The power of Twitter is evident. For the first time an individual can broadcast a message to millions of people in an instant. But how companies will leverage that power to achieve their business objectives is not yet as evident.
I recently participated in a panel hosted by Perkins Coie and Madrona Venture Group focused on how businesses can leverage Twitter. The panel was moderated by Paul Goodrich and Ayush Agarwal from Madrona Venture Group. It was fascinating to hear from legal experts Tom Bell and Susan Lyon from Perkins Coie, and discuss the business implications with Avelle CEO Michael Smith, and Alaska Airlines’ Navin Mithel.
While there were numerous points of interest from this event, I want to highlight a few key points I believe companies need to understand when they engage Twitter.
1) Authenticity and Transparency – Be open and honest about who is twittering. If you claim the Twitter account is maintained by the CEO, be sure the CEO is the one tweeting. Social media is about relationships and honesty is fundamental to strong relationships. The Twitter profile should specify the organization or individual who is tweeting and what type of information they plan to include in their tweets.
2) Know your audience – Leveraging social media effectively requires clarity of who you are trying to reach, their needs and wants and how you can add value. Increasing your followers and ensuring they align with your communication goals and business objectives is dependent on understanding what information is valuable to your audience and how often they want to hear from you.
3) Compelling Content – Twitter is still evolving. The amount of information exchanged is daunting and clearly not all content is of interest. Those users that provide relevant and compelling information will attract followers, supporters and a large audience. Users who do not provide value or don’t communicate clearly will lose followers.
Business leaders also need to understand that expectations are changing. Consumers are starting to demand immediate responses to their tweets. Companies will need to change to adapt to the new level of expectations to compete. Those organizations that are perceived as accessible and responsive will build a loyal following that may become the front lines in deflecting negative tweets and promoting positive experiences.
I anticipate the Perkins Madrona Twitter Conference ë09 will be the first of many events as businesses look to learn how to leverage Twitter to help execute on their key strategies and accomplish their toughest business objectives.