Small Business Marketing Success Using Twitter
Direct Web Promotion Evolves to Social Media
Jul 23, 2009
Naked Pizza in New Orleans is a good example of Twitter success in a highly competitive industry. The small business devotes its marketing resources to tweet health-conscious information about its organic pizzas.
The result is thousands of followers on Twitter, an ongoing, ever-fresh marketing campaign and more than $1 million in annual sales. Almost all pizza companies sales are generated using Twitter as staff comment on the various fresh ingredients in the pizzas and generate buzz about special promotions and sales.
Marketing Campaign in Real-Time Using Twitter
Naked Pizza also uses outdoor media in the form of billboard advertising to advertise the company’s Twitter home and produces marketing materials with the firm’s Twitter account instead of its phone number. Its target market is those living within a three-mile radius of the restaurant.
This approach to direct marketing adds another tool for businesses who want to connect directly with customers and measure results to sales from those efforts. In the case of Naked Pizza, its predominant use of Twitter and cross-promotion using billboards, adds a new twist to traditional direct marketing.
Another example of small business success using Twitter is CoffeeGroundz Cafe in Houston, Texas. The Cafe uses Twitter for its customers to place drive-thru orders.
The Cafe offers free wireless in the restaurant and customers can order food and refreshments from the cafe’s seats using Twitter direct messages. Twitter acts as an ordering system and meals and drinks are delivered directly to customers.
Microblogging Platform Perfect Marketing Tool For Small and Large Businesses
The impact of Twitter on bottom-line sales is still largely being explored. However, some large companies are reporting that increases sales can be linked to the use of Twitter.
Computer giant Dell, for example, reports that sales alerts on Twitter results in about $2 million in sales.
Large businesses also used Twitter as a way of providing real-time customer service, deepening brand loyalty and engaging with media outlets.
For example, Hyatt runs HyattConcierge using Twitter as a real-time platform to provide customer service, giving guests directions and approximate costs for taxis, buses and trains to its hotels, nearby restaurants, information about luggage storage and any other service one would expect during a face-to-face encounter with a hotel concierge.
As a direct marketing and promotion tool, Twitter’s appeal is its ability to engage customers directly with companies. The simplicity of Twitter holds a huge attraction and opportunities for businesses to provide higher levels of customer service, generate greater brand loyalty and increase sales.
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