Twitter! If I had a dollar for everyone who asked me if Twitter is a tool they can use in their business I would be able to retire tomorrow and live very comfortably. I am on the fence right now with Twitter. Not sure which direction to really take on if it is a tool for the business professional to embrace or if it is just another noisemaker online.
Does Twitter have an application for the busy small business owner who makes widgets down the street?
Does Twitter have a fit for the MLM looking at building their network?
I believe there are YES and NO answers mixed in with both of these thought-provoking questions. Can a Canadian Small Business training organization use Twitter to build a community of entrepreneurs? How about as a marketing engine to invite others to their series of webinars? How about the Chestermere REALTOR looking to expand into a new market?
Where is the value to small business owners?
At the core of social media it is all about building a community. For those business owners looking to expand and build community, then I would assume Twitter is for you amongst a hockey sock of other online services. We really need to look at what is important to small business across Canada and this is sales and marketing and then design strategies which will help lead to the end goal. I believe it is the end goal that is often missed when businesses start with social media services.
Twitter is a great service to build community, I have said this time and time again. What is not, a tool for your direct selling, sale of the week or magical herbal cure for cancer. This use is the reason I believe Twitter will fail in the business community. Just because it doesn't lead to a sale and many fail to see this. Here is a question for you. Have you checked your Twitter direct messages lately, many of them are spam from MLM or people who have the secret sauce to your online business success. Garbage I say!
Where Twitter will succeed is in corporate research. David and I are hosting a Google Search event in Calgary in May and one of the areas we cover is researching information online with the Google Search Engine. With the Twitter new live link and archiving into Google, it can become a great research tool for business owners, sales executives and many others in an organization. What blog said what, which journalist reported a certain story and many more research type queries.
It is not a sales tool, many will agree with me. It is a community and information tool. I believe I just answered my question on the importance of Twitter in business. Share great information, your commentary on information and let those looking for the information you share find you now or later.
Will Twitter be a fail? Only time and adoption will tell.
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