A Conversation about Twitter is a 5-part educational series that rolls through a dialogue between Twitter Tina (Twitter fan) and Tom (Twitter skeptic) in blurbs of 140 characters or less. The third part "What's in it for business?" focuses on the benefits of a business Twitter account. Feel free to contact us (Fresh Consulting) for your business use at team@freshconsulting.com

1. A Conversation about Twitter
in 140 characters or less
to tweet or not to tweet
Part Three: What’s in it for business?

2. I have a Twitter
account, but does my
company need one too?
Meet Twitter Tom

3. Yes, your company can
benefit from using
Twitter
Meet Twitter Tina

4. Twitter not only helps you manage
your personal brand but also your
business

5. Yeah, but what if I want to keep
business separate from personal?

6. No problem,Twitter tends to be a
blend of both, but you can have a
separate company account and a
personal account

7. Business on Twitter makes me
nervous because I’ve heard of
corporate brands as well as people’s
identities getting hijacked on Twitter
e.g., Dalai Lama
read more

8. Although it doesn’t happen often, it
reaffirms why it’s important to get on
Twitter now. Getting the right Twitter
name helps protect your online
identify

9. From small neighborhood coffee shops
to big established global
corporations, businesses realize the
importance of being in this space

10. But how can a businesses really
benefit from being in this space?

11. Monitor real-time conversations
about your brand, resolve issues in
lightning speed, share viral news, and
do it all for free on Twitter

12. Whoa!

13. Yeah, it’s powerful ... but to simplify, I
believe there are three primary ways
a business could utilize Twitter in the
way they do business

14. 1) For one, it can be used to promote
and develop your brand

15. Twitter is a great place to monitor
your brand. Monitoring real
conversations is like being exposed to
the inner thoughts of your customers

16. OK, I know many companies have a
Twitter presence, but is anybody
really benefiting from all this?

17. Good question. I was skeptical myself
earlier, so let’s dive into some business
case examples and business benefits

18. Dell has made more than $2M
connecting with customers and
advertising discounts on Twitter
read more

19. A mobile burrito chain has had a lot
of success twittering their location
and thereby increasing sales
read more

20. Zappos reinforces its brand by having
hundreds of its employees on
Twitter; increasing culture,
communication, and customer
connections
read more

21. Why not just promote your brand
traditionally and advertise on TV, in
Magazines or through
Tele-marketing, etc?

22. It’s just not as effective anymore, in
particular with tech-savvy folks, but
especially with the net generation
read more

23. And Twitter has a lot of early
adopters and influencers that can
quickly spread word of mouth
(WOM) messages
read more

24. Wow, with all those messages being
spread so quickly, it sounds like you
really have to care for your
customers or bad news can spread

25. 2) Exactly, because of Twitter’s free-
flowing and real-time capabilities it
can be used to enable an entirely new
level of customer service

26. Comcast @comcastcares uses
Twitter to help improve
customer service by staying on top of
issues before they spread
read more

27. So do @Starbucks, @AlaskaAir,
@SouthwestAir, and Ford
@FordCustService

28. You can get feedback & suggestions
from your customers or potential
customers anywhere

29. Twitter can even be used for instant
live feedback at events because
participants share feedback
and talk to each other
read more

30. That kind of instant live feedback is
also great for market research and
improving customer interaction
read more

31. Hmm, I like the idea of observing
conversations of interest, such as
what my competitors are doing and
what my customers care about

32. Furthermore, to the benefit of your
customers, Twitter turns Q&A into a
digital archive of searchable answers

33. I could see how transparency
provides benefits, such as avoiding
redundant answers and keeping
customers apprised

34. Absolutely. Consider how Obama
was able to connect with the entire
nation and serve his “customers”
throughout his presidential campaign
read more

35. 3) Which brings me to my final point,
the importance and power of
connecting with individuals

36. Twitter for business is about
developing relationships with past,
current, and potential customers

37. But what about all that other stuff
you were talking about?

38. Developing and promoting your
brand and engaging in great customer
service happens as a result of
connecting with real people

39. @Tina @Tom Great point!
#sweetpresentation

40. Just as with our previous
conversation on using Twitter for
personal use, the real power comes
from making real connections

41. Seems hard to make real connections
with 140 characters or less, but if
businesses are, who is making those
connections?

42. All levels of staff, even CEO’s. Take a
look at how executives are lowering
barriers of communication
using Twitter
read more

43. And in addition to the other
companies we have discussed, I know
there are others...

44. Like who?

45. Whole Foods, Best Buy, Home Depot,
Sprint Nextel, the Financial Times,
Nordstrom, all use Twitter!

46. Thanks again @Ted

47. Why get started now though?

48. Social networks are organic. They are
growing always. Getting in early can
help you be part of the early growth

49. Okay so I’ll consider getting a Twitter
business account, but once I’m on, do
you have more tips on how to
actually use it?

50. Of course! Let’s talk strategy
and tactics at our next tweetup!

51. 5 PART Twitter educational series by the team at:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
contact us for your business use
Authors
@jeffdance
@syamaguchi
@brentdance
@joshdance
FreshConsulting.com | 206.801.0961