Social media is revolutionizing the way businesses large and small communicate both internally and externally and how they market their services and build their brands.

While many businesses are trying to work out how to make money from Twitter and other social networks, computer maker Dell shows what they have done to validate Twitter as a credible business tool. Dell says to have earned 3 million USD through Twitter since 2007.

Dell uses coupons on Twitter:

@DellOutlet is among the top 100 most followed Twitter users according to TwitterCounter:

And the number of followers are still increasing:

Dell has extended its direct-selling model on Twitter to Dell Outlet online stores in other markets, notably the UK (@DellOutletUK) and Ireland (@DellOutletIE).

Can you use social networks to stell customers from the competior?

High-competition industries monitor Twitter for complaints about a particular company or service, and then engage with those unsatisfied customers to convince them – when they’re most vulnerable to such convincing – to switch over to the competition. After recently complaining about a hosting provider, a customer was contacted within minutes by two competing companies, one of whom offered the customer a discount code specifically for Twitter users who were unsatisfied with the company that the customer was currently using. If that’s not a wickedly clever use of  Twitter, I’m not sure what is.

Related posts:

1. Is social networks key to improved customer relations and product development
2. Sell products through social networks
3. Social media sites used to channel anger and frustration
4. How to sell on Twitter
5. How to get new customers over Twitter