A few weeks ago, I presented a new technology to a group here at Godfrey. I started off by asking if any of them were twittering? A few (mostly under the age of 30) were, but the majority of those in the room had not heard of Twitter.

So what is Twitter? It is designed as a service for friends, family, and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent "updates".

Text based posts or “tweets” are limited to 140 characters and can be sent to the Twitter web site, SMS, to your mobile phone, instant messaging or a third-party application such as Facebook.

USA Today recently ran a good article summarizing the history and craze of Twitter. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/2008-07-20-twitter-tweet-social-network_N.htm

Sounds like another way to stay "connected", but how is this relevant to B2B? A few suggestions to consider:

• Create 2 way conversations with your customers
• Connect customers or prospects to your RSS Feeds and blogs
• Promote special deals or new information and products
• Empower company employees to be your brand ambassadors
• Report on events and happenings at your trade shows
• Use as a customer service tool

Some large corporations like GM, and Dell have embraced Twitter as another communication channel. Many news outlets, like The New York Times and CNN are twittering. Even our local public radio station, WITF, sends tweets.

So if your customers and prospects are using Twitter and other social media tools, then it is probably worth taking a closer look at these channels and evaluating their place in your marketing strategy.