Utilizing Twitter: A valuable tool in the business world

Tweeting is quickly gaining verb status, just like Google did several years ago. Once a company's name becomes used in this manner, it should be taken seriously. Over the last year, Twitter has become one of the most popular and widely utilized web 2.0 tools. However, many people are still unsure of the true value behind Twitter. This application is not a time wasting, social utility. If used properly, it is a powerful individual and business tool. The most obvious value behind becoming a frequent Tweeter is the SEO benefit. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and it is crucial in today's business world to understand SEO. Every company and individual should strive to be on the first page of Google for various keyword searches. In order to do this, you must be great at what you do and write valuable content on your field of expertise. Twittering allows you to publish short (140 character) blogs, which will appear on the feeds of all your followers. If other Twitter members find your content interesting they will follow you, so they can see all your future posts. The more followers you have, the greater your credibility will become and your search engine ranking will consequentially increase. Along with the inherit SEO benefit, Twitter is valuable in several other ways. Firstly, it is a lightning fast form of communication to a large group. You can keep colleagues, partners and friends up to date on breaking news or insider information within seconds of finding out. And with Twitter applications for the iPhone and Blackberry, it is just one click away. Once logged in, you can quickly type your message, click update and within a fraction of a second all your followers receive the message. Twitter can also be integrated into corporate and personal blogs. This way any Twitter updates you make on the road will automatically feed to your blog. Twittering is also a valuable tool at large events, such as conventions. Instead of the conventional Q&A session at the end of speeches, a screen can be set up on stage and the audience members can Twitter their questions, which will appear on the big screen. This way everyone can hear the question without the usual confusion. These are just a few of the ways Twitter can offer value to the business world. For more information on Twittering, feel free to contact us. Maxwell Finn is the co-founder of GST Media (http://gstmedia.com), Boston, MA.