Twitter isn’t just for hyping products and sales offers. Companies can gain an edge by using microblogging as a means to educate customers about services and troubleshooting.

Here are some ways to both educate and inspire when tweeting.Twitter Bird with How Can I Help You Quote

  • Address pre-order questions by linking to defined policies. This requires you have easy-to-understand instructions on how to order, how shipping is configured and how customers may (or may not) return items.
  • Link to support documents and FAQs. Unless it’s very apparent the user wants you to walk-tweet him through something, the first step should always be a directive. Just be sure to respond to additional requests and follow-ups.
  • Use Hashtags when using common and trending terms. They’re clickable, and will load a list of tweets which also use the hashtag, allowing people to quickly decipher what it means/who it is, without having to leave Twitter.

On Sept. 9th some guy named Tom Brady got in a car accident. The hashtag used was #TomBrady. I clicked it and quickly learned he’s the quarterback for the New England Patriots. (Hey, I don’t follow football and it’s hard enough remembering all the Nascar drivers’ names!)

  • Post quick tips and link to how-to articles. Many consumers aren’t even aware of supporting content, so by being the messenger you can better forge a true relationship.
  • When providing details, always link directly to what the customer needs. Don’t leave consumers hunting around web sites or pages. This may require some re-organization of web pages, but it will definitely lessen frustration.

By providing clear and concise responses, you make everyone’s life easier, including your own. Visualize Twitter as a support tool and you are one step closer to saving money (and headaches), while building loyal relationships.

Twitter may be a microblogging vehicle limited to 140 characters, but you can still utilize it to provide a wealth of important and necessary information to your existing – and potential – customers.