How Twitter can help your business' brand

Are you on Twitter? If not that's ok, but surely you've now heard of it.

Chances are you've read about it in the mainstream media—a group that is generally split into two camps: the first being the avid users and the second the naysayers who don't use it but somehow know enough about it to dismiss it as a colossal waste of time.

Regardless of what you've read or heard, I'm about to shed a totally different perspective on the use of Twitter. I've actively used the service for about six months now and the biggest advantage I've gained is that I've been part of an ongoing conversation with some very great people. Some of those I've had the opportunity to meet personally while others are still just an avatar and quick quips of 140 characters here and there. They may be right down the street or on the other side of the world—with Twitter it doesn't matter.

I really believe that Twitter has helped my business evolve—not so much in a promotional way, but in a way that is harder to calculate. I'm inspired by the tweets that I read and I tend to follow people and businesses that I have something in common with—business owners, entrepreneurs, marketing and tech professionals, sports fans and the media. I learn from all of these people by following and participating. I also have heard that people have learned from us. I see opportunities that I just wouldn't have been open to or aware of had it not been for this service. I also see that the people I follow are genuinely taking the positive perspective to what's happening in our world today. That's refreshing in its own right.

In fact last week, Kimberly Leclercq, the co-founder of SOZO | Pivotal and our new not-for-profit organization ADOPT MORE, was interviewed on a Voices of Detroit podcast by Larry Henry (@detroitvoice) and Dave Benjamin (@davebenjamin)—both people I've met through Twitter. It was a great opportunity that was fostered through Twitter. The interview was great and you can hear it here. While you're at the site listen to the other podcasts and you'll hear about some great things that are happening across the Detroit area.

We've also noticed a significant uptick in blog readers and website visitors after we started using Twitter personally and professionally.

Just as most of us don't pick up the phone and expect to make a sale right then and there, you don't wake up and ask what is Twitter going to do for me or my business today. But, after six months you start to realize that it's been a pretty useful tool in branding ourselves and our businesses.

Follow us at the following Twitter handles:
@kleclercq
@daveklonke
@sozopivotal
@adoptmore

Check us out but also take a look at some of our followers. There'ss a lot to learn out there and even more importantly, there are a lot of great people that we should be meeting.