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.

Article inspired by a March 2, 2009, evening news report by Gordon Tokumatsu on NBC.

According to Bloomberg.com, “a record 19 million homes stood vacant at the end of 2008.” And, vacant homes are not only more difficult to sell, they are sold for less, can be costly to the homeowner and also bring down the value of the neighborhood.

Luckily, companies like Designer Home Tending stepped in and saw an opportunity to turn this into a win-win-win-win situation. They put pre-screened housesitters in the vacant homes, pay for the gardening, utilities, the interior and exterior property maintenance and lawn and pool care for the homeowner.

The housesitters pay a fraction of what they would otherwise pay to lease a similar property and provide all of the home furnishings and keep the place looking neat and clean so that it is always ready for a potential buyer to visit. The housesitter featured in the news report paid $1,100 per month for a property that would normally lease for about $3,000.

With the housesitter there, not only would the home owner pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, the home will also have a car in the driveway and lights on at night, decreasing the chance of a break in, and improving the appeal of the home to potential buyers.

Who benefits?

The homeowner – their house will be sold more quickly at a higher price. It is less likely that it would be vandalized, they will pay less for their homeowner’s insurance, and their home will be kept in good working order. And, all of this at no cost to the homeowner.

The housesitter – they get to live in a home at a fraction of what it would normally cost and get free house cleaning, gardening and utilities.

The neighbors – the vacant house won’t affect their property value or safety.

The company – the company offers a much-needed service and receives the rent paid by the housesitter, and in this economic condition, those housesitters will probably be paying rent to them for quite a while.

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