As with any other communications technology, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of Twitter. The more familiar I become with Twitter through my own tweets and other articles and posts online, the more I realize that there is a downside to the world’s latest and seemingly greatest social media tool.
Corporate Twitter Lesson #3: Recognize Twitter’s Limitations
It is not mandatory to have a Twitter account. While it seems like everyone in the world is busy tweeting, the reality is that some people don’t even know what Twitter is. And even those who do aren’t likely to have actually posted a tweet before. The demographics for Twitter completely surprised me – the average user is 31 years old, according to Pew Research. Do a little research about who is actually on Twitter before taking the time to create your tweeting strategy.
Check out a recent video from myRaganTV.com – Twitter: Who’s Using It? – for some anecdotal evidence from the streets of Chicago.
New Tweeters tend to be window shoppers. According to research conducted by Nielsen Online, more than 60 percent of people who sign up to use Twitter do not return to using it the following month. “In other words, Twitter currently has just a 40 percent retention rate, up from just 30 percent in previous months – indicating an ‘I don’t get it factor’ among new users that is reminiscent of the similarly-over hyped Second Life from a few years ago,” wrote Mike Shields in a recent article published on MediaWeek.com.
David Martin, vice president of primary research for Nielsen Online believes that this low retention rate could be a long-term problem for Twitter, citing growth patterns for other social media sensations like Facebook and MySpace that had double Twitter’s retention rate at a similar growth stage. “A high retention rate doesn’t guarantee a massive audience, but it is a prerequisite,” Martin wrote. “There simply aren’t enough new users to make up for defecting ones after a certain point.” Ask yourself if Twitter is worth your company’s time and energy if it hasn’t proven that it can retain its users.
Watch out for Twitter hijackers. When I was searching through Twitter for corporations to follow, I found a multitude of listings under some of the most popular and successful businesses in the United States. For instance, when I searched for Best Buy, I was presented with 39 results. I chose to follow the one that seemed most plausible, but I still have no idea if this account is really “owned” by Best Buy, or if any of the other 38 tweeters are connected to the corporation. If you really wanted to, it would be easy to impersonate a celebrity or brand. If your company is serious about using Twitter (or just want to be sure that no one but you is writing on behalf of your company), you may want to think about registering for all of the accounts that could even be loosely connected to your brand.
As you weigh the cons listed above, please know that this information isn’t meant to drive you away from using Twitter as a corporate social media tool. Rather, the tips given above are meant to give you something to think about. After all, it’s more important than ever for companies to use the communication technology that’s available, but only if the tools are really right for your business goals, strategy and mission.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Finding Followers in the Land of 14 Million Tweeters
I’m pretty proud that the number of my Twitter followers keeps increasing – now I’m at a grand total of 15. However, my number pales in comparison to the number of followers some major corporations have. For instance, BestBuy has 1,284 followers and TargetINC has 3,894 followers. What’s their secret? Here’s what I think…
Corporate Twitter Lesson #2: Get (and Keep) a Lot of Followers
Of course it helps that both BestBuy and Target are popular companies in the marketplace, but what are companies doing to get (and more importantly keep) a lot of followers?
My first tip: Promote your Twitter account just as you would your traditional Web site. From what I’ve seen, the companies that are embracing social media aren’t shy about promoting their Twitter account, YouTube channel or Facebook profile – whether by posting links on their traditional Web sites directly to these applications, advertising their tweets through banner ads or using their Twitter accounts as customer service lines. The more often you direct your users to Twitter and the easier it is for them to join your Twitter network, the more followers you’ll have.
My second tip: Don’t be afraid to follow others. Like other social networking sites, people are more likely to follow you if you’re following them. Don’t be afraid to expand your network by initiating contact with tweeters who post messages that correspond to your company.
My third tip: Be a frequent tweeter (within reason). Twitter is based on frequent and immediate updates. It’s important to make your presence known by tweeting often – either your own original tweets or in response to other tweets. One note of caution: be conscientious of how many tweets you post in a day. There’s a fine line between being an active tweeter and issuing a tweet every 10 minutes. For more guidelines, refer to my previous post “How Many Tweets Are Too Many Tweets?”
My fourth tip: Pay attention to what you’re tweeting. Be sure what you’re saying is worth reading. Many of the corporate tweets I’ve read are confusing, almost like I’m eavesdropping on a personal conversation. Other tweets are really interesting and pique my interest enough that I click on the accompanying URL. When you’re tweeting, think about your audience. What do they want to do know? Why were they interested enough to follow you in the first place? What will make them anticipate your next tweet?
