Rockland County Businesses Put the Twitter Bluebird to Work (Part 1 of 2)
In this blogpost (Part 1 of 2), Stephanie (aka @RocklandBizBuzz) takes a look at how some Rockland County businesses are utilizing Twitter today.*
If you’re a business owner tweeting in Rockland County, you’re not alone! After noticing an increase recently in the number of @RocklandBizBuzz followers on Twitter who represent and/or are affiliated with Rockland County businesses, I decided to seek out more information directly from some business leaders themselves to find out how they’re using Twitter today, and if, how, and why they see value and possibility in this real-time short messaging service. The business owners/leaders I spoke and emailed with, knowing I had a set deadline, were kind enough to indulge me by responding to most of my questions in just about 'tweet-length' answers of around 140 characters, which gives me yet ANOTHER reason to love Rocklanders!
So what do Rockland business owners see in Twitter? Here's what they had to say:
Stephen Beckerle of the family-owned Beckerle Lumber with locations in Spring Valley, Congers, Orangeburg, and Haverstraw can be found on Twitter using the handle @BeckerleLumber. He is using Twitter to help get the message out that Beckerle Lumber is more than just lumber, in that his business also helps address home improvement needs such as windows, doors, kitchens, paint, and hardware. He sees value in tweeting because it is "instantaneous and free to access via cellphone or computer." With a keen business eye on the future, he envisions the possibilities of Twitter being used in a manner that is "like IMing (instant messaging) our customers".
Arleen Goldenberg (aka @SuzySaidRckland), principal of www.SuzySaid.com/Rockland says she has already seen her website traffic increase due to Twitter. It becomes clear from the business description she provided-"The County's website for women/moms dedicated to the best of everything local - things to do, restaurants and more"- why this communication tool would be very important for her business and why driving additional traffic to the website would be desirable. She explains, "in the short time we have been using Twitter, it has raised awareness of SuzySaid as a resource for local residents and increased our website traffic. Twitter allows you to meet business contacts and exchange information with them in a real-time format (and) is a way to reach new people, spread the word about the site and gather insight from County residents to share with our readers."
Brandy Seltzer (aka @TLGRockland), owner of The Little Gym of Rockland County, a motor skill development/gymnastics center in Spring Valley, also is enthusiastic about tweeting. She says Twitter is a "fun and useful" communication tool to stay in touch with the families of the children who visit her gym. Ms. Seltzer explains, "I feel that Twitter has allowed my business to reach more families and to have a constant communication with the families that come to the gym. We also use it to send out discounts and announcements." She not only likes the immediacy of tweeting, but also appreciates the "buzz" factor: "They (families) can respond to tweets that have been posted and create a buzz immediately for us."
For one Rockland County music entrepreneur, the sound of each business tweet is sweet music! Arnaldo T Cepeda, CEO of Almighty Music Enterprises LLC in Spring Valley, who describes his business as "A Music and Media Enterprise with divisions in Music Production, Publishing, Artist Development and Management, along with Marketing and Recording Services", tweets under the handle @AlmightyMusic. He explains,"Twitter has helped my business by exposing my services and generating client leads. For my business, Twitter is a new and effective way to market my services and music. It serves as a digital quick response platform to network and relate with new clients, fan, and colleagues." When asked if tweeting has different advantages than using other social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook, MySpace, etc., Mr. Cepeda sees a critical difference. "The difference with Twitter versus all other social networking is that it is more personable. Most artists in my industry have PR and marketing firms that run their MySpace and Facebook pages; with Twitter it's an instant response and so easy to manage that people do it themselves. Twitter has become the new technology handshake in a sense that a Retweet (RT) has become a dignified way to relate and connect with people."
Rockland County birdwatchers take note. You may be seeing and hearing that Twitter bluebird more often around town, tweeting in 140 characters or less from your neighborhood store or perhaps your favorite local website. Whether it's because Rockland businesses perceive that Twitter offers immediacy, value, a sense of on-line intimacy, facilitated business networking, or a newfound ability to find, connect, and stay in touch more readily with customers, some of our Rockland businesses are making fast friends with the Twitter bluebird.
Comments/Questions/Feedback? Feel free to comment below, or via Twitter/Facebook/email:
Twitter: @RocklandBizBuzz /Facebook: Rockland BizBuzz/ Email: RocklandBizBuzz@gmail.com
(Stephanie's note: *This is blogpost Part 1 of 2 of "Rockland County Businesses Put the Twitter Bluebird to Work". Part 2 to appear later this week on this blog, with additional perspectives and interview responses).
