Micro-blogging is becoming a popular method or tool on the internet and tools like Twitter are growing at an alarming rate. With the number of people using technology growing at an exponential rate, the way these tools are utilized becomes more complicated.
Now, microblogging has transformed into a business tool. This article reveals how this novel concept is used in the business and marketing arena.
What exactly is a Micro-blog?
In essence, a micro-blog is an Internet technology that enables users to publish very short sentences or even statements. These statements may be up to 140 characters on a website, where they are posted. With regard to audience, these posts can be made available to anyone on the internet or to a targeted audience.
When these services started out, they were more or less used to share trivial information or for giving answers to questions like ‘What was for breakfast?’ with large audiences. An example of such a method is the status box on social networking site like Facebook. However, users have quickly outgrown the banality of these functions and have contributed to micro-blogs becoming far more sophisticated.
Micro-blogs often seem like mini blogs and are a part of the evolution of blogs in general. They enable the user to post data in the form of ‘streams of consciousness’ and this information is communicated to the world at large. However, the micro-blog differs from the blog in the sense that one would need to get to the point – micro-blogs lack this creativity that blogs can afford.
Micro-blogging in the Business Arena
With respect to businesses and micro-blogs, one of the first questions that need to be addressed is ‘Is a micro-blog relevant to a particular business?’ Additionally, figure out if rivals are tapping into this service as well. Of more importance, however, is insight into a targeted audience and if they are using micro-blogging as a tool or monitoring these forums.
Initially, younger users and people involved in technology were the first to use micro-blogging. However, more and more businesses and professionals are turning to the service now. If indeed the audience that a business is targeting is listening to micro-blogging tools like Twitter, then the advantages of using the service can be numerous.
Benefits of Micro-blogging Actively in Business
One advantage of micro-blogging for any business is that it tries to establish awareness and expertise for a company. This translates into building brand name by frequent posts on a particular subject.and for that the company logo and branding should be presented in the micro-blog page. Also, one can link back to a blog so that more information is available. As an example, the T-shirt firm Threadless makes use of Twitter to keep their customers informed.
Micro-blogs offer a fantastic opportunity to broaden the business network and add contacts. In order to accomplish this, be sure to share useful links and bring value to the audience. Once this is achieved, users are bound to follow.
Although selling on micro-blogs is not encouraged, businesses may utilize it to create awareness about the benefits of goods and services to new markets. Additionally, customer service updates may be provided using this tool. A good example of a company that does this is a Texas-based organic food business -'Whole Foods, which adds value by using Twitter to post on events in the community and organic topics as well.
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