Twitter – it’s like Marmite. It seems that you either love it or you hate it; or maybe more accurately you either use and benefit from it or you’re confused / uninterested / sceptical (perhaps all three.) I have certainly come across people from both camps, however the majority of recruitment professionals that I meet and talk to about Twitter give me that ‘look’ as if to say “I’m not convinced by your ‘Gen Y’ ways”. They just can’t see the value in using a tool made famous by Stephen Fry and Lily Allen in a viable way for business.  I was probably one of these sceptics, as recent as a year ago, because I didn’t really know what Twitter could do. But earlier this year I bit the bullet and started tweeting, and am seeing the real benefits unfold.

Now I realise that to an extent I am preaching to the converted here, as a lot of readers are fellow tweeters, but I thought I would share a few success stories that we’ve had – both for ourselves and for our clients – thanks to the power of Twitter.

• New clients: Through tweeting interesting and sector specific links, and re-tweeting other industry experts, we’ve had meetings with potential clients – an example being Greg Savage, who we met in the “Twittosphere” despite him being on the other side of the world!
• New candidates: Whilst looking through the followers of one client that we tweet for, we noticed a follower who had tweeted about struggling to find a job *alarm bells!* All it took was a friendly message suggesting they talk to the nearby office of the recruiter and voila, she’s now a candidate.
• New exposure: Through engaging with people on Twitter, we have secured high profile guest blogs for two clients in just two months. We’ve also gained new journalist contacts leading to a number of articles and press coverage. With over 600 followers between us, Tracey and I have also boosted our reputation in the industry even further.
• New contacts: OK so this doesn’t directly equate to new business but it could in the future. Twitter has been a great way to talk to journalists, recruiters and other people who provide useful information and who could be useful contacts in the future. And then there’s other people who probably won’t…but who are entertaining!

The truth is that no-one knows if Twitter is a one-minute wonder, or if it’s going to last the duration. But what is clear is that at the moment it’s huge and it shows no signs of going away. If you meet any Twitter-doubters, share this link with them and they may just change their mind! Do you have any Twitter success stories to add? Please share!