Who isn’t on Twitter these days? I am. You probably are. And small businesses are certainly staking out their claim to the mico-blogging service.
I recently talked with Daniel Sterling, co-owner of Frost Doughnuts at the Mill Creek Town Center, about his use of social media. Daniel sends out regular updates on Twitter (@Frostology) and Facebook. He finds it’s a pretty effective way to connect with customers.
“Social networking is huge,” Sterling told me, pulling out his iPhone and showing me the brown and pink Frost logo adhered to the back.
He was updating Frost fans about the doughnut shop long before it opened last month, sending tweets such as this one: “Construction is coming along and we’ll be painting this week! Stay tuned…”
And here’s a little tip from me to you: Want discounted doughnuts? Follow @Frostology. Sterling uses Twitter to offer promotional deals — and to gauge reaction to new doughnut concepts.
“You could almost say we’re crowd sourcing some of our flavors,” he told me.
He’s one of a growing number of small business owners using Twitter to interact with customers.
I spent a few minutes trolling through my own Twitter followers and found a number of local small businesses. For instance, @urbancitycoffee is Urban City Coffee, a roaster in Mountlake Terrace. And @SignsNowBothell is Signs Now, a sign shop near Mill Creek.
The jury is still out on just how much networking with customers and clients online can help business, but some business owners say it helps put a personal face to their company.
“We think of these social media tools as being in the realm of the sophisticated, multi-platform marketers like Coca-Cola and McDonald’s, but a lot of these super-small businesses are gravitating toward them because they are accessible, free and very simple,” Internet analyst Greg Sterling told the New York Times earlier this summer.
Are you a business owner on Twitter? Tell us how it works for you.
Amy Rolph is on Twitter as @TheStorefront. The Daily Herald is on Twitter as @everettherald.
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