A Users Guide for PR Folk
Hasn’t enough been written on Twitter already? Well, when it comes to social media being used as a PR tool in India, there is still both room and the need for more to be written.
I have gone through the whole process of questioning myself on the utility of Twitter - from why should I use Twitter (I find that when it comes to my personal I am not interested in posting continuous updates on my activities and participate in what sometimes seems like useless banter) to how can I use Twitter in my daily work life.
I won’t get into the why, each of you will have to find your own answer to that one and in time you will, but before we get there let us focus on how you can use Twitter in your daily work life as a PR professional.
For the uninitiated, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform which allows you to post up to 140 characters per message through the web, your mobile and via other applications. It’s also a social networking platform as it allows you to follow your friends and network with experts in your area of interest.
First, what Twitter is not: Just like all the other social media tools, don’t think of Twitter as a stand-alone channel. It should be viewed as very effective media channel in addition to your existing tools, its effectiveness can be best harnessed in an integrated campaign which has all the elements of new/social media.
Now let’s get to how Twitter can help.
Effective Promotional Tool: Like blogs Twitter is most effective and useful when used for promotions, be it self promotion (to promote your blog, your views), new product launches, interesting updates on your client, or simply sharing a piece of news/article which you found useful. Twitter is often used to evangelize a new concept, product or service. You could leverage this aspect in the following ways:
• Simply create a handle (user name), and post links to interesting news. Other users can subscribe to your updates through RSS or follow you.
• Point to interesting / positive article written by one of the influencers about you or the company you are promoting.
• Profile your spokesperson as a thought leader/expert on a certain topic by encouraging him/her to create a handle with their original name, and having them update it regularly, use it connect it to their blog and other platforms.
Networking Simplified: Many a times we try to network with media and columnists on social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, without getting a favorable response. On Twitter you can network with them without being intrusive or pesky. Simply start following them and connect with them over time by replying to their posts.
Track Conversations: We constantly track news in all form of media, and social media is becoming increasingly important to track and monitor. The latest and most topical on the web finds its way onto Twitter pretty quickly and spreads even faster from there. You can easily keep track of the conversation taking place on Twitter, just like we set Google Alerts to track keywords; you can use Twitter Track to keep track of what is being said about your client both positive & negative.
Opportunity Mining: Most journalists use twitter when they are seeking information with regard to a story they are working on, or simply post their views on certain products or companies. You can use twitter to help them with inputs or connect with them and try to point them to facts which might change their views about your company or client.
Understanding Journalists: Twitter is a great tool to understand and keep track of journalists who report on your industry. As you follow their updates on their daily routine, share their views on interesting articles, you can get a better understanding of the journalists’ views, ultimately helping you to connect with them more effectively.
Instant Feedback Mechanism: Twitter is great platform to get instant and to the point feedback about your service or product. This helps you to take immediate corrective action to change the perception when negative.
Monitor Pop Culture/Media Consumption Trends: Tracking conversations on Twitter and noting the kind of stories people are reading and sharing on twitter will help you gain an insight into pop culture, stories that are doing well in current times and how consumers actually view them.
Some Basic Tips
• Define the target audience and proactively find them and follow them on twitter, this could be a journalist, bloggers, columnists and actual users/buyers of your client products and services.
• Take time out to regularly post updates, its only required initially, as soon you see the value in it you will get hooked.
• If people follow you, proactively follow them back, this will help you to grow your network.
• People are constantly innovating and finding newer ways of using Twitter. While my list here gives you a starting point, don’t confine yourself to this list - innovate and find newer ways of using Twitter.
The latest innovative campaign on Twitter that caught my attentions was the Burger Kings campaign: You can read about it here: But-is-it-a-burger-king-campaign
PS: Twitter is prone to some minor hiccups and some functionality might be disabled but it works just fine most of the time.
Hasn’t enough been written on Twitter already? Well, when it comes to social media being used as a PR tool in India, there is still both room and the need for more to be written.
I have gone through the whole process of questioning myself on the utility of Twitter - from why should I use Twitter (I find that when it comes to my personal I am not interested in posting continuous updates on my activities and participate in what sometimes seems like useless banter) to how can I use Twitter in my daily work life.
I won’t get into the why, each of you will have to find your own answer to that one and in time you will, but before we get there let us focus on how you can use Twitter in your daily work life as a PR professional.
For the uninitiated, Twitter is a micro-blogging platform which allows you to post up to 140 characters per message through the web, your mobile and via other applications. It’s also a social networking platform as it allows you to follow your friends and network with experts in your area of interest.
First, what Twitter is not: Just like all the other social media tools, don’t think of Twitter as a stand-alone channel. It should be viewed as very effective media channel in addition to your existing tools, its effectiveness can be best harnessed in an integrated campaign which has all the elements of new/social media.
Now let’s get to how Twitter can help.
Effective Promotional Tool: Like blogs Twitter is most effective and useful when used for promotions, be it self promotion (to promote your blog, your views), new product launches, interesting updates on your client, or simply sharing a piece of news/article which you found useful. Twitter is often used to evangelize a new concept, product or service. You could leverage this aspect in the following ways:
• Simply create a handle (user name), and post links to interesting news. Other users can subscribe to your updates through RSS or follow you.
• Point to interesting / positive article written by one of the influencers about you or the company you are promoting.
• Profile your spokesperson as a thought leader/expert on a certain topic by encouraging him/her to create a handle with their original name, and having them update it regularly, use it connect it to their blog and other platforms.
Networking Simplified: Many a times we try to network with media and columnists on social platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn, without getting a favorable response. On Twitter you can network with them without being intrusive or pesky. Simply start following them and connect with them over time by replying to their posts.
Track Conversations: We constantly track news in all form of media, and social media is becoming increasingly important to track and monitor. The latest and most topical on the web finds its way onto Twitter pretty quickly and spreads even faster from there. You can easily keep track of the conversation taking place on Twitter, just like we set Google Alerts to track keywords; you can use Twitter Track to keep track of what is being said about your client both positive & negative.
Opportunity Mining: Most journalists use twitter when they are seeking information with regard to a story they are working on, or simply post their views on certain products or companies. You can use twitter to help them with inputs or connect with them and try to point them to facts which might change their views about your company or client.
Understanding Journalists: Twitter is a great tool to understand and keep track of journalists who report on your industry. As you follow their updates on their daily routine, share their views on interesting articles, you can get a better understanding of the journalists’ views, ultimately helping you to connect with them more effectively.
Instant Feedback Mechanism: Twitter is great platform to get instant and to the point feedback about your service or product. This helps you to take immediate corrective action to change the perception when negative.
Monitor Pop Culture/Media Consumption Trends: Tracking conversations on Twitter and noting the kind of stories people are reading and sharing on twitter will help you gain an insight into pop culture, stories that are doing well in current times and how consumers actually view them.
Some Basic Tips
• Define the target audience and proactively find them and follow them on twitter, this could be a journalist, bloggers, columnists and actual users/buyers of your client products and services.
• Take time out to regularly post updates, its only required initially, as soon you see the value in it you will get hooked.
• If people follow you, proactively follow them back, this will help you to grow your network.
• People are constantly innovating and finding newer ways of using Twitter. While my list here gives you a starting point, don’t confine yourself to this list - innovate and find newer ways of using Twitter.
The latest innovative campaign on Twitter that caught my attentions was the Burger Kings campaign: You can read about it here: But-is-it-a-burger-king-campaign
PS: Twitter is prone to some minor hiccups and some functionality might be disabled but it works just fine most of the time.
