit. People take vacations. It’s nice to have a variety.
13. When promoting a blog post, ask a question or explain what’s coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
14. Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
15. Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
16. Tweet about other people’s stuff. Again, doesn’t directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you’re not “that guy.”
17. When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
18. Share the human side of your company. If you’re bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
19. Don’t toot your own horn too much. (Man, I can’t believe I’m saying this. I do it all the time. - Side note: I’ve gotta stop tooting my own horn).
20. Or, if you do, try to balance it out by promoting the heck out of others, too.
Some Sanity For You
21. You don’t have to read every tweet.
22. You don’t have to reply to every @ tweet directed to you (try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty).
23. Use direct messages for 1-to-1 conversations if you feel there’s no value to Twitter at large to hear the conversation ( got this from @pistachio).
24. Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
25. 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck and Twhirl make it a lot easier to manage Twitter.
26. If you tweet all day while your coworkers are busy, you’re going to hear about it.
27. If you’re representing clients and billing hours, and tweeting all the time, you might hear about it.
28. Learn quickly to use the URL shortening tools like TinyURL and all the variants. It helps tidy up your tweets.
29. If someone says you’re using twitter wrong, forget it. It’s an opt out society. They can unfollow if they don’t like how you use it.
30. Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.
The Negatives People Will Throw At You
31. Twitter takes up time.
32. Twitter takes you away from other productive work.
33. Without a strategy, it’s just typing.
34. There are other ways to do this.
35. As Frank hears often, Twitter doesn’t replace customer service (Frank is @comcastcares and is a superhero for what he’s started.)
36. Twitter is buggy and not enterprise-ready.
37. Twitter is just for technonerds.
38. Twitter’s only a few million people. (only)
39. Twitter doesn’t replace direct email marketing.
40. Twitter opens the company up to more criticism and griping.
Some Positives to Throw Back
41. Twitter helps one organize great, instant meetups (tweetups).
42. Twitter works swell as an opinion poll.
43. Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
44. Twitter at events helps people build an instant “backchannel.”
45. Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often (especially if the news impacts online denizens).
46. Twitter gives businesses a glimpse at what status messaging can do for an organization. Remember presence in the 1990s?
47. Twitter brings great minds together, and gives you daily opportunities to learn (if you look for it, and/or if you follow the right folks).
48. Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that means you can study them.
49. Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online (mine are).
50. Twitter can augment customer service. (but see above)
What else would you add? How are you using Twitter for your business?
By the way, Jeremiah Owyang has a great post on this, too.
The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.
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Comments
Comment by Chetan on August 20, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
Great post there Chris :)
Nice list of various aspects, especially the positives to throw back!
Comment by Eric Miltsch on August 20, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
Chris -
Nicely organized batch of quality examples; I’ve had decent results from my mini-interview series (that you even participated in as well) at http://www.TweetandGreet.com
Comment by Matt Tharp on August 20, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
Chris,
I also posted some ramblings about Twitter related to business. I’m fairly obsessed with the branding aspect of Twitter right now. It seems applicable, hopefully it adds to your discussion here.
http://www.originalanalogmachine.com/2008/08/20/why-twitter-will-win-big-in-the-social-media-sweepstakes/
Comment by Julie Roads on August 20, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
Great post - I especially like #s 31-50…I posted something similar about using Twitter as a marketing tool - specifically using that search bar to build your network on Twitter. There are so many tangent groups to your business, and this research and following can be done so quickly…http://tinyurl.com/55syrk.
Thanks for all that you do…
Julie
Comment by Seamus Anthony on August 20, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
I just find it’s a great way to stop and actually pay attention to just what the heck it actually IS that I am doing with my time right now. Stops me from unconsciously blundering through the work day without noticing it.
Comment by Daniel Richard on August 20, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
I’ve followed your tweets too Chris. It’s always great to toot our own horns but always better to help others with their great articles on the net too.
Liked the ideas on the positive stuffs to throw back. :)
Daniel
Comment by SIGEPJEDI on August 20, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
Great post Chris!
Now, we just need to ram it down their throats!
- The concepts/ideas that is ;-)
Comment by Kenneth Darryl Brown on August 20, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
I love your post! Chris does it again! Nice job!
Comment by Zack Gonzales on August 20, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Chris, great post. I tweet for Hoovers.com as @hoovers, and I think your #18 is so valuable.
I would add that those using Twitter for business should have a sense of humor in their tweets when they can. Not cracking jokes per se, but being natural. (Unless you’re @PopeyesChicken, in which case keep the jokes coming.)
Thanks!
zack
Comment by Gloria Miller on August 20, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
Chris:
Thanks for the great info on how to use Twitter. I always enjoy your tweets and will definitely incorporate some of your ideas into my future tweets!
Glo.
Comment by Stephanie Elsea on August 20, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Thanks Chris. This is all good stuff. Once again, I’ll be talking about and linking to your site on my blog (which is geared toward helping my MarCom team understand/adapt to Social Media). Pretty soon, it’ll just redirect to you.
Earlier today, I was telling my team of the importance of being human on Twitter. It’s a little scary for PR-types, I think, to blur that line.
You sort of cover this indirectly: Don’t treat Twitter as an RSS feed. I enjoy getting news on Twitter but not when it’s a string of tweets that are just a repurposing of a newsfeed. @ColonelTribune does it best. @statesman is getting there.
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Comment by Eve Lopez on August 21, 2008 @ 1:03 am
Awesome post! This is GREAT advice for head honchos who don’t see the value of Twitter. My colleague, community manager @workdotcom has had tremendous success using Twitter - we’ve implemented things on our website that come from direct suggestions from Twitter followers. We’ve also had awesome new members come on board to contribue to Work.com. The key is TOTALLY to engage in dialogue with your fellow tweeters.
Comment by Ari Herzog on August 21, 2008 @ 1:21 am
I’d elaborate the first item, Chris, by suggesting before someone creates a Twitter account that he or she or it listens first.
If you create an account before watching existing conversations on Twitter Search and Tweet Scan, you may inadvertently create the wrong account name, for instance, and be forced to deleting it and starting all over. It doesn’t take time to delete an account but the principle takes a lifetime.
Your first mission is to listen. Your second mission is to join with a branded name/handle, but also with descriptive content in your profile description, at 160 characters or less.
You should also sign up for alerts on relevant content at Tweet Beep, which is akin to Google Alerts. If anyone tweets about you or any keyword or URL you choose, you’ll get an emailed alert. Very handy.
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Comment by The Red Rocket on August 21, 2008 @ 4:09 am
Great post. Twitter’s also great for learning about your target market - whether it’s customers or in my case fellow professionals and journalists. I’m increasingly thinking that Twitter’s a business rather than personal tool.
Comment by Bruce Shilander on August 21, 2008 @ 4:21 am
Great post, twitter rocks
Comment by Jeremiah Owyang on August 21, 2008 @ 4:30 am
Thanks Chris for the link. One thing to remember is that Twitter isn’t right for all folks nor all companies. If their audience isn’t there, or they truly don’t want to be part of the dialog, then it doesn’t matter.
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Comment by Noah David Simon on August 21, 2008 @ 5:08 am
my comment is on the friendfeed thread. http://friendfeed.com/e/0e568d34-fa5e-cb53-91dd-fa4e090aa886/50-Ideas-on-Using-Twitter-for-Business/
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Comment by Aaron Strout on August 21, 2008 @ 6:09 am
Chris,
First, let me start by saying “thank you!” You are too kind. My colleague Jim @jstorerj and I are honored to mentioned in this post alongside so many other great brands/names. To that end, Jim and I work really hard to put a “human” face on Mzinga (which also has a Twitter account that Jim and I sometimes tweet from).
Second, this is a wonderfully prescriptive post (and one that I will start sending to all my “newish” friends and followers. I like that you not only clearly stated clear business value but also mentioned up front what some of the detractors are saying/will say about Twitter. Thanks for once again bringing tremendous value to my feedstream!
Best,
Aaron | @astrout
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Comment by Jim Storer on August 21, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Thanks for the mention Chris. For a lot of companies Twitter is an instant focus group and a great way to dip their collective toes in the social media pool. But as Frank from Comcast found out, you better be prepared to swim.
Jim | @jstorerj
Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 8:02 am
Chris,
This is perfect for @clarisnetworks.
