I also think there are a lot of benefits to using Facebook, but the main issue I come up against is persuading people that Facebook isn't just for personal lives, but can be used for business too.
They both have their advantages for information sharing. Twitter is very good to share information with a large number of people, especially if it is re-tweeted by many people.
Last edited by Stuartchap; 04-07-2010 at 04:01 PM..
For real time search results, Twitter is so powerful. For example, if I click on a trending topic I can usually find out information very quickly.
Twitter can be used to share a link to information on other sites e.g. blogs. Also, remember that Twitter is powerful for sharing photos via tools such as Twitpic. Customers love something visual as its a change from all the text that comes on their Twitter feed.
Also, to refer back to the point of information sharing, Twitter is useful for this via the retweet facility which is also now embedded on blogs/videos/reports etc.
I see Twitter better for connecting with people. I always ingore people who advertise and spam on Twitter but when someone sends me personal message and I think it's relevant (even if it's first contact), then I connect with them.
Twitter can be useful for building your brand and the personality behind it. It should be used to engage with your target audience and not to sell to them - the sale will come later when your follower realises they need a service like the one you offer. Then, you will be at the forefront of their mind and they'll be more likely to choose you.
Big fan of Twitter as a recent convert, in terms of engaging it's a great tool.
Facebook, I'm starting to wonder how that's all going to pan out. I've been asked to 'like' so many different companies, groups etc recently requested by people I know who want to promote them - surely this is eventually going to dilute the effectiveness - or offend people by 'not liking' their particular page?
We have customers who use both but they are generally b2c businesses. I think consumers use facebook alot so for a b2c business it works well as people already in facebook can easily follow links but i dont think it works as well for b2b. I think twitter works well for both business types to keep up to date quickly without getting bogged down as other people have said, with friend requests, fan requests etc. I do think the best place for site content is on your site with maybe notifications of updates via twitter or facebook. Ive noticed many tv ads are jumping on the facebook bandwagon whereas news programs seem to go for twitter.
For information sharing Twitter is better. All in all, I consider Twitter to be more buissness-oriented, while Facebook is more oriented on people as it contains much personal information.
I don't look at twitter very often as I find it full of nonsense quotes and references - and the new website is c##p. Perhaps it is the people I am attached to but I prefer a more personal, direct approach and connection with people which facebook and linkedin seem to give.
But none of them replace the little black gadget on my desk - what is it called now.... oh yes - the telephone.
I have found that calling people and just having a chat gives rise to more work opportunities and referrals than any of the "social" networking sites.
But then - I am a dinosaur
_____________
Ray Stewart
"Got an accounting or tax question? I'll answer it personally for you here: Ask Me A Question"
Free of charge and no obligation
But none of them replace the little black gadget on my desk - what is it called now.... oh yes - the telephone.
Interesting - I wish I had the bottle to do some cold calling. I know what i'm like when someone calls me and I really don't fancy being cut off all the time. If a company wants something - they will look around for it. Can I speak to the person responsible for..." (at that point i'm ready to say goodbye)
_
