Why Should I Care About Twitter and Social Media?

We’ve had more and more discussions with clients and prospects lately about social media including Facebook and Twitter.  Facebook is an easy discussion for anyone who understands networking with friends and associates. Twitter is more difficult for a lot of people to get their arms around.  We can break down Facebook later, but I really want to address a couple of compelling aspects of Twitter.

What is Twitter?

First of all, what is Twitter?  It’s a social media site where people can meet, learn and network. Perry Belcher, social media expert, refers to it, and other social media sites as a party and I think it’s an excellent analogy.

Twitter as a Soapbox

I actually really like the way news reporters and publications are using Twitter right now.  Many are essentially using it as a way to promote or tease what’s coming up in the news later in the day or on their site.  Living in Minnesota, Minnpost.com does a great job of tweeting news highlights.  If you’re on Twitter and following them, you get the headlines when they post them.  It’s an RSS news feed and a really effective way to get people to go to their site.

Twitter can also be used as a way to direct people to interesting content on the web.  Perhaps it’s content on your site, maybe it’s content on another site that you like.  But Twitter can act as an aggregator of cool or interesting content.  For example, I follow Perry Belcher and David Meerman Scott on Twitter because they’re experts in an industry of which I’m interested.  If they like something they’ve read and are sharing it, I figure I’ll probably like it as well so I read it.

Finally, if you have an opinion you’d like to share, you can do it on Twitter.  Look at the last presidential election and both candidates used Twitter as a way to speak their truth and encourage others to align with their respective party.

Twitter as a way to meet cool people

I recently responded to a blog posting on this use.  A blogger was commenting on how PR people are killing Twitter.  His contention is that Twitter’s original purpose was to provide a place to meet people and develop relationships online.  I believe he was saying that Twitter was another way to “chat” with people online through instant messages.  Think AOL IM’s.

In reflecting on Perry Belcher’s message about social media being “one big party,” and this blogger’s perspective of meeting people through Twitter, I thought, “this guy’s right on.”  Though I disagree that PR people are “killing Twitter” we certainly have impacted the way it’s used.

So why should I care about Twitter?

So, why should you care?  Twitter is another way to meet people and to network whether for friendship or for business.  There are hundreds of thousands of really cool and interesting people on Twitter.  People that may or may not directly effect your life or business.  Is it a waste of time?  It could be, just as going to networking groups, chamber events, cocktail parties and galas can be a waste of time as well.  Ultimately you get out of it what you put into it.  If you go to a chamber event with the intent of merely passing out as many cards as possible, you’ll probably find it to be a waste of time.  On the other hand, if you go with the intent of meeting people and trying to develop relationships and friendships with people, you’ll probably reap the benefits at some later date.  This is not news for adept networkers, yet this is exactly how Twitter and social media works.

Like any other form of marketing and sales processes, managing social media takes time.  It takes time to make friends and to develop relationships whether online or in person.  However, if you’re serious about growing your business, about reaching a younger demographic and about moving your business forward in this accelerated age of information I suggest you experiment and explore social media aggressively.

Ed Heil is the owner and president of StoryTeller Media & Communications an inbound marketing and public relations agency and video production company based in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Ed blogs on topics related to inbound marketing, social media, media relations, news media, video production and crisis communications.

Tags: Facebook, Twitter as a soapbox, Twitter to meet cool people, why should I care about Twitter

No comments yet.

Leave a comment