The bMighty Blog -- Sales/Marketing

Of all the social networking services, who would have thought Twitter, with its mini messages being sent with an immediacy that often belies that content, would be touted as a useful business tool? Smaller businesses, you might not want to pass this one by.

Twitter's 140 character limit that users SMS, text or follow on the Web, would not, at first blush, appear to have any business value. But a bunch of writers have been twittering tweets in an effort to ferret out whether businesses are taking advantage of the growing number of twitterites -- I wrote about one here -- and it seems that the messaging service is an effective way to reach customers and clients.

The latest is Stephen Baker's article in Business Week titled "Why Twitter Matters?" Baker notes that it's easy to laugh at Twitter – start with the name and then read some of the tweets. Baker quotes someone who writes: "My nose is leaking." Apparently that's not an unusual posting.

But he continues -- and this is where smaller businesses should pay attention: "The key question today isn't what's dumb on Twitter, but instead how a service with bite-size messages topping out at 140 characters can be smart, useful, maybe even necessary. Here's why I'm looking. In the last few months, the traffic on Twitter has exploded, growing far beyond its circles of bleeding-edge tech enthusiasts and hard-core social networkers. Businesses such as H&R Block and Zappos are now using Twitter to respond to customer queries. Market researchers look to it to scope out minute-by-minute trends."

The link to the H&R Block's Twitter page is instrumental in its business use. Tax tips (albeit brief ones) are provided, offers to connect are proffered, and responses to the Business Week article are illuminating. My favorite: "But I have been quite surprised at the wide range of customers we've engaged w/ on Twitter. Not just tech geeks!"

It's not just tech geeks on Twitter. It's potential customers and clients that you can easily engage and connect with. Don't let the big guys have all the fun.

Are you using Twitter in your smaller business? Let us know – and tell us how – in the comments.

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