Where are you?  I would hope that as a result of reading this blog so far, you are at least at #3.

If you are part of a company leaning towards adopting Twitter into a communication strategy (maybe stage #2 or #3), this post is valuable for you.  Twitter presents many benefits to a company, some of which are outlined here.

• Social media collaboration. Twitter can improve or work hand-in-hand with other social media.  Some stakeholders may be following you on Twitter that are not reading your blogs, or visa versa.  Once they become interested in one tool, they may very well read other blogs your company may have. Having various social media tools reinforces your brand and broadens your audience. Moreover, you can post ideas or questions on Twitter and get quick feedback, which can be expanded in to a blog posting or a podcast.  PRBlogger, Darren Rowse, does just this.  He posts questions on his Twitter, gets ideas, and then blogs about them.  Similarly, Southwest Airlines often mentions their blog during tweets, or points customers to different parts of their Web site for assistance.  Just like all of the components of an advertising campaign, social media should work together.
• Networking, networking, networking.  Every new follower means dozens more people that are linked to you.  An opportunity can easily be missed if your company is not known.  As long as Twitter posts are appropriate, the worst that can happen from a new form of exposure is that you are ignored.  Just imagine all of these people hearing about your company on a daily basis…
   
• Real feedback from real people.  Twitter allows a company to connect directly with their customers, investors, employees, etc.  In other words, the people who matter and will make a difference to the company.  It is hard to rely on focus groups, statistics, and sales reports.  Through direct communication with people who care, a company can get information that is meaningful.

Are you at stage 5 yet?