Twitter is growing at an astronomical rate, so fast that it experiences growing pains  on a regular basis. 

OK  we all know that;  I mean how could we not! You would have to be living on a deserted island under a rock with no access to the Internet, newspapers or radio to not know something about twitter.  Everybody knows that Barack Obama used it during his election campaign

As twitter continues to expand at a phenomenal rate, the million dollar question that is on the lips of business owners is “Can Twitter be used to build businesses”  The answer is  YES!  Switched on businesses  are already using twitter as a terrific business building tool.  These  businesses know that twitter is a FREE,   no-cost way of marketing,  but best of all its is viral. 

Twitter - Terrific For Business

So how do these businesses  use twitter?  Its all in the posting (tweets).  Twitter provides a public forum, and each post (tweet) a business makes becomes a form of promotion as other users, follow the businesses  posts(tweets).  Over a period of  time these tweets build a reputation for the business as  people can visit and look at your Web site and the quality of your content. The business becomes part of the community.  But wait theres more,   business owners  can also use Twitter for market research and to keep an eye on customer service issues.

 

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone says businesses “that are not quite big enough to make an impact on the Web, or to spend resources there,” have been some of the earliest users of twitter.  Some San Francisco-based coffee shops and bakeries have sent tweets to tell their customers about specials or products they may be out of that day.  “Businesses use this as a hybrid between marketing and customer service,” says Stone. “They use the Twitter Search to track mentions of their products and services and as a way to begin a conversation.”

To summarize, twitter can be used by businesses to;
1.  build a reputation and brand
2.  market products
3.  achieve  viral marketing 
4.  conduct market research
5.  monitor customer service
6.  develop relationships with other  twitterites
7.  participate in the twitter community

Twitter seems Terrific for  building businesses doesn’t it?  But hang on a minute, before you rush off and start using it today, its worth noting that like any online forum, Twitter may not be for everyone. It can be a time waster and for some people addictive. Having said that if you own a business its definitely worth a look and even a try before you decide whether twitter is terrific for building your business.