Thanks, we’ve got a new intern working on the @clarisnetworks account and she can benefit from your thoughts greatly.
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Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 8:05 am
@Brooks - you raise an interesting question, and this isn’t intended to cast any negative light on your no-doubt-capable intern: did you put your brand in the hands of an intern? In your mind, is Twitter an intern-level platform?
I’m curious to know what others think about that one?
And again, no offense meant, but rather, a question.
Comment by Tom Webster on August 21, 2008 @ 8:11 am
I agree that Twitter has business applications–certainly if a customer tweets you that they have a problem, then you should try and fix that problem. In that sense, it is a wonderful extension of customer service.
But I disagree with Red Rocket, above, that it is great for learning about your target market–unless your target market is Twitter users. While I use Twitter every day and have no doubts that it will continue to grow as a platform, current regular usage of Twitter still falls below 1% of the general U.S. pop. The potential to go awry here due to non-response bias (all the folks NOT on Twitter) makes using Twitter for _strategic_ purposes a bit dicey.
Chris, what are your thoughts on how the Marketing function can make strategic use of Twitter? The tactical applications are clear.
Comment by Jim Storer on August 21, 2008 @ 8:13 am
@Chris & Brooks - I think it depends on the company and what stage they are in with regard to Twitter. Some companies are really focused on listening and that may be a just fine for an intern. As they progress (or decide) to begin engaging in the conversation they’ll need more oversight. Again, depending on who the company is and how they’ve engaged their prospects/customers in the past, the role might need to be quickly transitioned to someone with more experience.
My two cents… YMMV.
Jim | @jstorerj
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Comment by Colonel Tribune on August 21, 2008 @ 8:17 am
@ Stephanie Elsea - Thank you!
Comment by Kris @ Fresh Focus on August 21, 2008 @ 8:20 am
I would absolutely not put my business in the hands of an intern: and there are reasons for this. I do not feel that interns are incapable of handling that responsibility, but rather lack the experience of MY brand and what it is.
My company would have a seasoned employee doing the Twittering, because they know my brand, how we operate, and the sincere focus that we have on excellence in giving customer service and listening.
Interns can be very capable and valuable assets: however they lack the specific knowledge of my brand to be the sole representer. Perhaps if they were paired with a veteran employee, that might be a better situation. To learn the ropes with someone that’s grown with my company would be essential.
Comment by rsomers on August 21, 2008 @ 8:22 am
Twitter for an intern? Depends on the intern.
People commonly think of an intern as an undergrad making copies for $10/hour. Leading a company’s entry into Twitter and other social media wouldn’t be a fit.
The word ‘intern’ also applies to higher-level folks, though. I’m thinking of MBA interns who may have 5-10 years of work experience, often as consultants with major firms, and are paid a heck of a lot more than $10/hour. With those folks the challenge is finding assignments that are meaty enough. I always fight to have them do something meaningful and big that’ll leave an impact on the company long after the assignment is over. For a company without dedicated social media headcount, leading the Twitter charge would fit that bill, IMHO.
Other note - getting ANYONE to take this on as part of their job can be a challenge in many corporate environments. That’s why I’m so grateful to @zackgonzales for taking it on not as a side job, but as one of the many missions he leads for Hoover’s.
Comment by Cara on August 21, 2008 @ 8:41 am
I echo some of the others that say it depends how you plan to utilize Twitter. If you are just starting out with the listening phase, or if you have a super high level intern that you can trust…perhaps it might work.
But, for me, the relationships we are building are too important for that. I am connected with members of the media, partners, area experts, etc. I would not want to intrust an intern to build those relationships. The relationships have value because the two people on both ends know how to make them have value, how to collaborate together. Most interns would not be able to manage that.
Comment by Alanna on August 21, 2008 @ 8:46 am
I could see an intern teamed with someone with more experience as a great combination for a twitter account. The veteran could contribute company-specific tweets and the intern could offer the interesting stories and relevant links that add value to the account.
Comment by Michael Schneider on August 21, 2008 @ 8:54 am
re: @chrisbrogan’s tweet:
chrisbrogan Is Twitter an intern-level responsibility for a business? http://tinyurl.com/5u75pe . Look@comments
Like anything with Twitter, the more transparent you are, the better. It depends on the social media related goals of the company. I see pros and cons to this dip-your-toe-in-before-jumping-in strategy.
If the intern is twizzlin’ to get a sense for web related buzz, to make announcements about upcoming objects-of-interest or take feedback with an “I’ll check and get back to you” sort of flare versus being expected to be the online voice of the organization, then I think it is excellent. The intern could be twitter triage! It would be difficult to expect an intern to be able to represent the company. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who may not know the company very well. That said, if Claris Networks has not made a “we’re on twitter” announcement to their customers, they might find that they have a limited, manageable following/stream at first that they can use as a microcosm for what they actually want.
Businesses should expect that they are going to achieve limited benefits vs. putting an executive or even a full-time community manager online. And I’m sure they do. Businesspeople are smart. They understand the value of their resources and tend to at least try to allocate their sparse resources carefully.
Let’s look hypothetically: I can picture the decision makers of Claris Networks in a room talking about social media and its impact. I can picture both evangelism and naysaying. I could picture them coming to the conclusion that they should be doing something and that either they will use an intern to get learnings about the benefits or until they can hire a community manager (anyone checked their site for this exciting potential career opportunity? hehe)
If you look at Claris Networks’ twitter stream, it is pretty sparse on the “social” and heavier on the announcements. This article will certainly help them shape their strategy and perhaps help them engage in a more warm and transparent way. I’m a new follower and I’m excited to see how their twitter and social media presence evolves. 加油 Go Claris Networks! 加油 Good to see an increasing number of people like Brooks Brown out there who get it!
Comment by Noah David Simon on August 21, 2008 @ 8:59 am
How is it that Hamas has a twitter account and somehow twitter sees me as a bigger threat? This network is a BLUE STATE joke. I broke no terms. twitter is arbitrary tyranny.
Comment by Monthiel on August 21, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Chris Brogan, i’d like to say that this is a great post. Sorry about my short comment. I’m brazilian and i am learning english, this is whay i have a limit to write..
Comment by Alexis Karlin @ Forrester Research on August 21, 2008 @ 9:21 am
This post not only gives businesses great ideas to as what they should be doing, but to as what they should not be doing. All company’s should read this and understand the benefit of joining Twitter to enhance their brand.
Comment by marmon122 on August 21, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Businesses should expect that they are going to achieve limited benefits vs. putting an executive or even a full-time community manager online. And I’m sure they do. Businesspeople are smart. They understand the value of their resources and tend to at least try to allocate their sparse resources carefully.
Comment by Patsy Stewart on August 21, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Thanks for a great list! I found things that I can implement to improve my Twitter experience!
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Comment by Dale Beermann on August 21, 2008 @ 9:37 am
One of the things that commonly gets overlooked is that Twitter can be a great tool for companies that have a much more local focus as well. Using search.twitter.com and near:Madison,WI I can find out what people are saying in my area. Combine that with more targeted keywords and you have a pretty good direct marketing tool. I wrote about some of this here as well: http://www.dalebeermann.com/2008/08/social-media-le.html
Comment by Libby Krah on August 21, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Great post, Chris. And the stream of comments provides yet more evidence for the argument to get into social media.
As a recent intern, I’d like to throw my two cents in. I don’t think the intern should be solely responsible for creating and maintaining the Twitter account. You need someone who understands completely the company’s values to be able to develop the tone in which your tweets represent your company. That in mind, you also need someone who understands social media so you don’t end up looking like Shannon Paul’s “that guy.”
Like you recommended with #12, it’s important to build a base of people who tweet. Most interns last about three or four months, right? Say you hand over the task of building a Twitter community to your intern and she does a great job; conversation is flowing with a large following. And then she leaves. If you don’t have a full-time employee already participating, there will be a lapse in Twitter activity and a possible lapse in credibility.
Maybe the best way for interns to use Twitter is to encourage them to create an account if they don’t have one already. @internATcompany could tweet about what he’s working on and what the company’s like from a newbie insider, as well as all those expected “human” comments.
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Comment by Jake Stride on August 21, 2008 @ 10:54 am
Great post, I put one together at the beginning of the month too, but now the SMS doesn’t work in the UK some of them are slightly redundant:
http://www.senokian.com/barking/2008/08/06/using-twitter-for-business/
Comment by Gnarlodious on August 21, 2008 @ 11:29 am
Unfortunately Twitter has become another channel to spam people. I get lots of followers who are just spamming me every day trying to rustle up customers.
Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 11:39 am
Chris and friends,
Thank you for your recent conversation about our decision to allow our new marketing coordinator try Twitter on for size.
A couple of key points:
1. Our corporate Twitter account (@clarisnetworks) is relatively new. We are still feeling our way through the applicable uses Twitter brings to the enterprise…specifically the information technology industry.
2. At the moment, we are limiting our tweets from @clarisnetworks to corporate announcements, client announcements, and related IT information/news. As we continue to move through the process, we’ll add more strategically-minded information that will assist in our branding efforts.
3. We’re the largest information technology provider in the East Tennessee Innovation Valley, and have done a terrific job at marketing/branding ourselves through other traditional means, and view @clarisnetworks, and Twitter for that matter, as an opportunity to orient ourselves with its possibilities, etc.
Do you remember the first tweet you made? I know mine wasn’t pretty…I didn’t even understand the “@” rule. But alas, as we move forward, we learn and we get better at what we do.
Some have asked if it is responsible to put your corporate branding in the hands of a new employee. I would respond by saying that I would be foolish to view Twitter (less than 1 percent of the US population) as my primary means to promote and market our company. On the contrary, Twitter is a learning platform in the 2.0 realm and a small component of our branding strategy, but one that we believe will play an important role in the near future.
Chris, in response to your specific questions:
1. Our clients, employees and culture make our brand what it is. A brand should never be reserved for a single employee or the CEO of a company. Hearts and minds, hearts and minds.
2. Twitter is considered by many to be a newbie
itself and I tend to agree given the longevity of traditional IM apps, blogs, forums, facebook and MySpace. What better avenue for a new employee to orient themselves with than a relatively new 2.0 platform?
The great fact that I believe we can all agree with is that there are no Twitter rules. There is no handbook, no official do’s and don’ts. Thus, there should be no reason to judge each other’s efforts, but only to support the proliferation of its use and integration into the 2.0 world.
We’re excited about the opportunities that Twitter presents to our business and excited that we have employees who are willing to dip their feet into the 2.0 experience and are confident in time, our viral efforts online will meet and exceed the success we enjoy from traditional marketing today.
Take care.
Comment by Lee Jarvis on August 21, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Great advice there Chris, much appreciated :)
It’s tough to dedicate time to the ‘niceties’ of Twittering, but you are right that they are important.
Comment by Mark Evertz on August 21, 2008 @ 11:50 am
Chris,
I really appreciate the insightful guidance on this. I see so many Twits out there telling me that their feet hurt, the chili cheese dog they ate isn’t agreeing with them or they’re just plain bored. It makes it hard to bring this outreach mechanism into the boardroom and illustrate actual brand building or bottom-line value by simply being genuine and human. Thanks for helping arm me with actual business applications. I promise to not become “that guy” and pollute the Twittersphere.
Cheers,
Mark
http://www.bnj.com
Comment by Kris @ Fresh Focus on August 21, 2008 @ 11:53 am
@Lee Jarvis
How can Twittering be called “niceties”? Is communication with your customers a “nicety” or a necessity? If businesses continue to think that Twittering is a “nicety” instead of a very valuable tool in gaining customer satisfaction, as well as future customers by word of mouth, they will be left in the dust by the businesses that embrace it.
Comment by Bat Masterson on August 21, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Nice duck photo. Did you take it? I do not see credits
Comment by matthew hunt on August 21, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
Great list/post of ideas! Every business owner should read this.
Just be human, get involved in the conversations, and treat others how you would like to be treated - BTW, have fun - it’s suppose to be social!
Comment by frank on August 21, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
thanks for putting something like this out there Chris. i just got done doing a presentation on social networking for nonprofits … this would have been great info to use as a resource or point people to.
I’ve been thinking about how all this is used in the not for profit space …
If anyone has thoughts or experience in this space i’d love to hear!
Comment by Lee Jarvis on August 21, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
@Kris @ Fresh Focus
I’m not saying that Twitter IS a ‘nicety’, simply that you can spend too much time chatting about books and looking at photos etc. Maybe more so for me as I am a one man band. I produce, sell, market, socialise, host, and try to spend some quality time with my goldfish.
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Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
By the way, doesn’t it seem as though 95 percent of those folks on Twitter seem to be talking about themselves instead of spurring conversation, ideas, etc? Too much talking and not enough listening?
Chris, I’d appreciate your thoughts.
Comment by Adam Denison on August 21, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
Your comment regarding Twitter being an excellent place to ask questions is exactly in line with how we(GM)have found success with Twitter. A few of us will try to ask a few questions via GMblogs a couple of times a week. Sometimes the questions will be GM-specific (what are your thoughts on the 2008 Malibu?), and other times they are just fun in nature (What’s your favorite roadside diner?). It’s really brought the conversations to a whole new level.
Comment by Manuel on August 21, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Hi Chris,
thanks for this post. It is great and it provides me with some nice arguments for using twitter as I am currently putting together a social/new media tool list and strategy for my departement at university. I will let you know about other purposes to use twitter there.
Manuel
Pingback by Business Uses of Twitter | VA Classroom Training Blog on August 21, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for your Business […]
Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
@Bat Masterson - if you click the photo, it will go straight through to the original and the artist’s page. If you go to the bottom of my post, you’ll see a text link that says the photo credit as well. And yes, really great snap.
Comment by Bat Masterson on August 21, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
Nice… thanks for that.
Comment by Dale Cruse on August 21, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
Local wine retailer Bin Ends in Braintree, MA, is using Twitter in an interesting way: They’re hosting online virtual wine tastings. In fact, check out @binendswine tonight (8-21) after 7pm EST to see them and me and some other bloggers and Tweeters tasting wine and sharing our notes.
Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
@Brooks - oh, lots of self-love on Twitter, that’s for sure. But that’s also people trying out a new medium and starting where we all do. With ourselves. As it evolves, we figure out ways to add more value.
Comment by Michael Schneider on August 21, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
@Brooks There is a lot of self evangelism on twitter! Many people are on twitter to build up their own online brands. That said, there are also a lot of people on twitter that share valuable business thoughts and insights that we cannot get from their blogs alone.
Comment by Shayne Packer on August 21, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Wow Chris! These are really great tips! I’ve been learning so much about the power of twitter when used appropriately. I’ll apply some of these ideas for even more success! Thanks.
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Comment by Laura Hecht on August 21, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
As a newby to the twittersphere, I appreciate your tips. Will adhere! I need to build a community for MY BIG DREAM and you provided me with sound advice. Thanks too for subscribing to my twitter.
Comment by Doug Firebaugh on August 21, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
Wow- now THIS is some powerful discussion about a powerful post. twitter has more than doubled our consulting business segment- and we have never once said what we did as a company or even named the company-in any tweet. We just follow Chris’ lead and try and add value and promo others. great job.
Comment by Judith George on August 21, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
Great helpful post. Thanks. I love that I’ve found some amazing people to follow and learn from on Twitter. I’m pretty new to Twitter and sometimes feel a bit like a little kid at high school. Your post has great information to make an awkward kid more comfortable with the big kids. Thanks.
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Comment by Patrick Byers on August 22, 2008 @ 1:32 am
Really helpful post, Chris.
I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever beat you to the punch on a post…I was working on a similar post but you’ve done it now, and done it better.
So, thank you, now I can just share your post and write something else. :)
Thanks.
Comment by Dmitry on August 22, 2008 @ 1:54 am
check out also secure messages for Twitter: http://sn.linkstore.ru
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Comment by Carol on August 22, 2008 @ 3:21 am
Great blog post. I have used this as the basis of 50 ideas on using twitter for education http://cooper-taylor.com/blog/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/ Many thanks. So glad I found your blog.
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Comment by Allan Margate on August 22, 2008 @ 3:37 am
One more way to use Twitter is to update your customers and members on what’s new with your company. We use Twitter at http://www.LeadVine.com to help keep our members updated on new sales leads posted. This is done automatically like RSS. Helps keep our members in the loop. We use Twitter as a great way to expand our brand.
