The REAL Reasons You Need Twitter For Business

I didn’t plan to write a blog about why Twitter for business is so important because as a social media professional, its pretty obvious.

But as I was gathering research for another Twitter marketing subject to write about, I was blown away at how many brands are either stepping back from executing a consistent Twitter strategy or aren’t participating at all.

The media may rant and rave about how Twitter is fading because it doesn’t have a CEO or because it’s not making money, but none of those things make it any less of a social network. Its still at the top, and I predict it will only continue to grow.

My sole aim with writing any article about social media is to help business owners connect with their target audience and speak their language.

But its also my job to educate people on why they need to invest in social media or a particular social network.

And Twitter is no different. I believe the majority of all business industries can greatly benefit from Twitters community.

So why should YOU invest in Twitter?

Here’s my REAL reasons and the benefits of twitter for business.

1. Establish relationships without the clutter


Twitter is pretty basic.

In fact, I think its so basic, that it can be complicated. It’s no Instagram basic, but when it comes down to it, tweeters are simply swapping out messages, conducting conversations, and finding relevant news. Users aren’t constantly distracted with hourly updates on food and family, and the barrage of photos.

And because Twitter hasn’t given into ads as much as Facebook, there’s a LOT less clutter to bypass to connect with your target audience.

For my agency’s clients, we know exactly who our target audience is and what they are interested in. This allows us to find them on Twitter and quickly begin developing relationships.

Folks who find Twitter for business to be difficult typically aren’t familiar with the nitty gritty of WHO they are trying to reach, so wading out into the vast pool of Twitter is daunting.

However, when you know who your target audience is, finding them is a lot easier. If you aren’t sure how to take those steps to follow and gain followers from your target audience, check out this other article I wrote on how to get more Twitter followers .

Twitter has been the #1 referral tool for my business from day one thanks to the community I developed. It didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t easy because it requires commitment, but the value it offers in relationship-building is indisputable.

2. Customer service


One of the best reasons to maintain an active Twitter account for most businesses these days is that social media networks have become the new way for customers to deal with issues and get assistance with problems.

If you aren’t investing in Twitter, your business will not only miss out on straightforward relationship development with customers and potential customers, but also the opportunity to offer them excellent customer service that other businesses aren’t offering.

These days, when I have a problem, I jump on Twitter or Facebook. A few weeks ago, Skype overcharged me on a phone bill. I went directly online looking for their Twitter or Facebook account, and found they aren’t active on Twitter AT ALL and the Facebook page doesn’t allow comments, so I couldn’t let them know I needed help.

Further, when I went to the website there was no way to contact them – the Help forum was my ONLY option.

Talk about frustrated. So frustrated – I canceled my account.

Businesses that aren’t actively invested in making sure customer service is a simple process will lose customers.

PLUS, businesses can cut back on costs by having a social media professional handle customer issues versus investing in call operators or a heavy customer service department.

For our clients, we take care of most customer service issues and only elevate the major issues, which frees up the time of the business employees and streamlines the process.

3. Establish credibility


If my story in the previous point didn’t strike home the need for Twitter for business to establish credibility, then I don’t know what will.

As a customer, why would you have confidence or trust in a company who isn’t easy to contact or isn’t relevant on social media?

For my agency clients, we use Twitter to help our B-2-B customers establish credibility with other businesses they want to work with by following them, promoting their content, and establishing relationships. It lets them know the client is relevant and easy to contact if there are any issues.

Talk about establishing credibility!

4. Connected with Periscope


With the advent of live streaming and Periscope, Twitter has been placed in a whole new arena, and although it hasn’t figured out how to monetize itself correctly – it will.

Periscope has already proven to be a valuable tool and community for growing my personal and professional brand, and the ease in which it connects with Twitter is part of that awesomeness.

You can expect Twitter to begin capitalizing on this new social network and make it super easy for users to combine the newest social network with its older brother. Make sure you learn how to use Periscope for your business.

5. Drive traffic


Another major reason for investing in Twitter is that is can drive MAJOR traffic to your website.

Twitter is typically the #1 social traffic source for our clients, and it doesn’t take an enormous amount of effort.

Yes, you must consistently create new native content to share on Twitter, and yes, you must be sure to promote yourself clearly, but Twitter will streamline that traffic without issue.

Its not like Facebook who continues to become more and more possessive about keeping its users ON Facebook. Twitter isn’t jealous and doesn’t overwhelm us with ads – it allows businesses to easily push followers through to a website.

And with its recent 2015 updates of video and photos, its even easier to drive traffic wherever you want it to go.

6. Its growing


I’d argue with anyone about Twitters growth because I’m there everyday.

It doesn’t matter to me what financial pundits and irritated marketers say about the downfall of Twitter, I’m confident its growing.

As long as Twitter continues to improve the interaction process (as they did with videos/images) and establish smart partnerships (ex. Periscope and Vine), I’m all for it.

But even without the growth of the network, it doesn’t negate all the other reasons listed here.

I’ve been an active Twitter user since 2009, and can’t even begin to communicate all the success stories and golden relationships that the network has provided over the years for clients and myself.

If your business isn’t investing in Twitter then it time to rethink your strategy because you’re missing out on MAJOR value for your business.

So do you see the benefits of Twitter for business, agree/disagree?