Twitter is a social media site that allows you to broadcast up to 140 characters of text to a waiting audience.

Plenty of businesses are crediting the immediate nature of Twitter with their business success, but you don’t hear much about the people who tried it and found it was not a fit. Before you sink serious time and effort into Twitter, consider whether it is going to be useful or useless for your business.

Are Your Customers There?
Think about the demographics of your potential customers. A business needs to target its advertising campaigns, and Twitter is no different. About 13 percent of people who use the Internet regularly use Twitter, but who are they, and are they people who would be interested in your services? More women than men use twitter, and the most common age range of Twitter users are forty-five years old or older, with the next most common age range being between thirty-five and forty-five years old. Fifty-nine percent of Twitter users have at least some college education (source: Mashable). Looking at these figures, consider whether enough Twitter users would be interested in your business.

Can You Post Valuable Content?
What you could you post on Twitter that would catch the eye? Some people make it sound like you can get a Twitter account and start shouting to a large and ready audience, but the truth is more complicated. The key to making Twitter work for you is the key to making any social media network work for you; you need to provide your audience with value. Does your website have interesting articles or blogs that you can link to? Do you have interesting takes on the world at large? Can you offer exclusive deals to your followers?

Do you have the time to keep up your Twitter account if you get one? It is very easy to start off making a dozen posts a day and then drop off dramatically. Consistency is key, and if you cannot make Twitter posts on a regular basis, you should probably not start at all. Far too many businesses started Twitter accounts that soon peter off when they don’t start seeing immediate returns.

Are You Willing To be Social?
Twitter allows you to see who has commented on your post and to respond to them. This back and forth exchange is an essential part of making Twitter work for you. If you cannot respond to the people who have mentioned you or asked you a question, you will not grow an engaged following on Twitter. It’s a social medium after all.

When you want to get the attention of the people who need your services, consider how social networking can help you. Twitter is a great tool for the right person and right business. But before you jump in consider whether it is right for you and your business.

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If you think Twitter may fit for your business but are concerned about your ability to consistently publish quality content, you may want to take a look at Wainscot’s social media marketing program.