For those wondering, “How can I use twitter in my marketing?”, here are six strategies to consider.

1. Announce New Products or Services. A small 14-seat ice cream shop in San Francisco has 300,000 followers - more than Ben & Jerry’s or Dairy Queen. They announce an exciting new flavor. Customers show up!
2. Answer Customer Questions. With Twitter, followers can send direct questions to those they’re following - a virtual customer service desk. Who’s good at it? Whole Foods.
3. Listen to Customers. Hear what customers are saying about you - the good, the bad, and what they ‘re saying to others about you. You’ll be able to react more quickly to correct or continue what you’re doing.
4. Discover Sales Opportunities. If you’re listening (or eavesdropping), you might just hear someone looking for something you sell. (Avaya allegedly has software available to help you eavesdrop.) Case study:  a phone company  overheard a tweet that converted into a $250,000  sale.
5. Conduct a Quick (but unscientific) Survey. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a focus group (I beg to differ with the New York Times), but it can be a quick way to get some initial reactions. A word of caution: bad data is worse than no data.
6. Share Ideas. This is how I use it. Ideas are like oxygen for me - breathe in, breathe out. I love to hear a good idea and share it with others. Twitter provides an opportunity to share what I’m thinking and hopefully help others. This blog posting was announced as a tweet.

 Credit and thanks to Kermit Pattison of Small Business at the New York Times for the excellent article.