Everyone is talking about the micro-blogging platform Twitter at the moment. The communication on Twitter works via short text messages which can be sent and received in real time. Every registered user has the possibility to post updates, to follow the updates from other users who generate interesting content and to be followed by other users. The more followers you have, the wider the audience you will reach with your messages.

Successful marketing with Twitter

For Internet users it is a communication and social networking tool to stay in touch with friends and to learn more about their favourite topics. However, more and more companies are developing smart marketing strategies to use Twitter as a marketing tool. The variety of usage is huge:

Starbucks, for example, uses its Twitter account as a customer service platform. The coffeehouse chain has an audience of more than 50,000 people to date who are interested in receiving information about Starbucks such as new coffee creations, news, events etc. The Twitter users are also able to address questions to Starbucks which will promptly be answered by the company.  

Other companies such as Dell are using Twitter as a sales platform to promote exclusive special sales offers which are only available via links posted on Twitter.

Another example is T-Mobile which promoted the launch of the new Google mobile phone G1 via a prize draw on their Twitter account.

A small start up called adCause came up with a marketing strategy which connects Twitter users with businesses wishing to advertise. The concept is that Twitter users get paid for publishing relevant ads for products or services to their followers.