#Twitter – Good or bad for business?

On 21 March 2006 the very first tweet was sent by the company’s co-founder Jack Dorsey. Nine years later and Twitter now has more than 284 million users worldwide, including over 15 million in the UK[1].

In that time Twitter has changed the way individuals and businesses communicate. It’s a quick and easy way for businesses to develop brand awareness, disseminate and market new ideas, inform followers of latest developments and deal with customers’ concerns[2]. Twitter has also become an effective way of building and developing relationships.

That said, Twitter does come with its own risks and hazards. Even in 140 characters it appears relatively easy to ‘put your tweet in it’ and upset a large number of people.  Celebrities, used to dealing with the stresses and strains of being in the spotlight, struggle to deal with the consequences of errant tweets.  Zayn Malik recently announced that he was leaving the One Direction Tour due to stress following the tweet of an awkward photograph of him with an unknown woman.

Twitter can be a powerful tool for businesses trying to connect with target audiences but it is not for everyone. Businesses and individuals should take time and care not to tweet in a split second something that could have serious and unintended consequences.

[1] The Guardian – Twitter is nine: looking back at a world before hashtags (21 March, 2015)

[2] The Guardian – #BeforeTwitterI … five ways the little blue bird has changed our lives (19 March, 2015)