Most people think social media marketing just means Facebook marketing. As the 800 pound gorilla of the social networking space, it’s understandable that so many companies have turned Facebook into the hub of their social media marketing campaign. Both B2C and B2B companies have found great success with Facebook, seeing an increase in brand recognition, consumer engagement and more. But Facebook isn’t the only social player on the block that B2C companies would be wise to invest their time in. Twitter helps you connect with your audience in a whole new way and add another level to any social media marketing campaign.

Research indicates that Twitter is a favorite social networking platform among early adopters and influencers. It’s no secret that a small percentage of Twitter users are the authors behind a vast majority of the Tweets. But these are the kinds of consumers a B2C company should want to connect with, as they are more likely to become brand loyal.

Here are some practice ways a B2C company can utilize Twitter:

1. Get more connected with your customers

Recent research has shown that Twitter is the preferred social network among consumers for learning about new product updates. The constant, real time stream of information that fuels Twitter makes it the perfect place to share information about things like software updates and product launches. Most consumers look to a company’s Facebook page as a way to learn about discounts and sign up for promotions. Twitter, on the other hand, is often viewed as a direct line of communication with the company, making it the perfect platform for staying connected with favorite B2C brands.

Twitter is also a great way to manage your customer service. Twitter is for here-and-now reactions, not reflections. If consumers Tweets about what a horrible experience they just had with your company or brand, chances are you can reach out to them and remedy the situation before the bad news spreads too far.

2. Twitter is mobile

As the amount of smart phones in the market grows, mobile marketing becomes an increasingly important component of any marketing strategy. Twitter may be one of the more simple social networks (it doesn’t get much more basic than a 140 character cap), but that is exactly why it is so mobile friendly. Whether someone is looking at Twitter on a computer or on their phone, the format is very similar—a scrolling list of Tweets. B2C companies don’t have to develop a mobile version of their Twitter account to make sure it is easily accessible/readable by mobile devices.

3. Develop more integrated campaigns

By incorporating Twitter into your social media marketing campaign, a B2C company can integrate numerous marketing efforts. Since Twitter is often used as way to share interesting and compelling content, nothing is off limits. Whether online or off, everything can be Tweeted about. A recent study from Compete.com showed that 17% of Twitter users Tweet about a TV show while they are watching it. Popular offline commercials and ads that get posted online are also shared across Twitter networks. Viral videos and Internet memes spread like wildfire, getting noticed by Twitter users long before they show up on popular blogs. Any piece of marketing material you have ever put out can have a Tweet built around it.

4. Generate links for SEO

Twitter reports that nearly 25% of all Tweets send include a link in them. Links are the bread and butter of any SEO campaign and Twitter is a great way to develop quality links to your site and web content. When someone Tweets a link, they are broadcasting to their network (and to the search engines) that this is interesting content. The more times that link gets published, the better it looks in the eyes of the search engines. The page being linked to develops a stronger link portfolio and piggybacks on the authority of those who republished the link.

About the Author – Nick Stamoulis

Nick Stamoulis is the President and Founder of Brick Marketing (http://www.brickmarketing.com), a full-service Boston SEO and search engine marketing company that offers SEO consulting. With over 12 years of industry experience, Nick Stamoulis shares his knowledge by posting daily SEO articles to his blog, the Search Engine Optimization Journal, and publishing the Brick Marketing SEO Newsletter, read by over 130,000 opt-in subscribers.

Contact Nick Stamoulis at 781-350-4365 or nick@brickmarketing.com

One Response to “How Twitter Can Help B2C Companies”

  1. As the author of a book about to be published in August, Healing Your Hungry Heart, I’m delighted to see that the tweets and facebook entries of people who want to read my book are part of a larger google and bing communication system.

    The best kind of marketing, in my opinion, is the kind that comes from honest communication between people genuinely interested in the item discussed. This can only help everyone involved, i.e. good products and services going to people who want and need them. What could be better than that?

    Joanna Poppink, MFT
    Los Angeles psychotherapist
    http://eatingdisorderrecovery.com
    author: Healing Your Hungry Heart
    08/11 Conari Press http://amzn.to/grcDfG

Leave a Reply to Joanna Poppink

(required)

(required)

© 2011 SearchTerms.com