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Comment by Kim Bayne on August 22, 2008 @ 11:50 am
In 2007, I blogged about existing and potential business uses for Twitter. Finally, finally, finally…businesses are catching on and catching up. Thanks for the consolidated outline, Chris…people can use your post as a blueprint!
http://mincedmedia.blogspot.com/2007/03/48-hours-in-twitterland.html
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Comment by nirmal on August 23, 2008 @ 6:50 am
goto http://www.dampier.com get all the tips to get
Comment by ilaxi on August 23, 2008 @ 8:51 am
Great post, Chris. Earlier I thought, why shld I tell people what I am doing on the web. And here I am following…I follow as and when I can, to read ur posts.
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Comment by Rich on August 23, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
Excellent Post on Twitter! I found this post to be really useful in promoting a business
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Comment by Mari on August 24, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
I’m still learning how to use Twitter with/for Apex Publications. Posts like this go a very long way and are very much appreciated. Thanks for this.
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Comment by accessrx on August 25, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
Excellent post Chris! I wil be using some of these ideas about Twitter.
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Comment by David Hurley on August 29, 2008 @ 4:03 am
Great post! Of course, I just tweeted it. Title plus URL fitted nicely into the Tweet field/box/text space thingummy.
DH
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I started using Twitter over a year ago as a fun thing to do and I was amazed at how fast I got hooked and “into” it all. Just recently I began using it for my online businesses and I like how it gives me an opportunity to add a PERSONAL touch to what I do. Online adventures can seem unconnected and impersonal from the real world. Tweeting changes that and adds tremendous value. Besides, I like how it makes me feel when communicating with my contacts.
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August 20, 2008
twitterbirds
We really can’t deny the fact that businesses are testing out Twitter as part of their steps into the social media landscape. You can say it’s a stupid application, that no business gets done there, but there are too many of us (including me) that can disagree and point out business value. I’m not going to address the naysayers much with this. Instead, I’m going to offer 50 thoughts for people looking to use Twitter for business. And by “business,” I mean anything from a solo act to a huge enterprise customer.
Your mileage may vary, and that’s okay. Further, you might have some really great ideas to add. That’s why we have lively conversations here at [chrisbrogan.com] in the comments section. Jump right in!
Oh, and please feel free to reblog this wherever. Just be kind and link back to the original article.
50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business
First Steps
1. Build an account and immediate start using Twitter Search to listen for your name, your competitor’s names, words that relate to your space. (Listening always comes first.)
2. Add a picture. ( Shel reminds us of this.) We want to see you.
3. Talk to people about THEIR interests, too. I know this doesn’t sell more widgets, but it shows us you’re human.
4. Point out interesting things in your space, not just about you.
5. Share links to neat things in your community. ( @wholefoods does this well).
6. Don’t get stuck in the apology loop. Be helpful instead. ( @jetblue gives travel tips.)
7. Be wary of always pimping your stuff. Your fans will love it. Others will tune out.
8. Promote your employees’ outside-of-work stories. ( @TheHomeDepot does it well.)
9. Throw in a few humans, like RichardAtDELL, LionelAtDELL, etc.
10. Talk about non-business, too, like @astrout and @jstorerj from Mzinga.
Ideas About WHAT to Tweet
11. Instead of answering the question, “What are you doing?”, answer the question, “What has your attention?”
12. Have more than one twitterer at the company. People can quit. People take vacations. It’s nice to have a variety.
13. When promoting a blog post, ask a question or explain what’s coming next, instead of just dumping a link.
14. Ask questions. Twitter is GREAT for getting opinions.
15. Follow interesting people. If you find someone who tweets interesting things, see who she follows, and follow her.
16. Tweet about other people’s stuff. Again, doesn’t directly impact your business, but makes us feel like you’re not “that guy.”
17. When you DO talk about your stuff, make it useful. Give advice, blog posts, pictures, etc.
18. Share the human side of your company. If you’re bothering to tweet, it means you believe social media has value for human connections. Point us to pictures and other human things.
19. Don’t toot your own horn too much. (Man, I can’t believe I’m saying this. I do it all the time. - Side note: I’ve gotta stop tooting my own horn).
20. Or, if you do, try to balance it out by promoting the heck out of others, too.
Some Sanity For You
21. You don’t have to read every tweet.
22. You don’t have to reply to every @ tweet directed to you (try to reply to some, but don’t feel guilty).
23. Use direct messages for 1-to-1 conversations if you feel there’s no value to Twitter at large to hear the conversation ( got this from @pistachio).
24. Use services like Twitter Search to make sure you see if someone’s talking about you. Try to participate where it makes sense.
25. 3rd party clients like Tweetdeck and Twhirl make it a lot easier to manage Twitter.
26. If you tweet all day while your coworkers are busy, you’re going to hear about it.
27. If you’re representing clients and billing hours, and tweeting all the time, you might hear about it.
28. Learn quickly to use the URL shortening tools like TinyURL and all the variants. It helps tidy up your tweets.
29. If someone says you’re using twitter wrong, forget it. It’s an opt out society. They can unfollow if they don’t like how you use it.
30. Commenting on others’ tweets, and retweeting what others have posted is a great way to build community.
The Negatives People Will Throw At You
31. Twitter takes up time.
32. Twitter takes you away from other productive work.
33. Without a strategy, it’s just typing.
34. There are other ways to do this.
35. As Frank hears often, Twitter doesn’t replace customer service (Frank is @comcastcares and is a superhero for what he’s started.)
36. Twitter is buggy and not enterprise-ready.
37. Twitter is just for technonerds.
38. Twitter’s only a few million people. (only)
39. Twitter doesn’t replace direct email marketing.
40. Twitter opens the company up to more criticism and griping.
Some Positives to Throw Back
41. Twitter helps one organize great, instant meetups (tweetups).
42. Twitter works swell as an opinion poll.
43. Twitter can help direct people’s attention to good things.
44. Twitter at events helps people build an instant “backchannel.”
45. Twitter breaks news faster than other sources, often (especially if the news impacts online denizens).
46. Twitter gives businesses a glimpse at what status messaging can do for an organization. Remember presence in the 1990s?
47. Twitter brings great minds together, and gives you daily opportunities to learn (if you look for it, and/or if you follow the right folks).
48. Twitter gives your critics a forum, but that means you can study them.
49. Twitter helps with business development, if your prospects are online (mine are).
50. Twitter can augment customer service. (but see above)
What else would you add? How are you using Twitter for your business?
By the way, Jeremiah Owyang has a great post on this, too.
The Social Media 100 is a project by Chris Brogan dedicated to writing 100 useful blog posts in a row about the tools, techniques, and strategies behind using social media for your business, your organization, or your own personal interests. Swing by [chrisbrogan.com] for more posts in the series, and if you have topic ideas, feel free to share them, as this is a group project, and your opinion matters.
Get the entire series by subscribing to this blog, and subscribe to my free newsletter here.
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Comments
Comment by Chetan on August 20, 2008 @ 10:37 pm
Great post there Chris :)
Nice list of various aspects, especially the positives to throw back!
Comment by Eric Miltsch on August 20, 2008 @ 10:40 pm
Chris -
Nicely organized batch of quality examples; I’ve had decent results from my mini-interview series (that you even participated in as well) at http://www.TweetandGreet.com
Comment by Matt Tharp on August 20, 2008 @ 10:49 pm
Chris,
I also posted some ramblings about Twitter related to business. I’m fairly obsessed with the branding aspect of Twitter right now. It seems applicable, hopefully it adds to your discussion here.
http://www.originalanalogmachine.com/2008/08/20/why-twitter-will-win-big-in-the-social-media-sweepstakes/
Comment by Julie Roads on August 20, 2008 @ 10:50 pm
Great post - I especially like #s 31-50…I posted something similar about using Twitter as a marketing tool - specifically using that search bar to build your network on Twitter. There are so many tangent groups to your business, and this research and following can be done so quickly…http://tinyurl.com/55syrk.
Thanks for all that you do…
Julie
Comment by Seamus Anthony on August 20, 2008 @ 10:56 pm
I just find it’s a great way to stop and actually pay attention to just what the heck it actually IS that I am doing with my time right now. Stops me from unconsciously blundering through the work day without noticing it.
Comment by Daniel Richard on August 20, 2008 @ 11:00 pm
I’ve followed your tweets too Chris. It’s always great to toot our own horns but always better to help others with their great articles on the net too.
