Microblogging giant, Twitter, announced major changes yesterday in an attempt to simplify its design and make it easier for businesses and brands to connect with their customers. Until now, Twitter did not have a feature or page specifically for brands, unlike Facebook and Google +. According to eweek.com, several new tabs will allow businesses to:
• “offer visual details of products and special offers and to spread viral marketing campaigns”
• “see who has followed or mentioned the company, or who retweeted or favorited one of the tweets, giving businesses insight into potentially untapped customers or enabling them to respond to compliments (or criticisms)”
• “tap into a stream of information that can be customized just for a business based on current location, what you follow and what’s happening in the world”
• “help send business messages out into the world, and link to videos and news stories and more directly in tweets”
It has also updated Twitter profiles allowing businesses to put their interests front and center, personally message their customers with new direct messaging capabilities and add a gallery of product images or marketing videos the company has recently shared to their profile. It will be interesting to see which brands will adapt to these changes and use these new features to their fullest potential.