Comments for How to Use Twitter for Business: An Official Guide Finally Arrives

How to Use Twitter for Business: An Official Guide Finally Arrives

2009-07-24T19:00:00Z

Twitter has launched Twitter 101, a "special guide" to the 140-character network aimed at businesses. Use of Twitter by marketing departments has seen explosive growth recently, if you're a user of the site that's obvious by now.

But for businesses, the ins and outs of using the site are not obvious. From small local businesses to huge international brands, countless companies have totally flubbed when it comes to using Twitter.

]]> The Basics Twitter 101 begins with the bare bones of the service, with a dictionary of the lingo (that can often be amusing to hardcore users) and instructions on how to sign up and tweet for the first time. The real meat of the site is the best practices and case studies from companies like Dell, Etsy, and American Apparel.

Where Twitter 101 Fails

Twitter 101 works as a very simple primer for businesses who are just now investigating how they might use the service. But considering that there's an enormous wealth of information already out there, one fact stands out as a glaring failure:

Twitter has failed to draw upon its own community. For a site that lives and breathes authentic online community, Twitter has done a miserable job of incorporating or even linking to the wealth of information created for and by business.

Every executive of a major interactive marketing agency or division worth their salt has formulated a Twitter strategy. The case studies offered up by Twitter prefer cute anecdotes and racy sales figures rather than any actual marketing strategies.

The resources page includes some great material from authors and bloggers on the subject, but little of it comes from within the enterprise. It's aimed broadly at users and not the enterprise, but community-curated sites such as the Twitter Fan Wiki are not mentioned; there's no indication that business.twitter.com will embrace any direct input from the community in the future.

The Enterprise Needs 102, Not 101

If your business is just now finding out about Twitter, then Twitter 101 lives up to its name. But the need right now in the enterprise is not a how-to manual on how to sign up and make their first tweets. The need is for a detailed guide to being effective and authentic participants in one of the most important new sites on the Web.

Comment from Internet Marketing Tools on 2011-04-17

2011-04-17T12:13:40Z

Twitter is very good place to share information on real time about your business. I am agree concerning abusing.

Comment from Branding Tips on 2010-11-04

2010-11-04T12:41:52Z

Thanks for writing this post about Twitter. I was always uncertain about using Twitter for business & genuine audiences.

Comment from Branding Tips on 2010-11-04

2010-11-04T12:39:03Z

Thanks for writing this post about Twitter. I was always uncertain about using Twitter for business & genuine audiences.

Comment from SSL Certificates on 2010-09-22

2010-09-22T12:38:39Z

I am greatful to you after reading all your ideas using Twitter. I have just started learning & working twitter and your ideas have been great help. One can do so much you can do with it, and its helpful for social networking. Double Thanks.

Comment from Turkcell kontör on 2010-08-28

2010-08-28T10:41:20Z

Comment from Kontör on 2010-08-28

2010-08-28T10:40:00Z

If your business is just now finding out about Twitter, then Twitter 101 lives up to its name. But the need right now in the enterprise is not a how-to manual on how to sign up and make their first tweets. The need is for a detailed guide to being effective and authentic participants in one of the most important new sites on the Web. http://vodafonekontoral.com

Comment from Cep telefonu on 2010-08-28

2010-08-28T10:38:40Z

Comment from sex shop on 2010-08-28

2010-08-28T10:37:32Z

Comment from şişme bebek on 2010-08-26

2010-08-27T06:42:45Z

Twitter quickly grow into one of the most important tool of online marketing. I've even seen some alert web-based real estate company advertising on Twitter these days

Comment from RapidSSL on 2010-07-26

2010-07-26T10:46:08Z

This is good stuff. I am just getting back into looking at Twitter as a marketing tool. I will return back here for more updates. Thanks and well done!

Comment from yok http://www.readwriteweb.com/mt423-static/images/comment/mt_logo.png on 2010-05-19

2010-05-19T14:08:14Z

Its important that you don’t abuse Twitter for marketing and promoting your products, services or affiliate links. Most of your tweets should give your friends useful contents and valuable link or information.. Only once in a while should you try to use Twitter to promote something. Otherwise You will be marked as Spammer!

