How four businesses used Twitter for serious sales success

Without the help of big marketing budgets, many small businesses have hit it big thanks to exposure through Twitter. Looking at their stories, you can glean some valuable lessons on integrating Twitter into your business. As Twitter, on the surface, probably seems quite frivolous to you, we figured some real life success stories would help make its marketing potential clear and inspire you to find your own Twitter uses.

Here are four Twitter strategies companies are using to overcome the challenges of connecting with customers in a digital world where traditional methods just don’t cut it anymore.

Neenah Paper meets their customers where they hang out
The paper industry is about as traditional as it gets, and until recently Neenah Paper was no exception. But when they noticed traditional means of scoring new sales (phone calls and in person meetings) were steadily becoming more ineffective, they took a look at where their potential buyers were. It turned out the graphic designers and printers of the world were spending an ever increasing amount of time cruising social media sites. When Neenah Paper’s sales force started testing out Twitter as a way to engage new prospects, they found a much more receptive audience. They now have a sales team of dedicated tweeters scoring new sales left and right.

Zappos’ employees open themselves up en masse
Zappos is the consummate example of social media done right. With almost no marketing budget, Zappos now brings in about $1 billion a year. They’ve risen to that from the $1.6 million they made in 2000 largely by marketing through social media and Twitter. CEO Tony Hsieh leads by example, having tweeted his way to over 1.7 million followers. He encourages all his employees to get as involved as he is. 200 of them have jumped on board. They excel at using Twitter to provide customer service and making themselves accessible. As a result, they now have an army of loyal fans. 

CoffeeGroundz Cafe saves time for their customers
This small coffee shop in Houston was the first to realize Twitter’s potential for placing take out orders. Customers loved the idea of having their coffee ready for them when they walked in the door. By using Twitter to solve one of their customers’ biggest problems – the need to save time – they doubled their clientele and created a sense of community. They also use Twitter to organize tweetups at their shop, each one of which brings in about 200 paying customers.

Kogi crowdsources their creative work
When the people behind LA’s Kogi Korean BBQ Taco Trucks realized their predominantly youthful target was on Twitter, they dove in after them. And what a splash they made. More than 72,000 followers now receive updates of where the trucks are parked, what the waiting times are and when they’re leaving. They also engage their fans by letting them name their trucks and design the company t-shirts. The locals responded to the call and now turn out in droves to scarf some mobile tacos every day. Their success even inspired Newsweek to dub them “America’s first viral restaurant.” 

As these stories demonstrate, Twitter can be a powerful tool to help solve your customers’ problems. And if you manage to do that, they’ll love you for it. Heard about any other success stories?

Jason Ross is a copywriter for The Duffy Agency. He loves working on both traditional and social media projects and speculating on the future of the ad industry.

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