Marketing Through Twitter (Twarketing)

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By: Mallory Dash

You can call it “getting to the point” to an extreme level. If you can say what you want to say to your audience in 140 characters or less, then you’re ready for Twitter.

While the micro-blogging service is already popular among Web 2.0 enthusiasts, Twitter is also breaking new ground with marketers and brands like H&R Block and Technorati who are using the simple idea of “What are you doing now?” to reach tens of thousands of eager Tweeters. Even Hillary and Barack have joined the party, dispensing details of their race towards the DNC.

As with any kind of blogging, success in Twitterland (I am not making this one up, I swear) means participation in the conversation. Are your Tweets (I know, I know…) engaging? Are you following the “right” people? Are you commenting on relevant memes (Tweemes?) and providing content that is useful for others? Or are you just shouting to the world about the coffee you’re waiting on from Starbucks? (For a great example of this kind of Tweeting, follow me).

The exciting and attractive thing about Twitter for marketers is the fact that it is “opt-in”- that is, people choose to follow the brands/people/entities they wish. Therefore, companies are reaching potential customers that actually care about their brand or what they stand for. They can easily dispense new product information, news about the company, any promotions going on, and anything else that may appeal to their base of consumers. These messages are then fed into a Twitter user’s home page, which can also be routed to their phone via text message.

The challenge presented by Twitter is how to correctly and effectively pare down your message to 140 characters or less. This requires the bare bones- links must be TinyURL-ized, and no B.S. allowed.

It’s clear that by now, Twitter and the theme of “micro-blogging” have made their mark on the web community. Whether or not Twitter actually affects those people who don’t care about Web 2.0 or social media is questionable. Advertisers and marketers alike must keep this audience restriction in mind when designing campaigns that involve micro-blogging or any kind of blogging, for that matter.

For some other good tips for how to use Twitter for marketing purposes, checkout Marketing Profs.