Comment from sex shop on 2010-04-28

2010-04-28T08:53:34Z

Use the Twitter tools available so that you can have one of the most attractive pages; that way, when someone visits your profile page, they will want to be friends with you. When you get their attention, they will continue to follow you. Appreciate all your followers so that you can develop stronger relationships. Having friends from different parts of the world is truly exciting

Comment from Cheap SSL on 2010-04-19

2010-04-19T15:16:07Z

Thanks for all your tips using Twitter - I'm just beginning but learning so much and your tips have been really helpful. There is so much you can do with it, and its fantastic for networking and just finding out information to help others or in my own business. Thanks!!

Comment from Warning Tape on 2010-04-19

2010-04-19T15:11:20Z

For us the best use of twitter would be to use and become an expert in some niche field or industry. Ofcourse, for the general public who wants to socialize, the idea of creating a twitter social circle makes sense too. Twitter has recently injected a lot of capital into it’s operations. Keep an eye on this, we expect some drastic changes/improvements in the whole twitter operation.

Comment from BrianBenson on 2010-04-12

2010-04-12T08:44:52Z

I agree with this article that you wrote about twitter 101. There is a lot to be learned form doing business with twitter. Its the latest craze and until people see a way to use it well, that would be twitter 102... :) I've tried to share this with others
http://reviewstoday.info/reviews/tweetomatic-profiteer-review-real-twitter-user-proof.html.

Best wishes on your success,

Brian

Comment from JohnFerriss on 2010-03-09

2010-03-10T06:36:58Z

Excellent article, very well ...

Another idea could be:
http://tweetomatic.biz/

Regards,
John

Comment from Stan Lumber on 2010-02-25

2010-02-25T16:27:03Z

Social networking sites are must for business. We've found that Twitter is a great tool for direct marketing. The more followers you have, the more people who will be exposed to you product/message. We use Tweet Whistle, which is more than just an automated friend adder. You can target the followers you are looking for, send auto tweets and more. You can download a free demo. Get more info at http://friendaddertools.com
or http://bit.ly/22tbJX

Comment from andy on 2010-02-18

2010-02-18T11:48:46Z

Twitter – Must Read

It seems that many people can’t get enough of Twitter. They are always talking about it, online and offline. Through Twitter, you can build a large network of friends, clients, associates, and customers. This is a must read for those who are new in this social network website.

When you use twitter, you can create your personal brand or dominate a certain niche. How can you achieve this?
A">http://www.twittbizmagic.com/home.html’’>A 6 Part Video Course Using Twitter

Once you create your own profile page, the very first thing that you need to do is get ‘followers’. If you have friends or relatives who are already in Twitter, invite them. This may not be of great help to you especially if you’re trying to promote your business but if you’re simply making new friends and want to stay connected, this is a good start. For business persons, you need to follow ‘gurus’ or the powerful users of Twitter. You must know what they’re doing in order to ensure success in Twitter marketing.

The second thing that you need to do is to meet more people. ‘ReTweets’ are great for making new friends. In this tool, the original message is repeated. Whenever you receive a message or tweet, reply as soon as you receive them. So even if you receive dozens of tweets from your followers, you need to reply to them patiently. You will never go tired of using Twitter and as what other users claim – Twitter is addicting.

Once you use the social site, you can’t get enough of it. When you sit down to answer the tweets or messages, you will hardly notice how time pass by. Some individuals spend hours and hours online twittering. You can also do the same but you must have a fast internet connection. Look for helpful tools that you can use to create memorable Twitter experiences.
A">http://www.twittbizmagic.com/home.html’’>A 6 Part Video Course Using Twitter

The profile page is very important to attract more followers. A dull profile will not be fruitful. You must make your profile as interesting as possible. It should also suit your purpose for using the site. If it’s for business purposes, you must create a powerful and intriguing page. It must tell something about the product or service you’re marketing. Even if you want to make friends, your page should still be interesting.

If you can’t stay online often, you should set the settings properly so that you can receive the tweets on your mobile device. You can now reply to the tweets using your mobile device. So you see, twittering is possible anywhere at any time. You can enjoy twittering during your coffee or lunch breaks or when you’re out shopping. You can tell others what you’re doing and where you are if you want to.

