We've all heard the “buzz” about Twitter. Everyone from celebrities to politicians to corporate CEOs “tweet” these days.
User-generated content in general have gained significant attention and focus in recent years—as well its share of Search Engine Marketing
campaigns. But how to use sites like Twitter to generate revenue and
quantify results is still the subject of much debate. If you're
wondering what Twitter means for SEO Technology, and confused about the implications for your ROI, read on to find out Corporate PA's latest market research. But first, let's start with the basics. Have you tweeted today?
Basics
Social media, with its huge potential for attracting traffic, improving
search engine rankings, and maximizing exposure, has fast become the
focal point for online marketing. One of the more recent arrivals in
social media, Twitter is a website that allows users to post ‘tweets’ or messages with a maximum of 140 characters to a personal page using a computer or a mobile phone.
As with similar social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter allows users to receive updates in real time as well as comment to other users' pages. You can use Twitter’s affiliated service ‘Twitpic’ and assorted plug-ins to post images in addition to text and HTML links. Like all new social media arrivals, Twitter faces its share of criticism from users who have yet to understand it properly.
Core Benefits
- Real Time Communication
Twitter’s biggest strength is as a medium for direct, real-time communication with your audience. Broadcasting short ‘tweets’ to your customer base is the fastest and most direct way to promote products or services, advertise special offers or communicate news and events. Once a user is connected to you on Twitter, they will receive your broadcasts instantly without having to navigate to your website. You may, however, want to avoid over-promoting so that your ‘tweets’ are not misinterpreted as ads.
- Personal Touch
Large brands can often appear impersonal and lose that human touch. Twitter puts a face on your company through personal, real time interactions. A human representative can use 'tweets' to talk with customers directly and respond quickly to their questions and feedback. Positive interactions can be posted to your Twitter page and enhance your brand.
- Twittering for Search
Twitter pages are public and broadcasts are instantly searchable. This makes Twitter an immensely valuable tool for market research, using 'tweets' to measure consumer demand for a product or service or to gauge customer impressions of your brand. Customers who express interest in your product can even be contacted directly through Twitter—but be careful not to spam!
Summary
These benefits illustrate how Twitter represents a great leap forward for social media, and why we at Corporate PA believe this little application offers unprecedented opportunities for online marketing.
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