Who uses Twitter?  That is a question with a never-ending answer, but Jonathan Kash (@time2simplify) of Fluent Simplicity initially created the Twitter Brand Index to begin to answer this question.  The Twitter Brand Index has since been moved to its own website, the Social Brand Index.  The Social Brand Index organizes all of the brands under the following top-level categories:

• Business
• Education
• Entertainment
• Executives & Notable Individuals
• For Consumers
• Government & Politics
• Media
• Non-Profit Organizations
• Service Providers
• Social Properties
• Technology
• Travel

 And, as expected, each category is further delineated by sub-categories.  For example, the Technology category is further categorized into

• Business News
• Certifications
• Enterprise Organizations
• Game Developers
• Mobile Applications
• Online Service Providers
• Open Source
• Platforms
• SaaS
• Search
• Software
• Tech Support
• Telecom/VOIP

I can only imagine the amount of time and research that went into compiling all of this great information. One thing that this evolving directory conveys to me is variety and diversity of businesses that is trying new and interesting ways to engage consumers, and doing it in a public forum that can be studied and picked apart by anyone to gauge its effectiveness.

It is extremely interesting to see how companies like CNN, NPR, AT&T, Ford, NY Times, Southwest Airline, and MGM are using Twitter as a new outlet.

It never ceases to amaze me of the creative ways that Twitter is being used.  If you need some inspiration, Chris Brogan has put together a list of 50 ways to use Twitter.  Chris offers some good insight on getting you started using Twitter effectively for business.  He gives steps on getting started, ideas on what to Tweet about, useful tips and tools to use Twitter more effectively, and how to handle Twitter negatives and turn them into positives.

 Of all the companies that I have come across on Twitter, one company stands at the forefront in being the epitome of how to leverage this popular service.  That company is Zappos. The company uses Twitter to not only build customer relationships and give you a glimpse into the service-oriented culture, but also to foster relationships between employees within Zappos.

Zappos has integrated Twitter into their website and it is an integral part of company communication from the CEO, Tony Hsieh (@Zappos), on down the chain.  What is interesting is that the company also offers classes on how to use Twitter, and I think that is awesome.   

Want to find out what all 444 (as of 9/2/2008) employees using Twitter at Zappos is doing?  Just point your browser at http://twitter.zappos.com/employee_tweets to find out in real-time what is happening on their public Twitter time line.

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Twitter icon from AODdesign.com

The estimated United States population by the census for July 2007 was 301,139,947. The Wireless Association (ctia.org) reports that there were 255 million subscribers at the end of 2007. Now do the simple math…255 million is what percent of 301 million? The answer is 85% of the United States population has a mobile phone. Most of these people who own cell phones are between the ages of 18-34, with 85% of them being active users of text messaging. One interesting think about SMS is that 96% of all text messages are read. Text message marketing is currently a $1.2 billion industry that is expected to grow to a $24 Billion by 2012.

Ashley Furniture Boosts Sales Using SMS
Ashley Furniture used SMS and e-mail in July to inform customers about secret sales. Before a 12-hour private event, Ashley sent text messages and e-mails, allowing it to bring in $30,000 in sales during the one-day event.

To follow up after the 12-hour event, Ashley Furniture held a four-day secret sale. The morning the sale began, 6000 text messages and 28,700 emails were sent to customers. In the end, Ashley saw $138,460 in sales. What is interesting about the two modes of communication is that although the email channel was four times that of text messages, sales from the 6000 customers who received the text messages resulted in $85,438 in sales, or 61.7% of total sales.
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Armani Exchange
A|X Armani Exchange is using SMS to allow shoppers to enter a text-to-win promotion for an “A/X $1,000 Shopping Spree Sweepstakes.” Instructions on how to participate can be found on the retailer’s shopping bags. To enter, all the customer has to do is text the keyword AX to short code 276264 (ARMANI) for a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree. The catch is that you also agree to receive up to a few SMS marketing messages a month. Not bad at all.

8/27/2008 Update: I just received my first AX SMS that “Armani Exchange End of Summer Sales starts TODAY.  Take an additional 25% off already reduced merchandise! Does not apply to existing promotions.” 
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NFL Saints Use SMS
The NFL Saints are using SMS to interact with fans during the game. They ask fans for there favorite player and display the results in real-time. As an added incentive, participants also have the opportunity to win Saints vs. Packers tickets.
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American Idol SMS Volume
AT&T shared that text messaging volumes jumped up to 78 million during the 6th season of American Idol, up from 64.5 million sent the previous season.