Always stay connected and don’t forget to post tweets regularly. If you want others to feel your presence, Twitter everyday; soon you will be one of the twitter addicts out there. Read this and you won’t regret it.

Comment from Businesses For Sale on 2009-12-03

2009-12-04T01:42:07Z

Twitter is an awesome tool for business.

Comment from nusret on 2009-11-23

2009-11-24T02:37:44Z

Thank you for your sharing.!

Comment from Ravi on 2009-10-31

2009-10-31T17:55:38Z

Hi,

nice review. thanks..
Its important that you don’t abuse Twitter for marketing and promoting your products, services or affiliate links. Most of your tweets should give your friends useful contents and valuable link or information.. Only once in a while should you try to use Twitter to promote something. Otherwise You will be marked as Spammer!
http://webmasterdailytips.com/2009/10/top-ten-ways-to-use-twitter-for-marketing

Comment from Mike on 2009-10-20

2009-10-21T00:58:53Z

Great post on Using Twitter for Business.

Now the question is will we be tweeting more during office hours? hmm...

Happy tweeting..

----------
Mike

Twitter Business Marketing

Comment from Business For Sale on 2009-10-14

2009-10-14T07:11:54Z

Thanks for the info article. Twitter is a great tool. A lot of people thing its too time consuming, but if used well it will create traffic to your company.

Happy Tweeting..

Comment from David Basulto on 2009-10-04

2009-10-04T07:17:33Z

Great post! I use Twitter as a marketing tool for all my ventures. Its better than an email list most of the time! Thanks for writing great content! cheers, Dave

Comment from Philproperties on 2009-10-01

2009-10-01T15:15:35Z

So, How to Use Twitter for Business ?

Comment from Cynthia Trevino on 2009-07-27

2009-07-27T13:20:07Z

Seems to me that Twitter, in its search for revenue models, be more helpful to BtoB companies. They could offer (real) BtoB best practices and compete with the search engines for text ad revenue. Or, as you mention, tap into the Twitter community for help. Can you say Wiki?

Comment from Tony Smith on 2009-07-25

2009-07-26T05:13:53Z

Now a revolutionary methdod exists to post your comment directly to Twitter, thanks to www.aafter.com All you need to do is write your text in the search box with t? as prefix and your comment goes directly to Twitter. A nice way to post for those who does not have a twitter account..

Tony Smith

Comment from rizalpahlawan on 2009-07-25

2009-07-26T04:11:34Z

Comment from Tian on 2009-07-25

2009-07-25T16:18:14Z

Twitter quickly grow into one of the most important tool of online marketing. I've even seen some alert web-based real estate company advertising on Twitter these days.

Comment from NZ on 2009-07-25

2009-07-25T16:16:49Z

Nowadays, no company could actually afford to go without online marketing approaches such as email marketing or ads on social networks.

Comment from SKY on 2009-07-25

2009-07-25T16:14:23Z

Social networking is developing at dramatic speed these days. New functions keep being introduced into the market place. For many web-based business, more and more media need to be taken into consideration when making online marketing strategy.

Comment from Paul Dandurand on 2009-07-25

2009-07-25T14:07:54Z

I agree with Steven. If Twitter wants to pursue the business sector, then the approach should be different from the consumer market. Enterprises look for solutions and real value, no matter how simple the technology. Sharing best practices, business cases, and other tips would only help foster creative business use. I for one, would like to know what other companies are doing. We started to use Twitter recently for quick postings. Many of our key customer contacts are senior directors and a number are not using Twitter. So, one initiative is an ongoing campaign that pushes multiple ways to stay connected, which includes Twitter.

Comment from Ritu on 2009-07-24

2009-07-24T20:48:48Z

Twitter should probably look into developing other things rather than swinging a manual on how businesses can utilize twitter. Businesses can figure out themselves how they can utilize the platform. It's twitter, it's not that hard to figure out a way. They need to focus on other things such as real time search,etc. rather than get a manual out. Never seen a google manual and everyone seems to know how to utilize it for business or Facebook for that matter.