My fifth (and final) tip: Be genuine. This tip applies to all social media, not just Twitter. When people access social networking sites, they believe they’re interacting with real people who have real things to say. Don’t hire a ghost tweeter, don’t censor what you say and don’t edit what other posts say about you.
Corporate Twitter Lesson #2: Get (and Keep) a Lot of Followers
Of course it helps that both BestBuy and Target are popular companies in the marketplace, but what are companies doing to get (and more importantly keep) a lot of followers?
My first tip: Promote your Twitter account just as you would your traditional Web site. From what I’ve seen, the companies that are embracing social media aren’t shy about promoting their Twitter account, YouTube channel or Facebook profile – whether by posting links on their traditional Web sites directly to these applications, advertising their tweets through banner ads or using their Twitter accounts as customer service lines. The more often you direct your users to Twitter and the easier it is for them to join your Twitter network, the more followers you’ll have.
My second tip: Don’t be afraid to follow others. Like other social networking sites, people are more likely to follow you if you’re following them. Don’t be afraid to expand your network by initiating contact with tweeters who post messages that correspond to your company.
My third tip: Be a frequent tweeter (within reason). Twitter is based on frequent and immediate updates. It’s important to make your presence known by tweeting often – either your own original tweets or in response to other tweets. One note of caution: be conscientious of how many tweets you post in a day. There’s a fine line between being an active tweeter and issuing a tweet every 10 minutes. For more guidelines, refer to my previous post “How Many Tweets Are Too Many Tweets?”
My fourth tip: Pay attention to what you’re tweeting. Be sure what you’re saying is worth reading. Many of the corporate tweets I’ve read are confusing, almost like I’m eavesdropping on a personal conversation. Other tweets are really interesting and pique my interest enough that I click on the accompanying URL. When you’re tweeting, think about your audience. What do they want to do know? Why were they interested enough to follow you in the first place? What will make them anticipate your next tweet?
My fifth (and final) tip: Be genuine. This tip applies to all social media, not just Twitter. When people access social networking sites, they believe they’re interacting with real people who have real things to say. Don’t hire a ghost tweeter, don’t censor what you say and don’t edit what other posts say about you.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
How Many Tweets Are Too Many Tweets?
Becoming a follower of a major corporation on Twitter is a cross between eavesdropping on a personal conversation full of inside jokes and signing up for a continuous stream of online advertising. I still haven’t figured out if I’m actually following the real companies, but whoever I’m following is on Twitter all of the time – especially macTweeter.
From 5:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 24, I received nine tweets from macTweeter. Most tweets were messages about Apple products or Apple-related news (like the following tweet from 5:21 a.m. – “The App Store hits one billion downloads! http://tinyurl.com/dknnjh”). I understand the business purpose of these tweets, and some of them are actually kind of interesting – more like a news feed about Apple rather than a collection of posts disguised as advertising. I was especially surprised to see this tweet: “Baby Shaker App Fiasco Underscores Need for Change from Apple http://tinyurl.com/c9ste7.” I couldn’t believe the company would post something that was negative about one of their products.
Corporate Twitter Lesson #1: What’s More Important – Quantity or Quality?
Even though I find most of the posts from macTweeter to be interesting, nine tweets is excessive. Are there really nine news-worthy items in any given day that a company should tweet about? As I was thinking about this, I ran across an article on Ragan.com, “Are five tweets a day too much?” by Jonathan Kranz.
Kranz has issued “a call to action to stop following tweeters who exceed five posts a day.” By limiting the number of tweets to five a day, Kranz believes the focus would shift from quantity of tweets to quality. It would “discourage empty chatter,” writes Kranz, and ultimately “it would save Twitter from itself. If participants fail to voluntarily limit themselves, readers – as a matter of self-defense – will abandon the platform.” I completely agree. The amount of tweets I receive in a day from companies like Best Buy and Apple, not to mention the “real people” I’m following, are astronomical. I have to scroll through at least three full pages to read all of the tweets in a given day. And I'm only following 10 people.
