If you pay close attention to TV and radio ads these days, many companies, both large and small, are promoting their Twitter and Facebook accounts just as much as their websites. In some cases, more than their websites.

One of the major reasons that businesses are using Twitter as a marketing tool is because it has the potential to reach so many people. And unlike a less targeted, traditional commercial that speaks to a massive audience, your Twitter messages will reach a group of people (your followers) who actually want to see your message.

Changes in consumer buying patterns have brought about changes in the marketplace, which naturally has led to changes in how businesses market to their potential and current customer base. Interruption-based marketing techniques such as commercials and mailers are losing steam as consumers are finding new ways to avoid them. The rise of DVRs and TiVos give people the opportunity to skip over a commercial, meaning the money invested in producing the 30-second spot, as well as the air-time, is missed by a large amount of the audience it's intended for.

With Twitter, you can interact with your customers, provide them with relevant content about your products, announce happenings and advancements within your company, and alert them of any deals, discounts, or new product launches. And, since your followers are following you for a reason, you can be assured your messages are being well-received by an audience who wants the information.

Here are four (and a half) reasons why using Twitter as a marketing tool can greatly benefit your company:

1) Reach - As I mentioned before, you have the potential to build a large and targeted following through Twitter because so many people use this free service…to the tune of over 20 million people.

2) Value - Twitter provides a great opportunity to share valuable, remarkable content with your audience. By doing this, you build a reputation as a trusted source of information that isn't just concerned with selling. Your audience will recognize this and be more prone to buy from you because you've established trust through being a credible resource.

3) Timeliness - If you launch a new product, create a press release, blog post, or new web page, you can send out a quick tweet to your followers directing them towards the new content. Or, if you come across information that relates to your niche, you can tweet that, too. And, it's in real-time. It reaches your audience immediately and they can link to it when they're ready to consume it.

4) Personality - Twitter is a great place to build your brand and inject personality into your marketing. Social media is about being social. Therefore, use Twitter to brand your company as not only an authority, but a fun and personable entity that customers, clients, and other people in your niche enjoy interacting with.

5) Simplicity - Using Twitter is very easy. However, there are countless amounts of people and companies who misuse the service. A general rule of thumb to keep in mind is that no one likes a "spam-bot." If you spend your day doing nothing but spamming out links to your business instead of providing valuable content, you'll quickly build a reputation as a spammer. This will lead to lost credibility, a horrible reputation, and worse, Twitter blacklisting you from their service.

So…keep it simple, but don't misuse and spam all day.

Twitter, Facebook, and other social media has caught the eye of many companies because it provides an opportunity to interact with customers and supply them with instant information. If used effectively, your message can reach a large audience who is ready and willing to receive it. You can learn more about effectively using social media in your business by checking out my blog.

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About the Author:
Jason Cercone is the Co-Founder of LinXone Solutions, an Inbound Marketing, SEO, and Social Media Management agency based in Pittsburgh, PA. Get more from Jason via Twitter
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