Shali's Tumbling Thoughts

I’m sure you’ve heard about Twitter by now. But just in case, Twitter is a social utility that allows anyone to post up to 140 characters about anything. In essence, it started with just status updates and now has evolved to real-time news, music sharing, conference conversing, meeting new people, and more.  The concept is so simple yet so dynamic, and still very new to where marketers are still trying to figure out how to use it.

Here are 8 ways I’ve seen Twitter used in an effective manner and why I use it:

1. Continually discovering something interesting.

There are a lot of people who affect my life, and knowing what they find interesting keeps my brain constantly aware of what’s new, hot, funny, interesting. From funny viral videos to cute puppy blogs…

2. Giveaways with quick expiration dates.

Many are using to promote their business with coupons and giveaways found only if you follow the company. I think sprinkles does it best by announcing free cupcakes to the first 25 who will whisper some silly word. Examples: @sprinkles, @maggianos, @amazondeals

3. Bloggers promoting blog posts.

I don’t always check my RSS feeds, they pile up to quickly.  But I do check twitter throughout the day for any interesting new stories.  This is a great way for knowledgeable bloggers with a following can share their latest posts with an intriguing title of course.  I guess it’s an alternative to opening up digg? Examples: @edwardboches, @smashingmag, @zeldman

4. Bands promoting music and shows.

Bands can release songs to their followers first, or announce concerts on the fly.  I love it when my favorite bands randomly announce a local appearance! Examples: @rarariot, @wallpapermusic, @metricband

5. Finding out what’s happening locally.

I started following a few local event posters.  Now I’m finding out daily where the free chocolate tastings are and other neat local events. Examples: @sfhappenings

6. Search.

Either use search.twitter.com or summize.com to find news about anything, in real time, quickly. When Michael Jackson was rushed to the hospital, twitter exploded.

7. Conferences.

Keep up with whats going on at a conference you are attending or wish you attended.  Most of them have hashtags that you can search for. Examples: #csssummit, #sdcc, #sxsw

8. Support.

A lot of companies are using it to reach out to people complaining or dealing with issues with a product. I can just tweet my issue and get a quick response, faster than email sometimes. Examples: @comcastcares, @lauragatning, @mediatemple

This is only the beginning to something really cool that Twitter provides. We’ll what happens as marketers evolve their thinking on how to utilize this social utility.