Trendspeak

Twitter has gone from a quirky techno geek fad to a mainstream communications tool…kind of. A lot of people Twitter and a lot more people talk about it. It’s become the next big thing. Maybe it’s the lean times that makes 146 characters at a time seem refreshingly economical. But it may also be that Twitter is the perfect marriage between mobility, accessibility, and brevity. It allows you to share thoughts, links, and photos with a group that chooses you for either who you are or the information you’re providing.

Many see the strengths of Twitter as severe limitations to what it can to for BtoB, but often this is based on assumptions about this tool that are just plan incorrect.  It can be a viable BtoB tool.  Here are a few tips to building on Twitter’s strengths and avoiding its weakness in helping build more B in BtoB:

1.) You Don’t Have to Write Something New Every Ten Minutes
Twitter can actually feed off of any RSS feed or blog. So a press release headline, latest product update, new service — all this can go out on your Twitter feed without writing a single extra word.  Yes, there is some time and effort put into infrastructure, but it can save time in the long run.

2.) Humor isn’t Necessary
Your Twitter feed doesn’t have to be clever to be successful. It started as a social tool that people used to say who they’re drinking with — but as a business tool, it’s just a great way to communicate quickly.  Wit, charm, and irony are all hip, but you don’t have to be.  Get across good information about your products and services and you’ll do just fine.

3.) It’s Not All About You
Twitter is not just about you posting information — it’s about following other people’s posts. They may be customers, vendors, or prospects — you can follow them and even post the RSS stream of messages from that group. This could be great at a product launch, for example, where customers could instantly post their comments and opinions.

4.) You Don’t Control the (Whole) Message
Actually you never really controlled the message before.  You just influenced it.  The same holds true for Twitter.  As stated above, others are free to say what they want about your products and services. It’s best to embrace this. Yes, you can block a user from posting on your feed, but, for the most part, being part of the conversation is better than not being part of it.  Take the good with the bad and you’ll come out on top.