By Chris Lee

Microblogging site Twitter now boasts more than 100 million users and while many accounts may remain dormant the site does enjoy a buoyant and active user base among the business community. While many consumer-focused retailers such as American Apparel and Starbucks use the channel to build up engagement, generate sales, run promotions and manage their reputations, many business-to-business organisations fail to view Twitter as a communications platform in the reseller channel.

This is the view of Bob Dearsley, chairman of PR firm IT PR. NMK questioned Dearsley on why he held this viewpoint and what his top tips were for business-to-business tweeting.

What are the key benefits for corporations using Twitter in the channel?

Twitter has been used highly effectively on the high street as a tactic for providing instant boosts for flagging sales. Retailers have been able to inform Twitter followers about exclusive deals available only to them upon presenting the tweet on their mobile phones in-store – a well-documented, successful approach for many brands.

In a similar fashion, there are arguments for using Twitter in the channel. The real-time and instant nature of the tweet reaching a third party channel sales force, combined with the ease of use and mobile access capabilities, makes Twitter a potential communication method for the channel to boost flagging sales figures. Offers, incentives, increased discounts and commissions can be offered on a short term basis for specific products to encourage a greater emphasis on sales from the partners.

As a real-time platform, is Twitter really that relevant in a sales environment with so much work done on the road?

Due to the mobile capabilities of Twitter, product managers can contact the front-line sales teams in situations of immediacy and urgency – such as the quarter or month end. Being able to readily communicate benefits and specialist offers via Twitter provides a far greater and less intrusive direct contact than email and allows them to send multiple tweets during the course of the day.

Twitter is also all the more important to an “on the road” sales force due to its accessibility and ease of use on mobile devices. In a world of instant Twitter dialogue and even mobile instant messenger, email is fast becoming a communication method that is for formal dialogue or for replying to when convenient, rather than immediately.

Any examples of good practice you could cite?

Twitter is currently not being used widely throughout the channel, despite its clear benefits.

As far as I am aware, there are several organisations with third party channel sales teams currently experimenting with Twitter in order to drive sales forwards.

What are your top tips for using Twitter in the reseller channel?

Never tweet without a link to your website, ideally a page specifically relating to the offer/content you are tweeting – your tweets should be considered as alerts to the availability of content elsewhere, rather than a medium to provide the detail in the first place.

Use the immediacy of the connection – Twitter is a real time communication tool and should be used as such, the nature of the tweet is to get a message across instantly and to update the audience on developments as they happen. E.g. “The next 10 software packages to be sold at full price will attract bonus commissions! See this link”, and then “Only 8 left!”, then “Only 2 left!” and so on.

To increase your Twitter following, publicise the availability of a valuable deal or offer that is only accessible via Twitter to tempt your partners to take the time to follow you. Then ensure that the recently captured attention is kept by maintaining Twitter dialogue with them.

Notwithstanding the above, don’t rely on Twitter alone for your ongoing communication with your partners. Not everyone is accessible in the same fashion so always back up a tweet with an email, ensuring that those who prefer email or actively dislike Twitter are not excluded or sidelined.