Liked the ideas on the positive stuffs to throw back. :)
Daniel
Comment by SIGEPJEDI on August 20, 2008 @ 11:02 pm
Great post Chris!
Now, we just need to ram it down their throats!
- The concepts/ideas that is ;-)
Comment by Kenneth Darryl Brown on August 20, 2008 @ 11:06 pm
I love your post! Chris does it again! Nice job!
Comment by Zack Gonzales on August 20, 2008 @ 11:11 pm
Chris, great post. I tweet for Hoovers.com as @hoovers, and I think your #18 is so valuable.
I would add that those using Twitter for business should have a sense of humor in their tweets when they can. Not cracking jokes per se, but being natural. (Unless you’re @PopeyesChicken, in which case keep the jokes coming.)
Thanks!
zack
Comment by Gloria Miller on August 20, 2008 @ 11:12 pm
Chris:
Thanks for the great info on how to use Twitter. I always enjoy your tweets and will definitely incorporate some of your ideas into my future tweets!
Glo.
Comment by Stephanie Elsea on August 20, 2008 @ 11:19 pm
Thanks Chris. This is all good stuff. Once again, I’ll be talking about and linking to your site on my blog (which is geared toward helping my MarCom team understand/adapt to Social Media). Pretty soon, it’ll just redirect to you.
Earlier today, I was telling my team of the importance of being human on Twitter. It’s a little scary for PR-types, I think, to blur that line.
You sort of cover this indirectly: Don’t treat Twitter as an RSS feed. I enjoy getting news on Twitter but not when it’s a string of tweets that are just a repurposing of a newsfeed. @ColonelTribune does it best. @statesman is getting there.
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Comment by Eve Lopez on August 21, 2008 @ 1:03 am
Awesome post! This is GREAT advice for head honchos who don’t see the value of Twitter. My colleague, community manager @workdotcom has had tremendous success using Twitter - we’ve implemented things on our website that come from direct suggestions from Twitter followers. We’ve also had awesome new members come on board to contribue to Work.com. The key is TOTALLY to engage in dialogue with your fellow tweeters.
Comment by Ari Herzog on August 21, 2008 @ 1:21 am
I’d elaborate the first item, Chris, by suggesting before someone creates a Twitter account that he or she or it listens first.
If you create an account before watching existing conversations on Twitter Search and Tweet Scan, you may inadvertently create the wrong account name, for instance, and be forced to deleting it and starting all over. It doesn’t take time to delete an account but the principle takes a lifetime.
Your first mission is to listen. Your second mission is to join with a branded name/handle, but also with descriptive content in your profile description, at 160 characters or less.
You should also sign up for alerts on relevant content at Tweet Beep, which is akin to Google Alerts. If anyone tweets about you or any keyword or URL you choose, you’ll get an emailed alert. Very handy.
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Comment by The Red Rocket on August 21, 2008 @ 4:09 am
Great post. Twitter’s also great for learning about your target market - whether it’s customers or in my case fellow professionals and journalists. I’m increasingly thinking that Twitter’s a business rather than personal tool.
Comment by Bruce Shilander on August 21, 2008 @ 4:21 am
Great post, twitter rocks
Comment by Jeremiah Owyang on August 21, 2008 @ 4:30 am
Thanks Chris for the link. One thing to remember is that Twitter isn’t right for all folks nor all companies. If their audience isn’t there, or they truly don’t want to be part of the dialog, then it doesn’t matter.
Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - Chris Brogan « Static Eclectricity on August 21, 2008 @ 5:02 am
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - Chris Brogan August 21, 2008 — tmolloy 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com […]
Comment by Noah David Simon on August 21, 2008 @ 5:08 am
my comment is on the friendfeed thread. http://friendfeed.com/e/0e568d34-fa5e-cb53-91dd-fa4e090aa886/50-Ideas-on-Using-Twitter-for-Business/
Pingback by despuesdegoogle » Blog Archive » 50 ideas para usar Twitter en los negocios on August 21, 2008 @ 5:14 am
[…] Brogan ha escrito un post defendiendo la hipótesis, sustentándola en nada menos que 50 argumentos, pistas y […]
Comment by Aaron Strout on August 21, 2008 @ 6:09 am
Chris,
First, let me start by saying “thank you!” You are too kind. My colleague Jim @jstorerj and I are honored to mentioned in this post alongside so many other great brands/names. To that end, Jim and I work really hard to put a “human” face on Mzinga (which also has a Twitter account that Jim and I sometimes tweet from).
Second, this is a wonderfully prescriptive post (and one that I will start sending to all my “newish” friends and followers. I like that you not only clearly stated clear business value but also mentioned up front what some of the detractors are saying/will say about Twitter. Thanks for once again bringing tremendous value to my feedstream!
Best,
Aaron | @astrout
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[…] While we’re at it… Here are some of my favorite nuggets from Chris Brogan’s “50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business:” […]
Comment by Jim Storer on August 21, 2008 @ 7:40 am
Thanks for the mention Chris. For a lot of companies Twitter is an instant focus group and a great way to dip their collective toes in the social media pool. But as Frank from Comcast found out, you better be prepared to swim.
Jim | @jstorerj
Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 8:02 am
Chris,
This is perfect for @clarisnetworks.
Thanks, we’ve got a new intern working on the @clarisnetworks account and she can benefit from your thoughts greatly.
Pingback by Geek Links - 08.21.08 : Wesley Donehue on August 21, 2008 @ 8:04 am
[…] Chris Brogan | 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 8:05 am
@Brooks - you raise an interesting question, and this isn’t intended to cast any negative light on your no-doubt-capable intern: did you put your brand in the hands of an intern? In your mind, is Twitter an intern-level platform?
I’m curious to know what others think about that one?
And again, no offense meant, but rather, a question.
Comment by Tom Webster on August 21, 2008 @ 8:11 am
I agree that Twitter has business applications–certainly if a customer tweets you that they have a problem, then you should try and fix that problem. In that sense, it is a wonderful extension of customer service.
But I disagree with Red Rocket, above, that it is great for learning about your target market–unless your target market is Twitter users. While I use Twitter every day and have no doubts that it will continue to grow as a platform, current regular usage of Twitter still falls below 1% of the general U.S. pop. The potential to go awry here due to non-response bias (all the folks NOT on Twitter) makes using Twitter for _strategic_ purposes a bit dicey.
Chris, what are your thoughts on how the Marketing function can make strategic use of Twitter? The tactical applications are clear.
Comment by Jim Storer on August 21, 2008 @ 8:13 am
@Chris & Brooks - I think it depends on the company and what stage they are in with regard to Twitter. Some companies are really focused on listening and that may be a just fine for an intern. As they progress (or decide) to begin engaging in the conversation they’ll need more oversight. Again, depending on who the company is and how they’ve engaged their prospects/customers in the past, the role might need to be quickly transitioned to someone with more experience.
My two cents… YMMV.
Jim | @jstorerj
Pingback by Links : ASH-10 weblog on August 21, 2008 @ 8:14 am
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business - Chris Brogan runs through the obvious and not-so-obvious in this very useful list. […]
Pingback by SocialMedian Discovers a Totally New Way to Use Twitter for Business | IT News Online on August 21, 2008 @ 8:14 am
[…] have already seen tons of things people do on Twitter to help their business - marketing people selling staff, community managers engaging in various activities with their […]
Comment by Colonel Tribune on August 21, 2008 @ 8:17 am
@ Stephanie Elsea - Thank you!
Comment by Kris @ Fresh Focus on August 21, 2008 @ 8:20 am
I would absolutely not put my business in the hands of an intern: and there are reasons for this. I do not feel that interns are incapable of handling that responsibility, but rather lack the experience of MY brand and what it is.
My company would have a seasoned employee doing the Twittering, because they know my brand, how we operate, and the sincere focus that we have on excellence in giving customer service and listening.
Interns can be very capable and valuable assets: however they lack the specific knowledge of my brand to be the sole representer. Perhaps if they were paired with a veteran employee, that might be a better situation. To learn the ropes with someone that’s grown with my company would be essential.
Comment by rsomers on August 21, 2008 @ 8:22 am
Twitter for an intern? Depends on the intern.
People commonly think of an intern as an undergrad making copies for $10/hour. Leading a company’s entry into Twitter and other social media wouldn’t be a fit.
