Social Media Explained: Twitter

There’s one social network we get more questions about than any other. “What is Twitter?” “How do I use it?” “Should I use it?”

Twitter is one of the most popular – and most misunderstood – social networks. When used properly, it’s a great tool to market your business. When not used properly, you could be wasting your time.

So, let’s break it down and answer the three questions posed earlier.

What is Twitter?

In short, a social networking and microblogging service.

Twitter is essentially akin to a global water cooler. In 140 characters or less, users send out messages (tweets) on virtually any topic. Businesses have utilized Twitter as a way to connect with consumers, and can respond easily to customer feedback (praise or criticism).

With over an estimated 190 million users, approximately 65 million tweets and more than and search over 800,000 search queries are sent per day, worldwide.

How does Twitter compare to Facebook?

Some think of tweets in the same vein as the Facebook status update, but status updates don’t offer the same kind of marketability as do tweets. Here are few of the benefits to tweeting:

• Hashtags
• Hashtags are used to mark keywords or topics in a tweet. Users can click these terms and be taken to a page of tweets with that hashtag used.
  Example: Say you want to find tweets about jobs. If you search for “jobs” in Twitter, it will show you a list of tweets containing “#jobs.” Or, say you see “#jobs” in a tweet and find it interesting. You can click that and be taken to the search results page.
• Better promotion
• Facebook doesn’t feature status updates on its main page. Twitter does feature tweets on its main page in a “Top Tweets” feed.
• Direct connectivity
• You can’t hide easily on Twitter. While Facebook’s privacy settings can be set to the user’s comfort level, all you can do on Twitter is hide your tweets. These can be seen, however, if someone decides to follow you and you decide to allow this access.
  With Twitter, you can direct (publicly or privately) a tweet at another user and they will see it the next time they log on. A back-and-forth conversation can then ensue.

Should I use it?

Before you ask yourself this question, you should ask yourself, “Am I ready for a dramatic influx of customer interaction?” If so, then Twitter may be a good choice to add to your business’s marketing campaign. If you want the benefits and advantages of marketing through Twitter but don’t have the time to do it yourself, a credible search engine marketing (SEM) company like WebDrafter can manage and administer your campaign for you.

But, it should be something you think twice about. Twitter has become more than just about messages. It’s become a search engine of sorts, where users can access information quicker and easier than traditional browsing. Media outlets heavily used tweets as a source during the recent protests in Egypt. It was the only way, in some cases, that news was getting out.

Twitter users also love to search for good deals. With the right tweet and the right hashtags, your sales, specials, products and services can spread like wildfire. If a user with many followers mentions you (by referencing "@username"), those followers can become your followers and, potentially, your customers.

Don’t underestimate Twitter as a "hard concept with dumb slang" or as simply a passing fad. With the right utilization, like that offered by WebDrafter.com, your next sale could very likely come from Twitter.

Check back next week for an entry about Facebook. And be sure to follow @webdrafter on Twitter!