How Can Businesses Benefit From Twitter? BY: KIRSTEN MCWILLIAMS

What is Twitter? Twitter is an online social networking service that allows you to send out messages (tweets) up to 140 characters long to people who subscribe to you (followers).

Why not use Twitter? What is there to lose? Your Questions How will this benefit my business? Am I missing out on new business? How do I start? Is it too late?

How Well Do You Know Your Customer? What are they saying? Are they happy/satisfied? Are they unhappy?

What are Your Competitors Doing? Are your competitors on Twitter? How do your competitors communicate with their customers? Track what they do IT’S FREE!

Your Twitter Performance

Twitter Stats  As of 2014, Twitter currently has approximately 750 million users (Venturebeat.com)  70% of small businesses are on Twitter (Search Engine People)  Twitter engagement is 17% higher on the weekends (Bufferapp)  85% of followers feel more connected with a small business after following them (Twitter.com)  67% of Twitter users are more likely to buy from the brands they follow on Twitter (MediaBistro)

Twitter Stats  42% of consumers learn about products and services via Twitter (Convinceand Convert.com)  Tweets that include links are 86% more likely to be retweeted (Bufferapp)L  The more you tweet, the more followers you will have (Beevolve)  63% of people follow Small Business to show their support for them (Twitter.com)  42% of Twitter users use Twitter to learn about products and services (Edison.com)

Real Life Business Testimonials “We’ve found that Twitter has been a great way for us to connect on a more personal level with our employees and customers. We use it to help build our brand.” ~Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos.com

Real Life Business Testimonials “I would love to say that I just had a really good idea and strategy, but Twitter has been pretty essential to my success.” ~ Curtis Kimball, crème brûlée cart owner

Real Life Business Testimonials “Our restaurant sometimes gets five new customers a night who learned about it on Twitter.” ~ Shamus Booth, a co-owner of Umi Sushi Restaurant

10 Benefits of Using Twitter 1.Increase brand awareness 2.Keep up with the latest trends in your industry 3.Drive website traffic 4.Connect with your customers 5.Get instant feedback about your products and/or services 6.Gather real-time competitive intelligence 7.Monitor your brand reputation 8.Easily connect directly with potential employees 9.Get information out quickly and easily 10.IT’S FREE!

What’s Your Next Step? Create a Twitter account What are you waiting for?

Work Cited Ajmera, Harsh. "5 Reasons Why Small Businesses Should Use Twitter More!" Business 2 Community. N.p., 14 Feb Web. 19 Apr Bennett, Shea. "Twitter For Small Business: Stats, Facts & Tips [INFOGRAPHIC]." SocialTimes. N.p., 16 July Web. 19 Apr Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr

Work Cited Digital image. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr George, Kim. "10 Insightful Twitter Statistics for Small Business." Small Business Sense. N.p., 11 Mar Web. 19 Apr Kingston, Charlene. "How to Use Twitter for Business and Marketing |." Social Media Examiner RSS. N.p., 09 Apr Web. 19 Apr Lawson, Cheryl. "10 Ways Businesses Can Benefit From Using Twitter | Social Media Infographic." AIS Media. N.p., n.d. Web. 19 Apr Miller, Claire Cain. "Marketing Small Businesses With Twitter." The New York Times. The New York Times, 22 July Web. 19 Apr