There are a handful of big players in the social networking world. Twitter appears to be one of the sites that continue to grow in popularity. In fact, according to research compiled by Brickfish, as of October 2013 there are 231.7 million active users on Twitter worldwide and 100 million of them log into Twitter daily. So what is Twitter and why is it still growing when many of the other social sites are facing challenges?

What Is Twitter?

Put simply, Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that lets you send and read “tweets.” Tweets are text messages limited to 140 characters. However, within the context of any tweet you can embed links which makes it a powerful marketing tool for anyone with a blog or a website. Being able to link to other URLs means you can share value and information. You can share links from your own site as well as promote your fellow business owners to build relationships with customers, prospects, and associates.

You can also make your tweets sharable by using the hashtag. The hashtag is the symbol # and it identifies the keywords for your tweet or post. Here are a few examples:

* What are your favorite St.Patrick’s Day traditions? LINK #stpatricksday #StPattys

* 10 tips to help you with your tax return LINK #taxreturn #taxtime #taxes

People can search for your keywords and be led to your Twitter profile where they may follow you and/or share your links with others.

The Power of the Masses

Twitter continues to grow in popularity for a number of reasons. The first is that it is incredibly easy to use. Messages take seconds to write, share, and read. We’re a rushed society with little time to peruse long content. If something can be said and shared in just a few characters, we’re thrilled.

So in addition to Twitter being easy to use, it’s also simple to share messages. One click of a “retweet” button and you’ve spread the wealth. That means, as a business owner, if you’re able to provide a tweet with value and benefit, it stands a good chance of being shared. Each time it is shared by someone, you’re reaching a larger audience. One tweet can quickly be viewed by thousands of people. The website traffic possibilities are astounding.

Finally, the folks over at Twitter are continually striving to add value to the site to make it more user friendly and to provide more features. Their partnership with Vine means that people can now easily make and share six-second videos on Twitter. It’s just one more way Twitter is providing value and allowing people around the world to communicate.

Business owners looking into marketing with social media may want to take a look at the benefits of embracing Twitter. It’s one site that is used by people of all ages and demographics. It continues to grow and provide value.

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