The word ‘intern’ also applies to higher-level folks, though. I’m thinking of MBA interns who may have 5-10 years of work experience, often as consultants with major firms, and are paid a heck of a lot more than $10/hour. With those folks the challenge is finding assignments that are meaty enough. I always fight to have them do something meaningful and big that’ll leave an impact on the company long after the assignment is over. For a company without dedicated social media headcount, leading the Twitter charge would fit that bill, IMHO.
Other note - getting ANYONE to take this on as part of their job can be a challenge in many corporate environments. That’s why I’m so grateful to @zackgonzales for taking it on not as a side job, but as one of the many missions he leads for Hoover’s.
Comment by Cara on August 21, 2008 @ 8:41 am
I echo some of the others that say it depends how you plan to utilize Twitter. If you are just starting out with the listening phase, or if you have a super high level intern that you can trust…perhaps it might work.
But, for me, the relationships we are building are too important for that. I am connected with members of the media, partners, area experts, etc. I would not want to intrust an intern to build those relationships. The relationships have value because the two people on both ends know how to make them have value, how to collaborate together. Most interns would not be able to manage that.
Comment by Alanna on August 21, 2008 @ 8:46 am
I could see an intern teamed with someone with more experience as a great combination for a twitter account. The veteran could contribute company-specific tweets and the intern could offer the interesting stories and relevant links that add value to the account.
Comment by Michael Schneider on August 21, 2008 @ 8:54 am
re: @chrisbrogan’s tweet:
chrisbrogan Is Twitter an intern-level responsibility for a business? http://tinyurl.com/5u75pe . Look@comments
Like anything with Twitter, the more transparent you are, the better. It depends on the social media related goals of the company. I see pros and cons to this dip-your-toe-in-before-jumping-in strategy.
If the intern is twizzlin’ to get a sense for web related buzz, to make announcements about upcoming objects-of-interest or take feedback with an “I’ll check and get back to you” sort of flare versus being expected to be the online voice of the organization, then I think it is excellent. The intern could be twitter triage! It would be difficult to expect an intern to be able to represent the company. That’s a lot of pressure for someone who may not know the company very well. That said, if Claris Networks has not made a “we’re on twitter” announcement to their customers, they might find that they have a limited, manageable following/stream at first that they can use as a microcosm for what they actually want.
Businesses should expect that they are going to achieve limited benefits vs. putting an executive or even a full-time community manager online. And I’m sure they do. Businesspeople are smart. They understand the value of their resources and tend to at least try to allocate their sparse resources carefully.
Let’s look hypothetically: I can picture the decision makers of Claris Networks in a room talking about social media and its impact. I can picture both evangelism and naysaying. I could picture them coming to the conclusion that they should be doing something and that either they will use an intern to get learnings about the benefits or until they can hire a community manager (anyone checked their site for this exciting potential career opportunity? hehe)
If you look at Claris Networks’ twitter stream, it is pretty sparse on the “social” and heavier on the announcements. This article will certainly help them shape their strategy and perhaps help them engage in a more warm and transparent way. I’m a new follower and I’m excited to see how their twitter and social media presence evolves. 加油 Go Claris Networks! 加油 Good to see an increasing number of people like Brooks Brown out there who get it!
Comment by Noah David Simon on August 21, 2008 @ 8:59 am
How is it that Hamas has a twitter account and somehow twitter sees me as a bigger threat? This network is a BLUE STATE joke. I broke no terms. twitter is arbitrary tyranny.
Comment by Monthiel on August 21, 2008 @ 9:02 am
Chris Brogan, i’d like to say that this is a great post. Sorry about my short comment. I’m brazilian and i am learning english, this is whay i have a limit to write..
Comment by Alexis Karlin @ Forrester Research on August 21, 2008 @ 9:21 am
This post not only gives businesses great ideas to as what they should be doing, but to as what they should not be doing. All company’s should read this and understand the benefit of joining Twitter to enhance their brand.
Comment by marmon122 on August 21, 2008 @ 9:21 am
Businesses should expect that they are going to achieve limited benefits vs. putting an executive or even a full-time community manager online. And I’m sure they do. Businesspeople are smart. They understand the value of their resources and tend to at least try to allocate their sparse resources carefully.
Comment by Patsy Stewart on August 21, 2008 @ 9:28 am
Thanks for a great list! I found things that I can implement to improve my Twitter experience!
Pingback by Morning Brief — Thursday, August 21 « The Book Publicity Blog on August 21, 2008 @ 9:35 am
[…] but in 140 characters.) So it was particularly convenient when yesterday Chris Brogan posted 50 tips on how to best utilize Twitter to promote your business / […]
Comment by Dale Beermann on August 21, 2008 @ 9:37 am
One of the things that commonly gets overlooked is that Twitter can be a great tool for companies that have a much more local focus as well. Using search.twitter.com and near:Madison,WI I can find out what people are saying in my area. Combine that with more targeted keywords and you have a pretty good direct marketing tool. I wrote about some of this here as well: http://www.dalebeermann.com/2008/08/social-media-le.html
Comment by Libby Krah on August 21, 2008 @ 9:45 am
Great post, Chris. And the stream of comments provides yet more evidence for the argument to get into social media.
As a recent intern, I’d like to throw my two cents in. I don’t think the intern should be solely responsible for creating and maintaining the Twitter account. You need someone who understands completely the company’s values to be able to develop the tone in which your tweets represent your company. That in mind, you also need someone who understands social media so you don’t end up looking like Shannon Paul’s “that guy.”
Like you recommended with #12, it’s important to build a base of people who tweet. Most interns last about three or four months, right? Say you hand over the task of building a Twitter community to your intern and she does a great job; conversation is flowing with a large following. And then she leaves. If you don’t have a full-time employee already participating, there will be a lapse in Twitter activity and a possible lapse in credibility.
Maybe the best way for interns to use Twitter is to encourage them to create an account if they don’t have one already. @internATcompany could tweet about what he’s working on and what the company’s like from a newbie insider, as well as all those expected “human” comments.
Pingback by Twitter for your Business on August 21, 2008 @ 9:56 am
[…] this blog entry, Chris Brogan has some straightforward and downright good ideas about how to use Twitter in your […]
Pingback by 50 Business Uses For Twitter » The Web Pitch - A blog looking at how small businesses are using Web 2.0 technologies on August 21, 2008 @ 10:20 am
[…] excellent post by Chris Brogan. I was already compiling a list myself. However, Chris presents a compelling […]
Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | The Eye on August 21, 2008 @ 10:27 am
[…] By Eyebee • August 21, 2008 Reposted with permission. Find the original article at ChrisBrogan.com […]
Comment by Jake Stride on August 21, 2008 @ 10:54 am
Great post, I put one together at the beginning of the month too, but now the SMS doesn’t work in the UK some of them are slightly redundant:
http://www.senokian.com/barking/2008/08/06/using-twitter-for-business/
Comment by Gnarlodious on August 21, 2008 @ 11:29 am
Unfortunately Twitter has become another channel to spam people. I get lots of followers who are just spamming me every day trying to rustle up customers.
Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 11:39 am
Chris and friends,
Thank you for your recent conversation about our decision to allow our new marketing coordinator try Twitter on for size.
A couple of key points:
1. Our corporate Twitter account (@clarisnetworks) is relatively new. We are still feeling our way through the applicable uses Twitter brings to the enterprise…specifically the information technology industry.
2. At the moment, we are limiting our tweets from @clarisnetworks to corporate announcements, client announcements, and related IT information/news. As we continue to move through the process, we’ll add more strategically-minded information that will assist in our branding efforts.
3. We’re the largest information technology provider in the East Tennessee Innovation Valley, and have done a terrific job at marketing/branding ourselves through other traditional means, and view @clarisnetworks, and Twitter for that matter, as an opportunity to orient ourselves with its possibilities, etc.
Do you remember the first tweet you made? I know mine wasn’t pretty…I didn’t even understand the “@” rule. But alas, as we move forward, we learn and we get better at what we do.
Some have asked if it is responsible to put your corporate branding in the hands of a new employee. I would respond by saying that I would be foolish to view Twitter (less than 1 percent of the US population) as my primary means to promote and market our company. On the contrary, Twitter is a learning platform in the 2.0 realm and a small component of our branding strategy, but one that we believe will play an important role in the near future.
Chris, in response to your specific questions:
1. Our clients, employees and culture make our brand what it is. A brand should never be reserved for a single employee or the CEO of a company. Hearts and minds, hearts and minds.
