Most people are aware that social media is in demand today and it has great potential for advertisers and marketers. But there are still a lot of people who don't know how to tap that potential or what, exactly, social media can do for their business.
Take Twitter for example. A new article on marketing website Marketing Donut sees the experts look at Twitter’s potential as a marketing tool and reveal the simple first steps businesses need to take in order to give it a go.
"A restaurant might use it to give its 'followers' exclusive offers or an estate agent could post details of properties and attract a local following by tweeting news about the area," says marketing expert Nikki Pilkington on Marketing Donut.
New Orleans-based pizza joint Naked Pizza is an excellent example of small businesses utilizing Twitter to increase their customer base. Naked Pizza has been marketing itself via Twitter and, recently, it has started to track Twitter-spurred sales at the register. According to a May 18, 2009, article in AdAge, in a test run April 23, an exclusive-to-Twitter promotion brought in 15 percent of the day's business.
Chicago-based Berry Chill, a yogurt shop, is another example cited by AdAge. Michael Farah, founder and CEO of Berry Chill, has been using Twitter to send out "Sweet Tweets" (promos that require users to show they're Twitter followers of the store). In a month, he's logged 700 followers and he said the tweets haven't diminished his daily sales.
One of the main reasons for Twitter's success as a marketing tool is its immediacy. Business owners can connect with their customers in real time, whether they want to provide event coverage while the events are going on or to provide ongoing publicity for their business or products. On the other hand, Twitter's immediacy can be a disadvantage too. If businesses do not keep tweeting constantly, there is the danger of their tweets going unnoticed. For example, posting a tweet announcing an upcoming event just once in a day or once in two days is not enough. The tweets should be regular and constant to ensure that enough people see your tweets.
Another reason for Twitter's success is the ease with which it can be set up. It is extremely easy to create a Twitter account (easier than other social networking sites) and to start tweeting after the account is created. Twitter can also be used for promotions like discounts or giveaways and to drive traffic to your website.
If used correctly, Twitter is a tool that can help you establish a brand or change how consumers perceive your brand.