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Twitter for marketing and Public Relations (PR)

Marketing, Public Relations, twitterEdward Kiledjian

When I first discovered Twitter, I thought it was the stupidest thing in the world. After all, how can you effectively communicate in 140 characters. Would it be worthwhile to follow others? I just did not understand it. Then after playing with it for a while, I finally understood it s value and power. It has started revolutions and has helped companies build direct relationships with their customers.

Twitter uses related to Marketing and Public Relations (PR)

Executive proof I have worked with dozens of large multinational companies whose CEOs started blogs [to communicate directly with their customers and employees] but gave up after a handful of posts. Some gave up because they were old school and did not understand the usefulness. Most gave up because they simply didn t have the time to write a new essay every couple of weeks.Twitter is great because it forces you to stay on-topic with 140 characters or less. Even the busiest CEO can find time to create a short message. Also the technology is familiar to anyone who has used SMS. So no technology shock.


Keep in touch with influencers This is a great way to connect with influencers in your area of expertise. You will get an inside edge into what they are thinking about and more often than not, they will follow-back which gives you an entirely new way to interact with these highly prized individuals.


Listen to your customers Anytime I think of social media well used, I think of a company called Scottevest and its CEO Scott Jordan. Scott uses twitter to share all kinds of company information with the world (from daily specials to offices they visited for a recent relocation). He makes every customer [that follows him] feel like part of the company . He also uses social media to ask for new product ideas and to get direct (and cheap) customer feedback for new ideas. You can follow him : @Scottevest

Monitor your company or competitors Twitter is a great way to get a feel for the social mood about your company, a competitor or supplier. You will be surprised at how quickly twitter reflects just-in-time developments.

Promotions This is a great way to share specials or other promos with interested parties. It is free, fast and very efficient. We are all deluged by hundreds of emails a day so a twitter note may get more attention.
Just in Time communication If you are attending or organizing an interesting conference, chances are people will live blog about it on twitter. This is a great way for your event to reach potential new customers. Knowing this, you may want to invite some live bloggers and make sure they have reliable WIFI.

Conclusion

Twitter isn t perfect but it is pretty cool. Every morning, I spend about 30 minutes going through tech blogs, news sites and twitter. It has proven so useful to me that it is part of my daily regimen now. Hopefully I have given you some new ideas on how to use twitter.

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