Dear Dr. pROfIt: Why Doesn’t Twitter Work?

Finally, if Costco uses Twitter to try to have one-to-one relationships with consumers, they may not want that either. They might just want to walk out of Costco with a shopping cart full of low-priced commodities!

In other words, in order for Twitter, Facebook or any other social media platform to work for your business, you need to understand what it is that your customers want. If you sell apparel to 58-year-old women, they probably don’t want to have a relationship with your brand via Twitter. If you're an artist who sells music directly to your fans, Twitter may be an excellent sales channel. Always understand what your customers want, then decide whether social media is a way for you to extend the customer relationship.