According to a recent nielsen wire article, “Twitter’s Tweet Smell of Success,” written by Michelle McGiboney, Twitter has grown 1,382% from February of 2008 to February of 2009, “making it the fastest growing site in the member communities category for the month.” In February 2009, it had over 7 million unique visitors. And over 40% of its visitors are age 35 to 49, and almost 85% are over 25 years old.  In other words, Twitter is used by a large number of adults, and that number is growing every day.

Plenty of businesses have joined the bandwagon too, hoping to reach potential customers through this medium, and if the statistics haven’t sold you on the idea, here are my 5 reasons for brands to jump on the Twitter wagon:

1.    Opens Communication with Influencers: Twitter not only allows one to reach a large percentage of the public, many of these Tweeters are influencers among their network. These people pride themselves on having something to say, and their network is listening to them. This type of person is much more likely to voice their opinions of products than the average customer, making them the perfect people to introduce to your product; if they like it, they’ll tell everyone about it.

2.    Customer Service: Not only will these people share what they like, they will also share what they don’t like. But instead of this conversation going on behind the company’s back, companies can be involved in the conversation. If a complaint is made on Twitter, the company can address the problem and solve it within minutes. With Twitter, companies don’t have to wait until someone is angry enough to write a letter.

3.    Immediate Updates: Many companies don’t have the resources to send out regular press releases, and even if they do, a large percentage of their customers and potential customers will never read them. Twitter is the best way to keep these people informed of projects, improvements and anything else that you think they would like to know. According to the above article, many of these people (735,000 in January) access Twitter from their phones, giving the Tweeter direct access to people who want to read what they have to say. And, if nothing else, it keeps your brand on their minds.

4.    Initiates Ongoing Education: Successful Tweeters share interesting and current information. These people read articles, listen to other Tweeters and do whatever they can to be knowledgeable in their field. For most corporate Tweeters, this means they need to conduct their own ongoing education, which, in turn, makes them better at their business. Successful Tweeters have no choice in the matter: they must become more knowledgeable in their field.

5.    Increases Credibility: Also, by being one of these successful brand Tweeters, one not only proves that the company keeps up with trends and new technology, he also proves the company’s expertise among its competitors, which increases the brand’s credibility.

So, do some research, learn how to Tweet like a pro, lurk for a bit and jump in. The water’s fine.

Note: Photo is from FreeDigitalPhotos.net.

Freelance photographer Andrea LaBarge Mills entered a contest online, in which the winner’s dream assignment will be funded with $50,000. Andrea submitted her proposal, and named the Guitar Center Music Foundation as the beneficiary of a component of the project.

Copyright © 2004 Andrea R. LaBarge

Copyright © 2004 Andrea R. LaBarge

Who benefits?

The photographer – She gets to experience her dream photo assignment. Andrea specifically chooses an assignment that she thinks will most affect her life, both personally and for her career. She really looks at how to make the most out of the $50,000. Also, the contest is a vehicle to reach more people and gain a greater following. She would also win a new computer as part of the package.

The charity – The charity will also gain exposure from their involvement in this project. A charity relationship is not a requirement in this contest, so it’s a great vehicle for reaching more potential donors (in that they have little competition in this venue). Because the charity will publicize this on their social networks, they will also gain some exposure on search engines.

The company sponsoring the competition – Microsoft is making a minimal investment for a lot of publicity. All they did was provide the $50,000,  put together a self-sustaining site for submissions and are going to give three computers away to the winner and two runners up. If they had given them away without a competition, there would have been no viral marketing or publicity for it. And, the $50,000 would have probably contributed to their print marketing, which is far less effective.

My world is full of people who are pushing ahead and falling behind. The economy has really begun to sort them out. One group is unemployed and waiting for something to come their way, and one group is trying new things, starting businesses and improving their corporate strategies.

What an opportunity! Not only can you take the steps necessary to be one of those people who pushes ahead, you can more easily see who you should align yourself with, those people who are smarter, more diligent, more ambitious than the rest.

The trick? Get strategic.

It’s time to really analyze what you do and why you do it that way. Chances are, you’ve been getting off easy for the past few years with some mediocre business operations/goals. It was okay when your customers had plenty of money to spend, but now you need to offer them something that will really improve their lives and effectively communicate that to them. And, if it turns out that nobody needs your product/service anymore, look into creating your own customers.

Creating customers is key right now, and chances are, you don’t have the power to do this on your own, so form an alliance, and get your competitors or other similar businesses on board. Think about what it will take to create more surfers, photographers or real estate agents. Really look to the root of the solution. And, consider nonprofits that have a similar mission and partner up.

I am rooting for you! You can do this. What do you have to lose?

Who benefits?

The company – the company will have increased sales.

The customers – they need to feel confident about their purchases.

The community – more customers = more profit = higher employment rates

I attended one of the breakfast sessions at the NAMM show this year, and visited with a young man who had just opened his own music store, High Desert Music. He lives in a small town in Oregon, and there are barely enough musicians to keep him in business.

High Desert Music

More than anything else, this man needs to focus on creating musicians so that he will have customers. Not only will he have a thriving music store, he will be strengthening his community.

(Visit the Guitar Center Music Foundation’s website for more information about the benefits of making music.)

My first piece of advice for this gentleman was to form an alliance with all of the music stores and teachers in his area so that all of them can work together to create solutions. His market is not even close to saturation, so by working together, they will create enough customers for all of the local stores to share.

Then, it’s up to them how to create the customers. It needs to be a decision based on their own assets and skills. It could be that they need to better communicate the benefits of making music to their communities. It could also be that they just need to encourage more musicians to teach music. I also suggested that their schools work with Guitars in the Classroom because it greatly increases the number of guitarists in a community. But, however they choose to create musicians, it must be done for them to continue.

Who benefits?

The company – The company will not only gain customers, which will increase sales, they will gain support from the community and other local stores.

The other local stores – Other local stores will also gain new customers.

The community – The community will benefit from having more musicians. Music programs keep children off the streets, improve kids’ test scores, help keep the elderly active and healthy and generally keep a society safer over all.

The music industry – The music industry will also benefit from increased sales of musical instruments, in this particular scenario. The manufacturers need stores to create customers if they, too, are going to stay in business.