2. Twitter is considered by many to be a newbie
itself and I tend to agree given the longevity of traditional IM apps, blogs, forums, facebook and MySpace. What better avenue for a new employee to orient themselves with than a relatively new 2.0 platform?
The great fact that I believe we can all agree with is that there are no Twitter rules. There is no handbook, no official do’s and don’ts. Thus, there should be no reason to judge each other’s efforts, but only to support the proliferation of its use and integration into the 2.0 world.
We’re excited about the opportunities that Twitter presents to our business and excited that we have employees who are willing to dip their feet into the 2.0 experience and are confident in time, our viral efforts online will meet and exceed the success we enjoy from traditional marketing today.
Take care.
Comment by Lee Jarvis on August 21, 2008 @ 11:46 am
Great advice there Chris, much appreciated :)
It’s tough to dedicate time to the ‘niceties’ of Twittering, but you are right that they are important.
Comment by Mark Evertz on August 21, 2008 @ 11:50 am
Chris,
I really appreciate the insightful guidance on this. I see so many Twits out there telling me that their feet hurt, the chili cheese dog they ate isn’t agreeing with them or they’re just plain bored. It makes it hard to bring this outreach mechanism into the boardroom and illustrate actual brand building or bottom-line value by simply being genuine and human. Thanks for helping arm me with actual business applications. I promise to not become “that guy” and pollute the Twittersphere.
Cheers,
Mark
http://www.bnj.com
Comment by Kris @ Fresh Focus on August 21, 2008 @ 11:53 am
@Lee Jarvis
How can Twittering be called “niceties”? Is communication with your customers a “nicety” or a necessity? If businesses continue to think that Twittering is a “nicety” instead of a very valuable tool in gaining customer satisfaction, as well as future customers by word of mouth, they will be left in the dust by the businesses that embrace it.
Comment by Bat Masterson on August 21, 2008 @ 12:01 pm
Nice duck photo. Did you take it? I do not see credits
Comment by matthew hunt on August 21, 2008 @ 12:09 pm
Great list/post of ideas! Every business owner should read this.
Just be human, get involved in the conversations, and treat others how you would like to be treated - BTW, have fun - it’s suppose to be social!
Comment by frank on August 21, 2008 @ 12:10 pm
thanks for putting something like this out there Chris. i just got done doing a presentation on social networking for nonprofits … this would have been great info to use as a resource or point people to.
I’ve been thinking about how all this is used in the not for profit space …
If anyone has thoughts or experience in this space i’d love to hear!
Comment by Lee Jarvis on August 21, 2008 @ 12:13 pm
@Kris @ Fresh Focus
I’m not saying that Twitter IS a ‘nicety’, simply that you can spend too much time chatting about books and looking at photos etc. Maybe more so for me as I am a one man band. I produce, sell, market, socialise, host, and try to spend some quality time with my goldfish.
Pingback by How American Airlines could use Twitter. -- Hoover’s Business Insight Zone on August 21, 2008 @ 12:42 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Comment by Brooks Brown on August 21, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
By the way, doesn’t it seem as though 95 percent of those folks on Twitter seem to be talking about themselves instead of spurring conversation, ideas, etc? Too much talking and not enough listening?
Chris, I’d appreciate your thoughts.
Comment by Adam Denison on August 21, 2008 @ 1:15 pm
Your comment regarding Twitter being an excellent place to ask questions is exactly in line with how we(GM)have found success with Twitter. A few of us will try to ask a few questions via GMblogs a couple of times a week. Sometimes the questions will be GM-specific (what are your thoughts on the 2008 Malibu?), and other times they are just fun in nature (What’s your favorite roadside diner?). It’s really brought the conversations to a whole new level.
Comment by Manuel on August 21, 2008 @ 1:29 pm
Hi Chris,
thanks for this post. It is great and it provides me with some nice arguments for using twitter as I am currently putting together a social/new media tool list and strategy for my departement at university. I will let you know about other purposes to use twitter there.
Manuel
Pingback by Business Uses of Twitter | VA Classroom Training Blog on August 21, 2008 @ 1:41 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for your Business […]
Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 1:59 pm
@Bat Masterson - if you click the photo, it will go straight through to the original and the artist’s page. If you go to the bottom of my post, you’ll see a text link that says the photo credit as well. And yes, really great snap.
Comment by Bat Masterson on August 21, 2008 @ 2:14 pm
Nice… thanks for that.
Comment by Dale Cruse on August 21, 2008 @ 2:46 pm
Local wine retailer Bin Ends in Braintree, MA, is using Twitter in an interesting way: They’re hosting online virtual wine tastings. In fact, check out @binendswine tonight (8-21) after 7pm EST to see them and me and some other bloggers and Tweeters tasting wine and sharing our notes.
Comment by chrisbrogan on August 21, 2008 @ 3:15 pm
@Brooks - oh, lots of self-love on Twitter, that’s for sure. But that’s also people trying out a new medium and starting where we all do. With ourselves. As it evolves, we figure out ways to add more value.
Comment by Michael Schneider on August 21, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
@Brooks There is a lot of self evangelism on twitter! Many people are on twitter to build up their own online brands. That said, there are also a lot of people on twitter that share valuable business thoughts and insights that we cannot get from their blogs alone.
Comment by Shayne Packer on August 21, 2008 @ 4:45 pm
Wow Chris! These are really great tips! I’ve been learning so much about the power of twitter when used appropriately. I’ll apply some of these ideas for even more success! Thanks.
Pingback by The Power of Consumer Control - Social Network Marketing - part 2 « An Iconoclast’s Musings on August 21, 2008 @ 5:26 pm
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Pingback by Economía y Empresas: Ideas para el uso de Twitter en las empresas - ALT1040 on August 21, 2008 @ 5:41 pm
[…] terminé de leer un articulo de Chris Brogan llamado 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, el cual recomiendo ampliamente, tanto si tienes una empresa, eres empleado de una o simplemente […]
Comment by Laura Hecht on August 21, 2008 @ 6:41 pm
As a newby to the twittersphere, I appreciate your tips. Will adhere! I need to build a community for MY BIG DREAM and you provided me with sound advice. Thanks too for subscribing to my twitter.
Comment by Doug Firebaugh on August 21, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
Wow- now THIS is some powerful discussion about a powerful post. twitter has more than doubled our consulting business segment- and we have never once said what we did as a company or even named the company-in any tweet. We just follow Chris’ lead and try and add value and promo others. great job.
Comment by Judith George on August 21, 2008 @ 8:44 pm
Great helpful post. Thanks. I love that I’ve found some amazing people to follow and learn from on Twitter. I’m pretty new to Twitter and sometimes feel a bit like a little kid at high school. Your post has great information to make an awkward kid more comfortable with the big kids. Thanks.
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[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com […]
Comment by Patrick Byers on August 22, 2008 @ 1:32 am
Really helpful post, Chris.
I’m beginning to wonder if I’ll ever beat you to the punch on a post…I was working on a similar post but you’ve done it now, and done it better.
So, thank you, now I can just share your post and write something else. :)
Thanks.
Comment by Dmitry on August 22, 2008 @ 1:54 am
check out also secure messages for Twitter: http://sn.linkstore.ru
Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Education by BBC - Blog By Carol on August 22, 2008 @ 3:17 am
[…] Based on a list by Chris Brogan - 50 ideas for using Twitter in Business […]
Comment by Carol on August 22, 2008 @ 3:21 am
Great blog post. I have used this as the basis of 50 ideas on using twitter for education http://cooper-taylor.com/blog/2008/08/50-ideas-on-using-twitter-for-education/ Many thanks. So glad I found your blog.
Pingback by Ideas para el uso de Twitter en las empresas | noticias-mexico.com on August 22, 2008 @ 3:25 am
[…] terminé de leer un articulo de Chris Brogan llamado 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, el cual recomiendo ampliamente, tanto si tienes una empresa, eres empleado de una o simplemente […]
Comment by Allan Margate on August 22, 2008 @ 3:37 am
One more way to use Twitter is to update your customers and members on what’s new with your company. We use Twitter at http://www.LeadVine.com to help keep our members updated on new sales leads posted. This is done automatically like RSS. Helps keep our members in the loop. We use Twitter as a great way to expand our brand.
