What is Twitter and why should you use it?

Twitter is part of the social network and part of microblogs. What exactly does this mean? On Twitter you make posts (called Tweets) that answer the question “what are you doing?” These posts must be less than 140 characters. Yes, characters, not words! Hence the micro part.

Then you follow people on Twitter and read their Tweets. People can follow you, thus reading what you are doing. Before you know it, you are part of a larger conversation.

There are many reasons why people use Twitter. Here are my best:

1. It is a fast and easy way to communicate with customers

You can use Twitter to stay in touch with customers, prospects, and followers. Short, sweet, and helpful Tweets keep your brand in front of people.

2. Brand recognition

Twitter takes the Rule of Seven and turns it on its head. You could easily send seven tweets a day. That’s a lot of times to have your name in front of people.

3. Reputation management

If you’re not on Twitter, you don’t know what’s being said about you. Your name or brand could be destroyed and you wouldn’t know it. If you don’t know, you can’t fix it. You also don’t want someone to take over your brand by sending fake Tweets on your behalf. Even if you don’t plan on spending a lot of time on Twitter yet, at least sign up and cover your brand.

4. Research

Twitter is a quick and easy way to do research. Tweet your followers if you need to find something or need to know something fast. The answer can be almost instantaneous.

5. Trend detection

Since people share their best advice in their Tweets, you can quickly spot new trends based on what’s being talked about. You will also discover new technologies, industry news, and problems others are having. All of this in easy-to-digest 140 character Tweets.

6. Be on the cutting edge

Twitter is still new enough that those who join it are still early adopters. This is important because you may still be able to choose whatever name you want, both your personal name and your company name. Plus, if you get on board early, you can build your Twitter tribe with little competition.

7. Strengthen ties

By connecting with friends, colleagues, clients, and joint venture partners on Twitter, you can stay in touch. The 140 character limit means it’s easy for them to follow you without taking too long. An email is easily ignored or left for a less busy afternoon that never comes. Tweets are little instant notes that Twitter followers seem to read.

8. Attract new customers

Don’t make this your main focus on Twitter. Users can smell a “market abuser” from a mile away. A good rule of thumb on Twitter is to make sure only one in five tweets is about your business or industry. The rest, be personal. Twitter gives you the ability to get personal in small amounts.

And when talking about your business, don’t make it a sales pitch at first. Try to post them to a blog post that they might find useful. It’s about building a relationship, not closing a deal.

9. Find and connect with influential people

By following industry leaders and influencers, you have a better chance of being heard for their Tweets than for email. Many people automatically follow the people who follow them. Once they follow you, if you have something interesting to say, they will stay on board.

10. Search engine optimization

A useful feature of Twitter is that you can see what are the most popular terms (twemes) that are tweeted about. This can be very useful for your own SEO. By keeping an eye on what people are tweeting, you can make sure to incorporate these terms into your own Tweets, blog posts, and web pages.

11. Drive traffic to your blog or website

Tweeting about blog posts or free offers can drive traffic to your site. Sending a private message to new followers inviting them to read a relevant blog post or sign up for your ezine can dramatically increase traffic. Use a tool like TweetLater to make the process automatic.

12. Stay up-to-date with local and world news

Subscribe to the Twitter feed of your favorite newscast and it keeps you updated. When I’m working I can’t listen to the radio; too distracting. But following the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Twitter feed means I can see the top headlines of the day. If there is something I want to take a closer look at, I can click the link. I am no longer caught missing the breaking news during the day.

13. It’s fun

Twitter is fun and fast to use. I can see what people are doing at a glance. I can comment on other people’s tweets. I can vent my frustration or share successes. I can meet people and they can get to know me. All in 140 characters. If you’re not on Twitter yet, why don’t you give it a try?