Keeping Tabs on Twitter

If your company is looking for a new ways to find or reach customers, we suggest you look into Twitter. It has moved quickly beyond the world of social media-savvy teens and into marketing departments and board rooms.

We use it ourselves, and other companies like Dell, JetBlue, H&R Block, and the Lakeland, Florida, Police Department do as well.

Is Twitter for you? Can you see a use for a medium that builds a family of “followers” to your communications? Boosts your brand? Raises visibility? Read below, and you be the judge.

Why We Tweet

BroadBased uses its Twitter account to support our brand, advise clients and answer questions. We regularly post keyword-rich messages to prospective clients. It’s a distinct advantage that Twitter posts, or “tweets,” come up on Google. So it becomes an SEO (search engine optimization) tool that can help boost your visibility on Web. View BroadBased Twitter.

BroadBased members have their own accounts, too. President Jan Korb is a self-confessed “power user” who networks with other marketing and PR professionals via Twitter. View Jan Korb’s Twitter.

Why They Tweet

You don’t have to search far for a “who’s who” list of Twitter users among American businesses. Here’s a short list of names and Twitter applications:

Newell Rubbermaid – Marketers noticed that professional organizers (the people who declutter homes and offices) were blogging, and those bloggers were also on Twitter. They now use Twitter to reach the organizers and cultivate relationships with them.

Dunkin’ Donuts – The company’s public relations department uses Twitter to “listen” to customers. They ask for opinions and feedback from their customers on Twitter, and enjoy the responses in real time.

Dell – Dell tweets notices of new products or new versions of their computer games. They’ve also used Twitter for targeted customer service, and have seen a growing body of users offering to help other Dell users through Twitter. Dell also provides its employees with Twitter and Facebook accounts for company updates.

GM and Kodak – These companies use Twitter to monitor what’s being said about their brands.

JetBlue and H&R Block – These companies and many others use Twitter to boost brand awareness and answer customer questions.

Lakeland, Florida, Police – Just after they sent out the bomb squad, they sent an alert of a possible bomb in a public parking lot on Twitter. Other police departments send tweets on road closings, Amber alerts, suspect descriptions and as a substitute for press releases.

Want to Try Twitter? We Can Help

Contact us for a consultation on use of Twitter and other social networking media. We can introduce you to sign-up and viewing options, review the pros and cons and share some marketing tips. You’re going to see a wealth of new possibilities!