I have mixed feelings about Twitter. I know its the hottest, latest, greatest rage in social media. Personally, I don't use my account, as I feel like a good ol' fashioned blog (that sounds weird) is the best method of broadcasting my thoughts about this crazy ever-changing industry.
As a professional communicator, I think Twitter can be an incredibly effective PR tool as it allows individuals and companies to broadcast updates to the adoring masses on a regular basis. The mainstream media are no longer gatekeepers, no we can relate directly to the actual public. And that's what scares the hell out of me.
There are some that feel that Twitter is the savior of PR. As newspapers fail, magazines slowly tank and TV becomes more fractioned, this is a direct channel into the mind of the consumer. I agree on some levels. The technology can be incredibly effective in the right hands, but it's not for everyone. I have one client in particular that uses Twitter to keep people updated on race results live from the track, broadcast pictures from cool events, and generally share a random assortment of fun little mini-stories. People like it, and respond well to the updates. I have other clients that have no business using Twitter. Screaming into the void accomplishes nothing if nobody is listening.
Here's my quick checklist to determine whether or not your company should Tweet:
5. Do you have a dedicated in-house marketing maven that can tweet daily?
4. Does that person write clean, compelling emails that leave you wanting more?
3. Do they have a sense of humor?
2. Is your company progressive enough that its day-to-day operations are interesting to the general public or people within your industry?
1. Do you have a social media platform that will support and take advantage of increased branding/traffic from a Twitter campaign?
If you answered no to any of these questions, you should seriously consider building a solid social media foundation before jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment