It’s fun to debate, isn’t it? You simply can’t deny it, Twitter is a social media phenomenon. You hear talk on the news of how celebrities and talk shows alike use Twitter, and how people are tweeting from the floor of the House, or how co-workers are sharing their work within their organizations and abroad. You even read stories in reputable newspapers that Twitter should be a part of your marketing sphere of influence. So, what’s the holdup? Is it pure stubbornness, or are people just not educated on the use and value of Twitter?
Branding: Whether you know it or not, you are marketing yourself (a.k.a. your “brand”) through your obsessive need to tweet. 140 characters may not seem like a lot… but, the effectiveness! If you think about it, what a cool concept. It’s no secret, we are all busy people. We don’t have time to sift through ‘buy me’ newsletters, or sell-sell-sell promotional materials anymore. The competition has ramped up, the economy is in the dumps right now, and our job as marketers to find innovative and ‘sticky’ ways to convince people that our services are the best has changed. 140 characters can be pretty powerful stuff…if you know how to use it.
As I was driving into work today, I overheard on FLY 92.3 (Albany, NY) the crew talking (debating) about Twitter. I couldn’t sit still. I wanted to call in, but knew (with my luck) that I’d get flagged by the boys in blue. So, I tore into the parking lot, ran upstairs with a Dunkin in hand, turned on my computer and quickly put together an email and sent it to the the Fly Morning Crew, via Twitter. Some of my points:
- Twitter encourages constant linking out: to other sites, your site, etc.
- Builds brand awareness and allows the ability to monitor your brand. The service makes it easy for you to monitor what others are saying about you. Either use the direct search site, or type it right into the search box on your profile
- Stream of consciousness – Facebook has now morphed into the same look and feel as Twitter (regarding status updates).
- You can now see real time tweets in Google search results (if you have the scripted installed).
I didn’t expect much, if anything, from this email. I just wanted to put my two cents in as to why Twitter can help you, a business, or the average Joe. To my surprise, I got a phone call from Brian Cody, from the Fly Morning Crew, thanking me for taking the time to write an email and for connecting. In our conversation, I got to say a little bit about what our Internet Marketing firm does, what I do as a Search Marketer, and of course a little more about Twitter and all the hype.
10 minutes. That’s all it took for me to be able to educate someone on how to use Twitter, promote my industry, promote my place of work AND make a connection.
If you have 10 minutes, then why again aren’t you utilizing Twitter?
