As Twitter cultural and technical evolution continues, the dichotomy between its humble origins and it’s current role as a powerful marketing vehicle is becoming evident. The sophistication of social media marketing techniques that are now employed has evolved with the social platforms themselves. Designed initially as a simple micro-blogging tool, Twitter was developed to permit a group of friends to converse via text in real-time. The concept was based on creating tweets that capture a moment in time and communicate it in real-time and with brevity.
It’s doubtful that even its founder, Jack Dorsey, imagined the tremendous market penetration that Twitter now enjoys back in March 2006 during a brainstorming session. Today, Twitter enjoys the prestige of being one of the 10 most popular websites in the entire universe. As a result of its unprecedented success, Marketers are attracted to Twitter like bees to pollen. Live tweets are a marketing device that takes advantage of real-time marketing opportunities as they unfold. While this technique can be extremely effective in taking advantage of current trends, one must use caution in not overplaying your hand. Proper placement of information and a receptive response from tweeters require guidelines to go by in order to take advantage of Twitter from a product placement or cultural perspective. Here are some tips to follow for a successful Twitter campaign.
- When tying into a current event, make sure you select a venue that fits your target audience and objectives. Events should appeal to the group you are targeting. That may entail a natural disaster, a musical venue, or a sporting event. Events that generate a lot of interest, but preclude an opportunity for personal involvement, such as a sold-out concert are good choices for tweeting opportunities.
- To tweet often or keep it to a minimum, that is the question. It is necessary to tweet as often as necessary, but if it’s overdone you’ll lose the interest of your group. If you think your campaign will require a lot of tweets, think about setting up a separate group for the tweet activity.
- Employ good Twitter practices for the your tweets. Respond to replies and be proactive in providing the requested information.
- Post lots of photos and quotes from others.
- Finally, don’t get too carried away with hashtags. While they play a viable role, “#” can be annoying if # is over-done.