Why to Limit Your Tweets
I’m sure some will say the call to limit your tweets goes against the nature of Twitter’s instantaneous exchange of information. But with a focus on quality versus quantity, the dialogue on Twitter will inevitably become richer and more substantive. And by limiting posts to five or less a day, I’ll actually be able to read (or at least scan) the posts each day.
Are you ready to the take the pledge? As Kranz says, “Five tweets are sweet, six are nix.”
From 5:20 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on April 24, I received nine tweets from macTweeter. Most tweets were messages about Apple products or Apple-related news (like the following tweet from 5:21 a.m. – “The App Store hits one billion downloads! http://tinyurl.com/dknnjh”). I understand the business purpose of these tweets, and some of them are actually kind of interesting – more like a news feed about Apple rather than a collection of posts disguised as advertising. I was especially surprised to see this tweet: “Baby Shaker App Fiasco Underscores Need for Change from Apple http://tinyurl.com/c9ste7.” I couldn’t believe the company would post something that was negative about one of their products.
Corporate Twitter Lesson #1: What’s More Important – Quantity or Quality?
Even though I find most of the posts from macTweeter to be interesting, nine tweets is excessive. Are there really nine news-worthy items in any given day that a company should tweet about? As I was thinking about this, I ran across an article on Ragan.com, “Are five tweets a day too much?” by Jonathan Kranz.
Kranz has issued “a call to action to stop following tweeters who exceed five posts a day.” By limiting the number of tweets to five a day, Kranz believes the focus would shift from quantity of tweets to quality. It would “discourage empty chatter,” writes Kranz, and ultimately “it would save Twitter from itself. If participants fail to voluntarily limit themselves, readers – as a matter of self-defense – will abandon the platform.” I completely agree. The amount of tweets I receive in a day from companies like Best Buy and Apple, not to mention the “real people” I’m following, are astronomical. I have to scroll through at least three full pages to read all of the tweets in a given day. And I'm only following 10 people.
Why to Limit Your Tweets
I’m sure some will say the call to limit your tweets goes against the nature of Twitter’s instantaneous exchange of information. But with a focus on quality versus quantity, the dialogue on Twitter will inevitably become richer and more substantive. And by limiting posts to five or less a day, I’ll actually be able to read (or at least scan) the posts each day.
Are you ready to the take the pledge? As Kranz says, “Five tweets are sweet, six are nix.”
Monday, April 20, 2009
Now Appearing on Twitter: mesajohnson
Two tweets in to my Twitter experience and I’m still trying to figure out exactly what the appeal is. Maybe I lead a boring life, but I’m not sure that anything in my life – at least what I can manage to say about my life in 140 characters – is worth reading about. I could be wrong (I already have seven followers – two of whom I don’t even know), but so far Twitter seems like a glorified away message you’re leaving for the entire world to read.
Even though I haven’t quite discovered why Twitter has become the must-have social media tool of the year, I have been pleased with how easy it is to use. It took me less than five minutes to sign up and post my first tweet. Figuring out what to do next was a bit more difficult.
I’m On Twitter – Now What?
After posting my first few tweets, I was kind of at a loss for what to do next. Twitter isn’t really like IM – it’s not like having a real conversation with someone, so I wasn’t going to wait around for tweets to appear in my inbox. Instead, I took some time to explore the site.
After clicking on the “People” tab, I started to get a better understanding of why some of my friends are on Twitter all day long. The “People Timeline” is kind of addicting, in a weird voyeuristic way. I feel like a fly on the wall in people’s lives, being able to read the most up-to-date news of total strangers. Not to mention being able to look at whatever image they chose to best describe themselves. (Here’s a tip even a novice tweeter should understand – if you’re going to take the time to set up a Twitter account, add a picture. It’s much more interesting than looking a page full of little brown double zero icons.) And by the time you finish reading the 20 tweets on the People Timeline, you can hit refresh and read 20 more new messages. This is a great way to procrastinate – especially when you’re trying to work on a 15-page paper about the evolution of social media in politics.
After more time spent on the People Timeline than I care to admit in print, I got back on task and started searching for corporate tweeters. The first company I searched for was Best Buy. I found 39 results in 0.010 seconds – 90 percent used the Best Buy logo for their icon. The tweeters included Best Buy employees, Best Buy stores, specific Best Buy divisions and product lines, and even Best Buy coupons. But out of all of those results, I really wasn’t sure which one was actually the “real” Best Buy. I picked the tweeter titled “Best Buy” (really the most obvious choice) with the following description: “Best Buy employees tweeting for and about Best Buy as we see it.”
