Twitter – is it part of social Not-working?

I’ve been to a few business networking events this week, and it seems that in the circles I move in, Twitter is still somewhat of a mystery. As I enthuse about Twitter, I see the scepticism flash across people’s faces. I say – “oh and you can follow me on @amandatigerfish”, and they go “er, Twitter is not for us” or “it’s just pointless” or “I’ve not got time for all that lark”.

The truth is, they just don’t ‘get it’, and in honesty, neither did I until 6 months ago. But I’m so glad I started.  So here are some of my thoughts* on why Twitter is so great for business:

17 reasons to add Twitter to your busy day

• It’s a fabulous way to engage with your stakeholders…
• …and it is a great way for them to be able to engage with you
• It can give a personality to your brand
• You can quickly respond to current events
• It is hugely powerful communication vehicle
• It provides a direct line of communication to people you might never usually have access to
• It has the potential to enable market penetration – for free – far more effectively than any other method
• It perfectly complements other routes to market – blogs, LinkedIn, advertising, PR, virals, direct marketing etc
• Direct messaging is as effective as an email – and for some people, more so
• Twitter is a super community – to share ideas/gauge responses/undertake market research/ask for help
• There are many knowledgeable people on Twitter offering excellent advice
• It is one of the most immediate forms of information – local/national/international news or data-rich blogs
• It drives traffic to websites
• It brings information into your computer without you having to search for it
• IT”s FREE (and this reason is courtesy of @DT100. You see, Twitter is brilliant for feedback too)
• It let’s you get involved in topical conversations on a global or local level (thanks to @walkerstudios for this addition)
• Collaborations between users can happen in real time – and hence the changes in this document.

So if you are using Twitter, let me know so I can follow you.  And if you’re not – what are you waiting for?