Twitter has become a vital communications tool in recent years. Used by individuals in their day-to-day lives as a method of staying touch through personal computers as well as mobile communication devices, Twitter has also proven itself to be invaluable to business owners. Companies such as ComCast, Southwest Airlines, Wachovia, and Whole Foods Markets use Twitter to disseminate information to customers and to field customer questions. Even sports teams, like the Chicago Bulls and the San Diego Chargers have joined Twitter to pass out news and special offers to their fans.
Though a relatively young device in the communications world, Twitter was founded in 2006, Twitter is one of the most popular instruments for reaching out to people all over the world. The company does not release the specific number of accounts, but some estimates state that Twitter has more than 6 million registered users, with that number growing on a daily basis. It is also estimated that Twitter receives about 55 million monthly visits from its 6 million users. Twitter is also said to be the fastest growing amongst the most popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace.
It has also been said that Twitter is among the most reliable methods of reporting and receiving important news and updates from emergency response teams and organizations such as the American Red Cross. Twitter has been used to update information about spreading wild fires in California and Australia, in order to keep emergency responders aware of conditions as they change. Twitter has been used to notify the public of potential health hazards and to notify its users of news in the most up to the minute method available.
The draw of Twitter comes from its ease of use from mobile devices, the quick bursts of data, and the ability to search for key terms. A company need not be known by its name alone; if a user wishes to search for an aspect of a specific company, it is easily found through Twitter’s convenient search tool, making businesses more likely to see traffic and gain followers from their Tweets. And because Twitter is primarily used through mobile communication devices, users often search for keywords that are of the greatest importance to them, meaning that when they reach a business listing that is meaningful to them, they are very likely to remain loyal followers.
Due to the dynamic growth of Twitter and its far-reaching audience, it has unmatched benefits for those wishing to advertise services, products, or web sites. The users of Twitter receive immediate status updates when they follow companies, which means they have access to the latest news and special offers from businesses within seconds of the original Twitter posting. Better still, companies who wish to begin advertising their business on Twitter can do so for free, meaning the only expense they might have is the time spent planning and executing the Twitter marketing scheme.
