How can you use Twitter for b-2-b marketing?

Twitter can be useful for publishing headline news with links to a more detailed story as an extra channel in a b-2-b PR programme.

Journalists and broadcasters have latched on to Twitter in quite a big way.  Twitter appears to be a useful source of news leads so it is not surprising that journalists monitor or 'follow' various accounts and frequently news reports cite Twitter as a source. TV programmes such as the BBC and CNN actively promote the use of Twitter so it is not surprising that a great deal of hype has been generated. As with other social media, such as YouTube and Facebook, there has been a lot of talk about the rapid growth, not to mention the fortunes heading the way of their inventors. Actual numbers of registered users seem impressive - a figure of 200 million estimated for Twitter - but can that be broken down to how many engineers have specification authority in a particular UK industry sector? The main journal for that sector usually can identify their readership in that category supported by ABC certification. But Twitter is not really that sort of channel.

Although generally lumped together with other social media, Twitter is a micro-blogging site that allows you to publish a 140 character news bite or tweet. Research by Harvard suggests 90% of tweets originate from 10% of registered users, indicating a tendency to a 'one to many' broadcast medium rather than peer to peer information exchange. It kind of divides registered users into broadcasters and followers. CNN has an impressive  4.8 million followers, but a quick review of a couple of industries tells a different story. A leading global light source manufacturer shows just 2,100 followers and a leading entertainment lighting company some 1,600. A world leader in ball bearings manages a mere 20 and an equally famous name, a major British engineering group, apparently is not even on Twitter. So is it worth doing? 

The answer is yes, because amongst the followers on some of our client's Twitter sites are journalists and editors in their market sector who presumably find a convenience in receiving news this way. But at present for the typical b-2-b company it is equally not worth putting in much time or resource. Use Twitter by all means, but use the tweets to publish headlines that include links that land back on your news page or blog. And you can keep in touch with us @technicalmarket.