By B.L. Ochman
I spend a lot of time on Twitter every day. If you’re a marketer, you should too.
Last week, Google bought social networking tool and Twitter competitor Jaiku for an undisclosed sum. There was immediately lots of talk about the death of Twitter, and the need to migrate to Jaiku. Where were these conversations happening? On Twitter, of course.
As a marketer, I need to check out new social networks to see if they have value for my clients. So I have a Jaiku account, and I am exploring Jaiku. Steven Streight points out that Jaiku allows comments on messages, which expands its usefulness as a microblogging platform.
But like many of the Twitterati, I’m not anxious to move to the latest shiny object. That’s because, for me, Twitter has become:
o a major source of business news
o a quicker way to find out what’s important today than my feed reader
o a place to find out what the people I’m interested in are finding interesting
o live blogging from conferences and other events
o an excellent source of experts on various technical topics
o a place to build relationships through common interests
o a place to (selectively) pimp my blog posts
o an international IM platform
o a place to take a break around the virtual water cooler
o a lot of fun
Marshall Kirkpatrick says,
“People laugh at Twitter, and they can go ahead and laugh for all I care, but I’m here to tell you that it can be invaluable.”
Twitter is an opt-in world, so if you don’t find someone’s tweets interesting, you simply stop following that person.
Marketers, and flaks in particular, need to remember that Twitter is about give and take. If you just use it to pimp your stuff, you’ll be zapped in mid-tweet: blocked for good.
So when TechAddress asks, “Is Twitter the new press release?” the answer is only for people whose news you care about!
Twitter’s not about pushing content, it’s about give and take, and sadly, PR folks forget the give 99% of the time. Act like a jerk, people stop following you.
I block most PR people, but the ones I follow are the ones who bring something to the party besides what they are selling. That’s no different from the way good publicists – or any smart marketers – build relationships anywhere.
Jeremiah Owyang points out that Twitter is good for media companies, social media savvy brands, those who may already have a blogging strategy, those with frequent updates.
Bonus link – a pretty good newbie explanation of social networks.
B.L., thanks for highlighting why I should start considering twitter for both PR and marketing purposes. I have been slowly experimenting with social media tools to determine which would work best from a B2B perspective. Are there any B2B companies that are doing this well and that you would recommend checking out?
Sorry, but I can’t think of any. My area is really B2C.
Anyone else got suggestions for Cece?
BL,
I normally agree with you but telling senior marketers to join Twitter just because there’s a tech and small PR following is ignorant. I can sum up what’s going on with microblogging in less than a slide; let’s not be all Rubel and push stuff that isn’t even close to mainstream and is nothing more than a tactic for specific audiences at best.
That being said, I look forward to your next Benny update. :P
Dave
David – a) you need to re-read the post. I certainly am NOT recommending that senior marketers join twitter because it has a tech and PR following.
b) people said the same thing about websites in 1990; blogs in 1998; blog advertising in 2004; etc, etc.
Feel free to stay in your comfort zone. You’ll have plenty of company. Rubel, me, and other marketing pioneers I will continue to push the envelope until you open your mind.
Okay, give me a break. I’m friends with David, and I know the work that his firm does. He is pushing the envelope there, you just don’t hear about it because he’s not a whore like others out there.
And, well, I would never want to be put in the same bucket as Rubel. You can talk, or you can do. There’s a lot of talk out there.
hi jeremy – I agree, there’s much more talk than people with track records on major campaigns.
and as you know, I am one of the doers, not one of the talkers.
D’oh – I hope the comment doesn’t imply I’m putting you in that talker bucket.
Hi BL,
People were also talking up the benefits of Mivascript, Sony’s DRM, Beta Max, Second Life and other fads that never panned out either — so let’s not be one-sided in comparing an up and coming technology without listing the failures as well. Telling marketers to know something “just because you do it” is, quite frankly, the weakest argument for using anything and will quickly get you marched out of any meeting (and/or laughed at once you leave). Point to data, facts, statistics, market reach, demographics — SOMETHING — if you want people to pay attention.
Call me a skeptic, but just because Google buys up Jaiku and the old PR and tech folk are still twittering, most likely because their arthritic fingers can’t txt, doesn’t mean it’s “What’s Next”. Jumping on the latest fad, a la “Old Steve” (since he’s decried the lunacy of hyping every 2.0 that comes along), is no different than predicting the weather.
Do I use Twitter? Sure. Am I telling my clients to “know it”? Not unless I was behind the SXSW campaign, because it’s the only practical application thus far of the site/app outside of media outlets (ESPN, for one) using it to re-purpose existing messaging.
Additionally, if you are going to recommend it to marketers then you should at least mention the Mashable story that they’re going to start offering ads to pay the bills as well. This will undoubtedly mean SOMETHING for the current users and potential users of Twitter. Your take here would have been way more insightful than just saying “it’s cool” or “you should be here”.
Dave
Dave – If you care to know something about my work or my qualifications for offering my opinions about online marketing strategy, please feel free to Google my name or to read this blog. I’ll be over at Twitter, wasting my life away.
You started by calling me ignorant, that I lack insight and that I jump on the latest fad.
Gee, I have to say, I stopped caring what you think a few insults back.
Hmmm… maybe David needs to find out what some other people have been up to with Twitter. If SXSW is the only example he’s got, he hasn’t researched much.
I’ve got a practical application just waiting…
Gee, I sure am glad everyone stopped using Twitter because it was unproven… and all these adds they’ve included — egad, it’s a nightmare…
I mean…
Is the whole web filled with embarrassing flashbacks like this? (Answer: Yes. Lesson: Always take strong opinions on unproven and untested opportunities because it makes for fascinating reading down the line.)
Oh David Binkowski, where are you now? Feel free to come back, apologize, and sheepishly slink away. Just wow.
Dear Not David Binkowski – you rock.
xo
BL