Twitter co-founder Biz Stone on how the next wave of social networks will change your business.
Three years ago, Twitter was barely known outside the geeky confines of San Francisco. Today, it's a marketer's dream: a free service with an audience of nearly 125 million people, who use it to keep tabs on friends, celebrities — and their favorite companies. Co-founder Biz Stone explains what's happening, where it's headed, and how entrepreneurs can take advantage. He recently spoke with Inc. senior writer Max Chafkin.
Which approaches to social media work especially well?
There are straightforward uses. A New York City bakery uses Twitter to tell customers when the cookies are coming out of the oven, and Dell uses it to tell people about deals on refurbished computers. And then there are companies that are blending together marketing and customer support and using it to build their brands. I once sent a tweet that said, "I'm getting on a JetBlue flight," and I got a reply from JetBlue's Twitter account that said, "You should try the smoked almonds." That's customer service, but, because our conversation happened in public, it's also branding.