From its silly name to its pedestrian commentary, it is easy to dismiss Twitter as a fad that will disappear into obscurity as many fallen website brethren have before it. After all, in the pantheon of social media websites, only Facebook has stood the test of time. But while Twitter may well go the way of MySpace, Friendster and the like, it seems to have captured the hearts and minds of at least one generation for the time being. So one question remains: why do you still not know how to use it?
According to a November study by market research giant Weber Shandwick, America’s Fortune 100 companies need a Twittervention. Of the 540 Twitter accounts associated with Fortune 100 companies, only 24% post with any regularity. Like any ad campaign or branding strategy, continuity and repetition are paramount. 76% of Fortune 100 companies had less than 500 total tweets. And 53% of these accounts displayed no personality at all. In fact, 15% were either completely inactive or simply placeholder accounts to protect the brand name from imposter tweeters.
It would be easy to dismiss Twitter as something only young people use or as a simple fad. Journalists and trend reporters at Neilsen and Business Week seemed to think so back in April when they reported on Twitter Quitters; a growing segment of the Twitter nation that would sign up for an account and then quit after the first month. In fact, they said, Twitter has only a 40% retention rate.
But some interesting developments have occurred since. There were the Iranian protesters, using Twitter to escape the reach of their oppressive government and voice their opinions about possible election fraud. Google and Bing have since announced that they will now include Twitter updates in searches. And in November statistics, Twitter sees 23.6 million visitors every month.
But what makes Twitter the future of social netoworking, and the reason it will one day surpass Facebook is its simplicity and applicability. To this day, Facebook is a time waster for office workers and students looking to procrastinate. But 80% of Twitter users log on using 3rd party platforms and mobile devices. Imagine a world where bad service at a new restaurant can be reported from your phone to 23 million consumers instantly. Or a news story can be reported and shared as a headline as it is occurring.
Everyday, your customers are logging on and having conversations about your services. That is, as long as you make yourself a party guest worth talking to. Creating a personality on Twitter creates conversation. Like any brand strategy, it takes focus, personality and strong communication skills. Start by curbing employee tweets and stick to one Twitter commenter who leads your strategy. Give your posts a character, a personality who represents the customers you want to reach. Start a conversation and use this instant access to stir the pot.
In 2010, you have two choices: you can either have a Twittervention or let the addiction to old thinking and Twitaphobia take over. The choice is yours.
