Is Twitter Really Just An Engagement Tool?

COMMUNICATIONS CONVERSATIONS — In case you didn’t notice, mega-retailer Target officially joined the Twitter ranks a couple weeks back. Their initial tweet: "Hello, Twitterverse! Target here. We’ve got news and deals to share, and we’re looking forward to hearing from you." While that tweet does hint at listening to customers and interacting with them, some were a little skeptical the retail giant would actually engage. Since then, however, they have backed up that initial claim (check out their stream–you’ll see a number of replies sprinkled in). However, make no bones about it, they’re hear to sell. Many tweets are promoting sales–both offline and online. This situation brings to light a larger question that’s been nagging at me lately: Is using Twitter to sell directly to customers the best use of the tool?...