The latest and fastest moving medium on the social media front is "Twitter."Is this a valid business tool or is it the latest plaything for Generation Y?
We asked Gareth Pearce, innovative Managing Director of Kiwi owned, Ezibed.com to explain to us what this phenomenon is all about:
Twitter is a micro-blogging service that allows users to post bite-size messages (called tweets) of no more than 140 characters. These can be smart, useful or maybe even necessary.
Why does Twitter matter?
Ezibed.com views Twitter as an ‘in vogue’ method of communicating the very best deals daily, or company communications to a loyal following. We can pitch our offers and services and respond directly to the needs of customers.
The ongoing potential is that our accommodation providers can follow us and post their very best deals directly to our followers. This in turn creates fast, effective brand awareness and the opportunity to sell rooms very quickly - true last minute!
Of course you need to build followers first. After starting only this week Ezibed.com already has a small following however the potential can be enormous if the target & content is right. Not only is there the potential to communicate great one off offers to users but also the ability to gauge feedback on properties and to create a community that discusses issues surrounding accommodation.
Why deal with an issue after it has happened. Why not deal with the issue while it is happening? Users can receive RSS feeds of ‘Tweets’ which allows them to monitor online feedback and respond within moments.
Will Twitter take off?
Only time will tell. Blogging, Facebook & MySpace were all initial fads but these sites have proven their commercial worth, especially to companies who have embraced the social media model. Potential customers actively use these websites - it’s how companies can market to these potential customers without coming across too strongly is the key.
Companies will see positive ROI when they interact with their customers and don’t just pitch to them. This is important when engaging in social media.