I searched for a few additional companies and am now a follower of Apple (macTweeter), Nintendo (NintendoNews) and Target (TargetINC). To be honest, I have no idea if these are tweets sanctioned by the company or if the profiles were created by someone who just really loves that particular brand. Additional research is definitely needed.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
The World’s A-Twitter
In the last few months, the word “Twitter” has been floating around my office – it seems everyone has an opinion about Twitter and most think it’s the must-have social media tool of the year. Which of these people have actually been on Twitter? None. How will our company use Twitter? I have no idea. And what can anybody really say in 140 characters or less? Beats me.
As more and more of my colleagues became “twitterpated” (to use the term from the Disney movie Bambi) with Twitter, I decided it was time to discover the site for myself. Until a few weeks ago, I’d never even been on Twitter. I didn’t know what a “tweet” was (I just knew it wasn’t called a “twit”) or that there was a limit to the amount of text you could write with each post. I knew I needed to join the site to see what is was about, but before I made the Twitter commitment, I wanted to research exactly what Twitter was and why everyone thought it was the latest and greatest social media tool.
Step One – My Twitter Research
According to the site, “Twitter is a service for friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” My first thought: who really cares what you’re doing every minute of every day? Well, according to Twitter, “even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends or colleagues – especially when they’re timely.” Maybe, maybe not. I guess it depends on what you’re tweeting. I’m hoping I’ll buy in to this philosophy once I’ve posted my first tweet.
What is Twitter really? A “microblog,” according to most blogs and articles I read. Like a traditional blog, Twitter allows users to post personal messages but in a miniscule fashion – 140 characters or less. The 140 characters counts everything you type – letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation, even links. There’s no limit to the number of tweets you can post in a day, and each tweet is visible on your personal page. Tweets are also visible to your followers and to other Twitterati on the Twitter Public Timeline, which shows the tweets by all tweeters (unless you’ve opted out of this feature).
So, if you can tweet all day long are you constantly sitting in front of your computer and logged onto Twitter? Not necessarily. While you can tweet on the Twitter Web site, you can also post tweets via your iPhone or Blackberry, by texting from a cell phone or from a third-party Web site like TweetDeck.
Now that I have the basics covered, I guess it’s time to join Twitter and take the next step: becoming a first-time tweeter.
*Looking for definitions to Twitter terminology you’ve seen? Refer to the “twittonary” published by Shannon Yelland on sitemasher.
As more and more of my colleagues became “twitterpated” (to use the term from the Disney movie Bambi) with Twitter, I decided it was time to discover the site for myself. Until a few weeks ago, I’d never even been on Twitter. I didn’t know what a “tweet” was (I just knew it wasn’t called a “twit”) or that there was a limit to the amount of text you could write with each post. I knew I needed to join the site to see what is was about, but before I made the Twitter commitment, I wanted to research exactly what Twitter was and why everyone thought it was the latest and greatest social media tool.
Step One – My Twitter Research
According to the site, “Twitter is a service for friends, family and co-workers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?” My first thought: who really cares what you’re doing every minute of every day? Well, according to Twitter, “even basic updates are meaningful to family members, friends or colleagues – especially when they’re timely.” Maybe, maybe not. I guess it depends on what you’re tweeting. I’m hoping I’ll buy in to this philosophy once I’ve posted my first tweet.
What is Twitter really? A “microblog,” according to most blogs and articles I read. Like a traditional blog, Twitter allows users to post personal messages but in a miniscule fashion – 140 characters or less. The 140 characters counts everything you type – letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation, even links. There’s no limit to the number of tweets you can post in a day, and each tweet is visible on your personal page. Tweets are also visible to your followers and to other Twitterati on the Twitter Public Timeline, which shows the tweets by all tweeters (unless you’ve opted out of this feature).
So, if you can tweet all day long are you constantly sitting in front of your computer and logged onto Twitter? Not necessarily. While you can tweet on the Twitter Web site, you can also post tweets via your iPhone or Blackberry, by texting from a cell phone or from a third-party Web site like TweetDeck.
Now that I have the basics covered, I guess it’s time to join Twitter and take the next step: becoming a first-time tweeter.
*Looking for definitions to Twitter terminology you’ve seen? Refer to the “twittonary” published by Shannon Yelland on sitemasher.
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