By Samantha Karol
Marketing Assistant, CPX Interactive
Twitter poses a simple question to its users: What are you doing? Trying to gauge public opinion of the social networking site, which now boasts over 11 million members, is anything but simple. In addition to its staggering growth and dramatic rise in popularity, the existence of Twitter has led to the creation of numerous programs and websites to help people manage their feeds and the feeds of people they follow. Twitter has also given new meaning to common words like “follow,” and created new words like “tweeps” and“retweet.”
As it has continued to develop, the site has been the subject of an incredible number of news articles and blog posts (including our own). Often, the focus is on the value (or lack of value) for businesses using Twitter. There are some who believe that Twitter is a great way to network with industry contacts and keep people updated on company happenings. Entire sections of sites like Mashable are dedicated to Twitter tips, and some industry websites provide links to the most useful Twitter tools for businesses.
However, not everyone is completely sold on the Twitter hype. There are some who believe the concept of the site is overrated, or at the very least, is not a legitimate business strategy.
A major part of my job since I joined CPX in January has been to utilize the plethora of Web 2.0 sites to get our name out there and connect to people. The CPX Interactive Twitter feed is just one of our many social media profiles.
A number of the arguments against businesses using Twitter have to do with not using the site properly. These points are certainly valid, as a company has to keep certain things in mind when they tweet that an individual may not. For example, following everyone you can find, is probably not the best idea, and simply posting tweet after tweet without any interaction with the community defeats the purpose. It’s also important to go in with a realistic mindset, and be fully committed to making the most of it. However, if a company does its homework before joining the “Twitterverse,” and is willing to put in the time on the site, there can be some pretty great benefits.
CPX is proud to have built up a following of over 500 tweeps. Twitter has allowed us to share information on events we are attending or sponsoring, link to our other social media pages, share company news, and connect to countless valuable people and companies in our industry. Like all of these sites, how much you’re willing to put into it greatly affects how much you will get out of it. Different things work for different companies, but Twitter is definitely working for us.
Welcome back to the CPX Interactive Blog! If you haven't already, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed, and be sure to connect with CPX across the Web! Thanks for visiting!
If you are not using Twitter as a social marketing tool yet, I suggest you get a move on and sign up. We will be looking at what Twitter can do for your business (e.g. trying to sell an online product) or blog’s image, relationship-building, viral marketing, and networking, and how it can help you make more money online.
Pingback: I’ve Written About Social Media a Few Times Before « Marketers Get Social