Yesterday, my colleague Johna Burke and I presented a BurrellesLuce webinar, Twitter 201: Adding Twitter to Your Strategic PR Toolbox. We had an audio issue during the question and answer period. I’d like to address the two questions you might have missed. (If you listen to the replay, you’ll notice a couple of minute-silences. Rest assured, the audio does resume.)
Q: As more and more brands develop a presence on Twitter, I think there’s a significant risk users will become overwhelmed by the amount of brands trying to interact with them everyday and will move on to another tool. Do you agree? How far off is this?
A: There is always a risk we will all move to another tool. I think it may not be a new tool, but a new way of accessing and updating Twitter. BurrellesLuce’s latest newsletter discusses one too, Lifestreaming. Tools come and go, but this should not stop you from using microblogs.
I do agree that some people may become overwhelmed, but they should not have to be. Some of the tools we discussed in the webinar, such as TwitterSnooze and Twalala, can help you manage what you see in your stream. For example, I may want to search to see how Dell is handling an issue or to see if there are any coupons for a new computer. I don’t need to follow Dell all the time, I have a one-time need. Because the company has a presence on Twitter and appeared in my search, they may win my business.
Q: How can a non-profit disability organization MOST benefit from Twitter considering we have no PHYSICAL products…except for when we have a partner or affiliate selling something to raise money for us.
A: You don’t need physical products to use Twitter. You have a great cause and great information to share. I’m sure you have information and messages on disabilities, which are of interest to the public. Do you conduct surveys or share partner information? All of this can be tweeted. My analogy for a non-profit is that Twitter is a way to disseminate public service announcements (PSAs), which educate for the public good. Your PSA will likely have a call to action, such as a link to your website. Treat Twitter the same way, and you will find it will help you sell more for your cause.
Johna and I both appreciate your participation in the webinar, and we hope you will join BurrellesLuce on a future one soon.