Pingback by Ideas para el uso de Twitter en las empresas « Bitacora en la red on August 22, 2008 @ 5:30 am
[…] 20, 2008 por Bitacora en la red Recién terminé de leer un articulo de Chris Brogan llamado 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business, el cual recomiendo ampliamente, tanto si tienes una empresa, eres empleado de una o simplemente […]
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Pingback by Considerations for Corporations Using Twitter for Business | Cynosure on August 22, 2008 @ 9:47 am
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Comment by Kim Bayne on August 22, 2008 @ 11:50 am
In 2007, I blogged about existing and potential business uses for Twitter. Finally, finally, finally…businesses are catching on and catching up. Thanks for the consolidated outline, Chris…people can use your post as a blueprint!
http://mincedmedia.blogspot.com/2007/03/48-hours-in-twitterland.html
Pingback by To tweet or not on August 22, 2008 @ 12:52 pm
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[…] first gem comes from Chris Brogan’s 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business. This is part of his Social Media 100 project in which he’s dedicated to writing 100 useful […]
Comment by nirmal on August 23, 2008 @ 6:50 am
goto http://www.dampier.com get all the tips to get
Comment by ilaxi on August 23, 2008 @ 8:51 am
Great post, Chris. Earlier I thought, why shld I tell people what I am doing on the web. And here I am following…I follow as and when I can, to read ur posts.
Pingback by Weekend Links From SEOGroup on August 23, 2008 @ 9:49 am
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Comment by Rich on August 23, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
Excellent Post on Twitter! I found this post to be really useful in promoting a business
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[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Comment by Mari on August 24, 2008 @ 6:04 pm
I’m still learning how to use Twitter with/for Apex Publications. Posts like this go a very long way and are very much appreciated. Thanks for this.
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Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business from Chris Brogan « im.alex_carpenter on August 25, 2008 @ 4:44 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Comment by accessrx on August 25, 2008 @ 10:43 pm
Excellent post Chris! I wil be using some of these ideas about Twitter.
Pingback by 50 bruksområder for Twitter for Business » IKTAvisen on August 26, 2008 @ 3:58 am
[…] Les mer her […]
Pingback by Using Twitter for Business | The Blog Herald on August 26, 2008 @ 7:30 am
[…] Matt Craven Last week, Chris Brogan wrote a post outlining fifty business ideas on using Twitter for business. Some of his ideas […]
Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business on August 26, 2008 @ 9:53 am
[…] Chris Brogan has posted a very useful list of 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business. […]
Pingback by twitter.com: Sind wir nicht alle ein bisschen twitter? : bloggylicious.de on August 26, 2008 @ 11:21 am
[…] Beitrag gefunden, der sich rund un das Thema Twitter für das eigene Geschäft zu nutzen. Chris Brogan hat dazu die 50 nützlichsten Tipps […]
Pingback by The business case for Twitter : NevilleHobson.com on August 26, 2008 @ 1:10 pm
[…] If you want to get a sense of what’s possible with Twitter as a communication tool for business, check out 50 great ideas from Chris Brogan. […]
Pingback by Will tweet for food (and business). « EOD: All in a day’s work on August 26, 2008 @ 4:39 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Pingback by Murphy’s Law » PR & SEO, pitching tips, social media, and Twitter on August 26, 2008 @ 4:51 pm
[…] hasn’t hit the "trough of disillusionment" (yet). Chris Brogan offers 50 ideas for using Twitter for business. [Hat tip: […]
Pingback by Ways to use a mircroblog for business | Micro Blogs on August 26, 2008 @ 8:09 pm
[…] can read the rest of the story here. addthis_url = […]
Pingback by Pistachio Consulting Inc. » Twitter for Business Reading List on August 27, 2008 @ 1:34 am
[…] Chris’ post is the kind of thing your company’s Twitterers should post on the wall as they get the hang of it: full of practical ideas, examples and humorous guidance on the hows and whys of doing it right. Stick around for the comments too, which are always worth a look at his site. […]
Pingback by Radar for August 27th | Andrea Vascellari on August 27, 2008 @ 6:55 am
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com - Twitter is not a stupid application […]
Pingback by Tendencias Digitales - el blog » Blog Archive » 50 ideas para usar Twitter en las empresas. on August 27, 2008 @ 10:01 am
[…] Brogan resume en 50 ideas los diferentes usos que una empresa, un empleado de la empresa o un usuario típico le pueden dar a […]
Pingback by links for 2008-08-27 « Das Textdepot on August 27, 2008 @ 12:04 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com Wie lieben wir 50-Punkte-Listen. Oder die Top 10, 20 etc. Aber im Ernst: Meist findet man darin einige gute Anregungen, so auch hier. Zielgruppe sind Twitter-Einsteiger, die zu den Tipps auch gute Beispiele finden. (tags: howto twitter) […]
Pingback by Persuasive Picks for the week of 08/18/08 : PerkettPRsuasion - The PerkettPR Blog on August 27, 2008 @ 3:28 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business Chris Brogan pumps out another great mega-list to help businesses wrap their heads around using Twitter […]
Pingback by Materia Oscura » on August 27, 2008 @ 4:17 pm
[…] Un ejemplo son los blogs de Google, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Quest,… o las 50 recomendaciones para usar Twitter en una empresa. […]
Pingback by The Creation of Twitter Best Practices: Round 1 on August 27, 2008 @ 6:39 pm
[…] are about a zillion posts out there on the “Ideas on Using Twitter“, etc. Our goal now, is to boil this great insight down to identify the overall best […]
Pingback by Web Findings 28.08.2008 « stephentrepreneur on August 27, 2008 @ 11:23 pm
[…] 50 More uses for Twitter […]
Pingback by Why use twitter? « About communication on August 28, 2008 @ 10:08 am
[…] says: don’t tweet about what you are doing, tweet about what has your attention. In his blog “50 ideas on using twitter for business” he mentions negatives but of course mainly positives. Looking at these points more closely though […]
Pingback by links for 2008-8-27 at Alan Vonlanthen’s blog on August 28, 2008 @ 3:09 pm
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com Via AccessOweb (tags: twitter web2.0 enterprise2.0 enterprise+blogging) […]
Pingback by 50 ideas para hacer negocios con Twitter | LDAblog on August 28, 2008 @ 7:09 pm
[…] Chris Brogan comenta 50 ideas para hacer negocios con Twitter. […]
Pingback by 50 ideas para hacer negocios con Twitter | Buanzolandia on August 28, 2008 @ 7:41 pm
[…] 50 ideas para hacer negocios con Twitter Perpetrado por rss August 28, 2008 Chris Brogan comenta 50 ideas para hacer negocios con Twitter. […]
Pingback by 21st Century Spirituality · Life stream of 2008-08-28 on August 28, 2008 @ 9:55 pm
[…] Michel Bauwens: 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business | chrisbrogan.com (via delicious) […]
Comment by David Hurley on August 29, 2008 @ 4:03 am
Great post! Of course, I just tweeted it. Title plus URL fitted nicely into the Tweet field/box/text space thingummy.
DH
Pingback by Can Twitter be used for Business? | Dot Design on August 29, 2008 @ 4:51 am
[…] can it be useful for business? Chris Brogan thinks Twitter can be used for business and outlines 50 ideas of its possible use. So can it help market a graphic design business? […]
Pingback by Marketing With Twitter | The Home Business Archive on August 29, 2008 @ 7:31 am
[…] Chrisbrogan.com 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Comment by Matt Mattelig on August 29, 2008 @ 9:08 am
I started using Twitter over a year ago as a fun thing to do and I was amazed at how fast I got hooked and “into” it all. Just recently I began using it for my online businesses and I like how it gives me an opportunity to add a PERSONAL touch to what I do. Online adventures can seem unconnected and impersonal from the real world. Tweeting changes that and adds tremendous value. Besides, I like how it makes me feel when communicating with my contacts.
Pingback by 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business « Working From Home… (actually) on August 29, 2008 @ 10:22 am
[…] 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business 50 Ideas on Using Twitter for Business […]
Pingback by Can Twitter be used to market a design or print business? - Graphic Design Forums | Website Design Forums on August 29, 2008 @ 10:33 am
[…] crashing while they try and deal with the huge increase in users. So can it be useful for business? Chris Brogan thinks Twitter can be used for business and outlines 50 ideas of its possible use. So can it help market a graphic design business? I’m on a […]
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