In this video interview social media expert Erik Bratt focuses on business uses for Twitter — and for each use offers examples of companies that are using Twitter effectively. He explains how Twitter can be used for customer service (Zappos), selling (Dell, Souplantation.com), and fundraising (12for12k.org).

Twitter’s search feature can also be used for a real-time glimpse at what people are talking about online to sample customer opinions. This makes it especially useful for prospecting, engaging people in conversation, and offering to help, such as to set up a demo.