Regular readers know that I’m bullish on text messaging for small or medium-sized businesses needing to bring more customers more often.
There are tens of thousands of examples of SMBs seeing value in the development and nurturing of a permission-based database. One that I heard about recently is a tattoo shop in Utah that fills open appointment slots by sending out offers to opt-ins that get viewed and acted upon within minutes.
There are dozens of other examples in my Mobilized Marketing book.
Of course, SMBs have alternatives. One is Twitter, a service that promises that it can help an SMB “connect with potential customers and increase your follower base.”
Follower bases are good, but what about the more customers, more often need?
Let’s take a look:
Twitter encourages SMBs to create a presence on the social network, then to integrate it across all marketing channels.
It recommends that businesses feature their @username on their website and ask customers to follow them. Further, Twitter suggests SMBs import an email contact list to follow and interact with customers. Also, it encourages businesses to join industry-related conversations and connect with influencers through hashtags.
Through a lead form, it offers a marketing “kickstart” with supposed easy tips, templates and a content calendar.
Twitter has dedicated account for SMBs (@TwitterSmallBiz) as well as a blog
https://blog.twitter.com/small-business.
Have you followed an SMB on Twitter?
Have you gone into a brick and mortar or bought on line after seeing a tweet from an SMB?
Do you know an SMB that is using Twitter and seeing success?
Is there an SMB that replaced a permission-based SMS club with Twitter and grew sales and loyalty?
Twitter says that it has 255 million active monthly users with 77% of the accounts outside the U.S.
There are 326 million mobile users in America, according to CTIA – The Wireless Association. comScore says that 75% text on a regular basis. Multiple studies report that approximately one-third of mobile subscribers are interested in joining a text club from a brand or business.
There just doesn’t seem to be any rationale for using Twitter and not text.
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This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program http://Goo.gl/t3fgW, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don't necessarily represent IBM's positions, strategies or opinions.
