Recent studies of Twitter user behavior have indicated that business owners who respond to tweets in a timely manner will see improvements in their customer loyalty over time. Many common Twitter conversations revolve around a negative experience with a company when the business owner answers and wants to make amends. The question is whether this is an effective use of the company's time.

According to current research from both Twitter and Applied Marketing Research, responding to complaints is a positive way to build better customer rapport and correct problems. When a customer receives a response to a complaint, they're up to 20 percent more likely to spend more on a product or service from the same business. They're also up to 44 percent more likely to recommend the business to their friends and family.

Brands and companies that have strong Twitter presences have high response rates and stay on top of what followers are saying about the business. Up to 69 percent of customers develop a more positive view of a business after a response to a complaint on Twitter. This trend applies across many different industries, so it's well worth it to develop a Twitter presence and not to shy away from negative tweets.

Twitter for Small Business