Watching too much TV post Thanksgiving, I have noticed that a lot of mainstream companies like Sears are now telling people to follow them on Twitter, Facebook, etc, and I just think to myself “why?!?” For me, I tend to associate Twitter, and follow people / companies on Twitter, who may not have a voice otherwise.

I pay more attention to someone like Caleb who uses Twitter for his business than I would Sears. I saw a story on the news last night about a company that sells cupcakes from their truck here in NYC. They tweet where they are going to be throughout the day and their business is so successful because of it, they are trying to decide whether to get more trucks or open a physical location. I love hearing stories like this.

Personally, I would rather support a local 'Mom and Pop' company with roots in my community than support another chain like Sears, Walmart, Starbucks, etc. who just want my money. I think smaller companies benefit more from Twitter because there's less skepticism. It's a way to have a one degree of separation from your customers. The communication seems more authentic. With bigger companies like Sears on Twitter, my guard is way up.

Social Steve