Four out of the top five companies in the Fortune 500 consistently post to their Twitter accounts, and that’s not nearly all, according to a new study.

The study, which was conducted by the Society for New Communications Research, also revealed more than 35% of Fortune 500 companies had a Twitter account as of last year.

One of the study’s more interesting findings was that 22% of Fortune 500  companies also maintain a company blog that focuses on customers’ needs.

In addition:

• eight out of 10 of those companies had a direct link between the posts on their corporate blogs and their company’s Twitter feed, and
• nearly 75% of all companies plan on launching new social media initiatives in the next year, according to a Marketing Executives Networking Group survey.

If your company already has a Twitter account, or plans to register for one in the months ahead, here are some tips that’ll help make it work for boosting business:

• Don’t use your Twitter feed as a billboard. Instead, engage buyers by asking for feedback about products or services, and provide useful, actionable info.
• Use Twitter’s search tools to join as many industry groups as possible. Make sure the groups you join are easily found using the keywords your customers typically search for.
  
• Occasionally use Twitter to hold contests or offer small incentives. It’s an effective way to boost your following, and it gives customers a reason to monitor your feed on a regular basis.

Source: “Big Biz Embracing Twitter,” by Mark Dolliver, AdWeek, 2/25/10.

Tags: blog, Fortune 500, marketing executives, networking, social media, study, Twitter