Twitter: It’s A One Stop Shop

I recently had lunch with some old friends. After a long period of “remember whens” we started talking about what we do at our jobs. I started listing some of the things I do on a daily basis; I update the company blog, check e-mails, research on Twitter,  and maintain Facebook pages for clients…

While I was listing, my friend Tim stopped me mid-sentence and asked, “what’s this whole ‘Twitter” thing about?”

As a Gen Y’er, we always want to stay connected. It’s who we are. Gen Y’ers grew up with the internet and cell phones attached to us. I know if I don’t have my cell phone, which has my entire life in it, I’m lost. I know if I don’t check my email and all the social networking sites I belong to, I am probably out of the loop with all my friends. And if I don’t check my Twitter account, I won’t know what is going on within the advertising community, around the world, or even locally.

So how was I going to explain Twitter to a guy who doesn’t really get the Social Networking frezny? “It’s like a Super Target®,” I explained. It’s like going to the grocery store and the mall at the same time; it’s a one-stop shop! When you sign onto Twitter you’re signing onto multiple sources of information, for example

• If I want to know what my friends are doing at work, Twitter tells me.

 

• If I want to know what’s going on across the globe, CNN Twitter will keep me up to speed.

 

• If I can’t remember what Ellen Degeneres is doing on her show that day, I can find it on Twitter.

 

• If I am a store owner and I want to let my followers know about an upcoming sale, I can Tweet about it.

 

• If I want to send President Obama a message about Bo, the new first dog, TWITTER LETS ME!

“Twitter is not so much about connecting with your friends, it’s about broadcasting information.” Stan Schroeder explained in an article on Mashable, The Social Networking Guide. It is the ultimate way to connect with companies, organizations and people, while filtering out tweets that are not relevant to you.

As PR, Advertising and Marketing, professionals we can use Twitter as an important tool in our every day work. PR practitioners are now using Twitter as a crisis mangament tool. Using Twitter during a crisis keeps readers updated in real time while using Twitpics to show live footage of a situation as it is happening. One example where we saw Twitter used during a crisis, was when Scott Monty of Ford Motor Company openly “tweeted” about a situation that developed when a Ford Fan Web site announced to the public that Ford was attacking their site. Through a series of Tweets, Monty kept followers of his Twitter account up-to-date. He even asked followers to “retweet” the messages that he posted so that he could reach more of the public. By keeping the Ford Followers on Twitter in touch with what was going on during the crisis, the Ford Motor Company was letting the public know that they care about the situation and want to find a solution to the problem.

 Ad agencies are also taking advantage of this fast moving technology by developing focus groups on Twitter. Tweeters can quickly let the public know their opinions of brands, products and services, and companies can quickly search them based on key words/phrases.  According to an Article on AdAge by Lee Mikles, “Twitter has been a great tool for us to monitor buzz about products or campaigns for our clients.”

 As I explained all of this to my friend, I told him that social networking sites are more than just keeping connected with friends and family. You can know what’s going on at the White House or even with Ashton Kutcher. It’s a one-stop-shop. It’s like when I go to Super Target®, I can get my groceries, household items and the lastest fashion trends all at the same place! For PR, Advertising and Marketing practitioners, social media give us the opportunity to quickly learn about our markets. We have the chance to stay connected with the public, keep up-to-date with current events, gain insight on industry trends and learn more about people’s likes and dislikes. We are being supplied with all the information we could ever ask for. We just need to make sure we use it.