Lexington, KY - I was under the impression that Twitter was for 20-somethings. So I asked the students in the freshman composition class I teach how many of them used Twitter.
Not a single hand went up.
That's when I first learned that my ideas about the social networking system with the bird call-like name were wrong.
Twitter is a social media site (SMS) getting buzz for promoting business. In fact, it is one of the cutting-edge strategies being promoted by some of the most successful businesses. Companies like Apple, JetBlue and Whole Foods have been using it to build their brands, reach consumers and increase profits.
Its largest age demographic is 35- to 44-year-olds. A large percentage of Twitter users are career-oriented and living in large cities. Over 12 percent are 40-somethings with household incomes of over $250,000 per year.
What is Twitter? If you don't know, you should - particularly if you are in business. That's the premise of the new book Twitter Power: How to Dominate Your Market One Tweet at a Time by Joel Comm. Comm is a leading expert on social media and strategies for making money online.
Twitter is a social media platform that lets users blast short messages, or "tweets," to members via the Twitter Web site, as well as cell phones, e-mail, IM and even through Facebook. It's a simple system: anyone can send a message no longer than 140 characters that answers the question, "What are you doing now?"
But it's not just for staying in touch with friends. It's also a way to publicize your business or organization. President Obama's election campaign used it to keep supporters and volunteers up to date. But most importantly, businesses are using it to interact with customers and other businesses in a whole new way.
Comm starts by explaining the basics: what is Twitter and why is it so powerful? Pointing out that Twitter is a very simple tool that has already had a massive impact, Comm predicts that its powerful influence will continue to expand. Twitter is not simply about having a conversation; it is about creating communities.
Comm's book shows you the strategies, tips and approaches to make Twitter work for your business. For newcomers to Twitter, he provides a step-by-step introduction to the process for getting started. The basic functions and uses of Twitter are fairly intuitive, but Comm shows you how to use it to engage others in a number of ways. He guides you in building a following of "twitterers" who will not simply follow your tweets, but promote your product or service.
You decide what type of following you want - quantity or quality, depending upon your product, service or topic. Generally speaking, Comm says, you want a core group of followers who are very interested in your topic, as many people as possible who have a mild interest and a few people who might be interested in some aspects of your topic.
Delta Airlines uses tweets to include important news about the company's carry-on policy - and add an important human touch. Home Depot's tweets offer short seasonal tips to keep people reading, but its real strength is its customer support. Customer service tweets are an important characteristic to company branding, Comm says. A company's tweets should appear human, but also represent the company appropriately.
The author covers many areas ranging from building a brand to other applications you can use on Twitter. Particularly valuable are his ideas on tracking what is being said about your company or product and how to use Twitter to create a positive impression. His processes are very user friendly; he gives step-by-step guides for numerous aspects of using the social network. He also delves into building solutions on top of the Twitter platform and integrating Twitter into your own company's business systems. The goal here is simple: improving the bottom line. A company's use of Twitter must have the motive of future profit.
He even includes "A 30-Day Plan for Dominating Twitter." If you are considering using Twitter for your product or company, this is a great foundation to get you up and running.
Twitter is as simple as it is successful. As the most successful microblogging service available, it has, in the author's words, "revolutionized the Internet and the world of publishing." I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in understanding the potential and power of Twitter.