Mark Royko + Associates

Lately I've been asked a lot about the value of adding Twitter feeds to small business websites. While the service offers amazing potential, keep in mind that as this is being written, the most followed Twitter feed in the world belongs to Ashton Kutcher. Does your business have anything in common with Ashton?

The answer to that question depends on the type of information you present, the demographics of your followers and your overall commitment to making it work. This extra effort—along with some signs suggesting that Twitter is nearing the end of its growth phase—is almost enough to recommend skipping the whole thing. But hold on: Like any other marketing program it's value is all in your hands...

First some numbers: There are reportedly 20 million casual users of Twitter today, and approximately 1 Billion Tweets served per month. Users like it because it's easy to use, doesn't take a big time commitment, and is ubiquitous with a huge range of cellphone applications available for almost any kind of phone. They also like it because it creates an instant community of people both following and sounding off on whatever the topic of the moment is, and it can provide a human face to an organization if your customers aren't that familiar with your company.

For a business trying to market itself, this is —on paper anyway— a dream come true. If you need to communicate time-sensitive information, you can "push" it to the computers and cellphones of those following your feed. Your customers can immediately see the information, and if they want, take part in the conversation.

How would this work in practice? Consider the possibilities of telling your Twitter followers that there's a sale running at your store: Using Twitter to announce the news, you'll be sending instant, time-sensitive marketing to your most committed customers. Likewise, if your site is focused on an interest group, Twitter is a natural: You can create an ongoing conversation with group members that can take place anywhere, with or without a computer. Is your group meeting canceled tonight? Tweet it, and your followers will know right away.

The key element tying all this together is time: The fresher the information, the more likely it will have value on Twitter.

But while Twitter appears attractive there are important downsides to consider before jumping on the bandwagon. First, is your audience—the people who visit your site, the people who you want to sell to—in tune enough with Twitter to use it on a regular basis? Before you get swept up in mind-boggling numbers of followers and tweets, ask yourself, "Do you use it?" (That means, literally, "you." Do YOU use it? If not, what makes you think your customers would?)

In an article in Crains Chicago Business, small business owner Nick Rizzi talked about his company's use of the service. (His business is tax preparation, and he uses Twitter to remind customers of deadlines, and announces contests during tax season.) But while his ideas about tweeting contests and updates are creative, he admitted that he only had about two dozen followers.

This lack of followers is not limited to small businesses. According to an article in Media Week Twitter: Is the End Near?, Twitter is potentially a "wasteland for brands". According to the article ,"Verizon, a company that spent more than $1 billion on advertising in 2009, has around 5,000 followers -- about 0.3 percent the amount that Perez Hilton has."

The obvious question: If you add Twitter to your site and only have a few followers, is it worth your time to even bother? Of course, anyone making money telling you about web marketing will tell you that Twittering is important. But is it more important than your other web marketing efforts?

Likewise, is the information you'll be sharing worth their time to follow in the first place? If your Tweets are about a sale one day and what you'll be making for dinner tonight, you run the risk of annoying your most loyal customers with what appears to be gimmicky, pointless conversations. According to the Media Week article: "I'm not a big fan of Twitter," says Joel Ewanick, group vp of marketing for Hyundai. He goes on: "[Twitter has] become the butt of a joke. You start seeing in popular culture people making fun of Twitter." That's definitely not the right side of any business to be on.

And then there's one final question: Do you have commitment to regularly update your Twitter feed with useful information? This brings up an aspect of web technology that's rarely considered when first thinking about cool new technologies to add to a site: The "empty room syndrome." In short, any area of your site that isn't updated frequently is like an empty room at a party -- Anyone who finds an empty room when expecting lively conversation is likely to walk out as quickly as possible.

The bottom line:

1) Is the information you're sharing time-sensitive?

2) What are your visitor's demographics? Do your customers use Twitter already? If not, it may be hard sell to get them to try it.

3) Do you have a coherent group of people interested in your product, service or social group?

4) Do you have the content (and commitment) to provide meaningful conversations?