What’s Twitter and why should I pay attention?
is it marketing or social or what?
I’m not going to write about how mastering Twitter can increase your sales 200% or drive your web site traffic through the roof. Why not? you might counter. Well, like most things, there’s a right way to go about it and a wrong way. Though a relatively new phenomenon (2007), there have been articles (and even books!) written about “how to” Twitter.
And there are a few really good reasons why any business or nonprofit should look into how they might benefit by using Twitter. But first, what is it?
Twitter has been called a microblog (because each “tweet” or message can’t go longer than 140 characters) and a free-for-all IM (instant messaging) service. One signs up for a free account online, and you get a page (which you can customize) and which displays — not your own messages, interestingly enough, but the messages of those folks you “follow” (subscribe to). And others can choose to “follow” (subscribe to) you and your posts. It’s very transparent.
So what does this have to do with you?
Twitter was originally used as a way for friends or family to keep up with each other. Key words: light and social. But it was a great concept that kept evolving, and now it’s useful on several levels (including the original one). It’s a free-flowing meeting place, an immense “water cooler” where people that wouldn’t or couldn’t brush shoulders can exchange ideas, vent, share.
People have gotten jobs via Twitter. Independents have picked up new projects via Twitter connections. I’ve found it a tremendous source of industry news. Businesses and organizations (nonprofits, news, media) use it as another way to spread the word.
I could go on for pages, but much of this has already been said, so my advice is:
(1) Sign up for a Twitter account.
(2) Read the “good posts” section below.
(3) Jump in. Listen more than you post, to start. Get the lay of the land.
(4) Find some interesting people, follow them, and see who they are following.
(5) Learn. Communicate. Share. Create relationships.
Read item #5 again. See the tone? Remember when I said that I wasn’t going to tell you how to manipulate Twitter to jack up sales and site visitors? That’s because that strategy is doomed to fail. Twitter is the ultimate “opt in”. You can’t make people follow you — so you need to provide value. Heavy boots and blasting out noise will pique no one’s interest.
So try it out. See you there.
