Launched in March 2006, Twitter - social networking and microblogging service, has achieved cult status especially among bloggers and early adopters of technology. The concept of microblogging has never fascinated me unlike million of users world wide. For those who do not know what microblogging is, microblogging is a service that lets you connect with friends through exchange of messages generally 140 characters in length via internet or mobile. It is a great medium to keep your friends updated, express your thoughts and opinions, and share interesting links with your friends, community and like minded users. Though it may sound like a waste of time, microblogging has found millions of devoted users.
I feel over the time Twitter has evolved more as a platform to network with like minded users who share common interests (beyond once friends circle), than to connect with friends. It has evolved as a real time information sharing tool that lets users consume content instantly as soon as it is updated by anyone in their network – an ideal stuff for those who always want be updated!
How can twitter help brands?
Twitter has got a huge reach and brands cannot ignore it. Twitter can help brands to connect with customers, it could be another alternative channel to communicate about their brand(s). Companies can take part in discussion around their brands and represent their brands in those discussions, sort out issues rose by users and generate traffic to their corporate website. Twitter marketing involves two way engagements. Brands should see how they can fit in there communications strategy. They should monitor relevant discussions and opinions expressed by users related to their industry and brand and see if they can influence it in a way. I also see twitter as a platform for customer relations - got a problem, tweet!!
Quite a lot of brands have already leveraged this platform to update customers on company deals and coupon codes (Ex: Dell, Starbucks, etc), to offer an alternative customer support option (Ex: JetBlue, ComCast, TheHomeDepot, etc), to get closer to customers (Ex: Southwest Airlines, Whole Foods Market, HRBlock, etc), to offer an alternative subscription option (Ex: ATTNews, Forrester Research, etc), to post company news (Ex: BreakingPoint, Ford, Samsung, etc), to promote the corporate blog (Ex: Kodak Chief Blogger).
Being on twitter might or might not generate a positive response. There are a lot of giants who have failed to understand and utilize this platform in a right way, like, Amazon, Hewlett Packard, eBay, McDonald’s, Pepsi, Vodafone, Easyjet, Gucci, etc…
There are already more than 1000 brands twittering!! But not all of them have been able to make good out of it. Thus it becomes very important for a brand to carefully formulate its twitter marketing strategy. Microblogging is still at a nascent stage with a limited reach compared to other social networking platforms, but it will grow significantly in next of couple of years. Wish you all happy and productive tweeting… 
