Twitter for Business (GF501) Professor: Laura Fitton , Pistachio Consulting and co-author of Twitter for Dummies

for Business

Twitter for Business What is Twitter? Why is it valuable? How does it work? How should a business get started? What does it make possible? Some examples Your fears and concerns Learning more…

What is Twitter?

Why is it valuable?

How does it work?

How should a business get started?

What does it make possible?

Some examples

Your fears and concerns

Learning more…

What is Twitter?

What Are You Doing?

~20 million monthly uniques (x5.7 since Nov 08) 125 million monthly visits (x4.3 since Nov 08)

20% of online adults 25-34 23% of social network users 27% of bloggers December 2008

Why is it valuable?

http://twitpic.com/135xa

How does it work?

What Are You Doing?

“ Use it Where You Think Best” -IBM ThinkPad

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader • FriendFeed • Facebook • blogs • widgets • desktop, iPhone, Blackberry, and SMS clients

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader Clients: iPhone • Blackberry • desktop • SMS Lifestream aggregator, Facebook, blogs …

The User Multiface Browser • SMS • IM • RSS reader • FriendFeed • Facebook • blogs • widgets • desktop, iPhone, Blackberry, and SMS clients

Anyone Develop dynamic and engaging “behind the scenes” personalities, content, sneak-previews and other genuinely engaging content

Develop dynamic and engaging “behind the scenes” personalities, content, sneak-previews and other genuinely engaging content

Individuals Build your network, access better professional relationships, faster knowledge-sharing and leveraged problem-solving Particularly valuable for Executives, sales and marketing professionals, consultants, freelancers and celebrities.

Build your network, access better professional relationships, faster knowledge-sharing and leveraged problem-solving

Particularly valuable for Executives, sales and marketing professionals, consultants, freelancers and celebrities.

Companies and Brands Engage more deeply with consumers and markets in strategic and powerful ways Drive productivity, value, innovation and human capital growth through better networking and idea-exchange

Engage more deeply with consumers and markets in strategic and powerful ways

Drive productivity, value, innovation and human capital growth through better networking and idea-exchange

Externally Customer service Market awareness News Innovation Understanding Extending reach Relationships Branding Direct sales SEO Driving traffic Networking

Internally Sales Teams Event Planning Project Status News Coordination Interface Decentralized teams Employee Support Mentoring Problem-solving Purely Social

VALUE. visibility relevance relationships social capital community ideas trust research marketing networking customer service traffic news sales SEO

Influence (was) Attracting attention to yourself

Influence (is) Providing attention and value to others

Social Media is Nothing New

Photo Credit: (cc) jerryfletcher on flickr.com

Social Media is Knowledge

Knowledge is Socially Mediated

Knowledge is Socially Mediated Photo Credit: (cc) fredoalvarez on flickr.com

Knowledge is Socially Mediated

Knowledge is Social ly Media ted

Markets are Socially Mediated

Photo Credit: (cc) gregor_y on flickr.com

Markets are Socially Mediated

Markets are Social ly Media ted

Photo Credit: (cc) matrianklw on flickr.com

How should a business get started?

Manners 101 Dress nicely Background graphic, avatar Introduce yourself Fill out profile completely Mention your Twitter on your site Be a good conversationalist Listen, respond Contribute relevant, useful material

Dress nicely

Background graphic, avatar

Introduce yourself

Fill out profile completely

Mention your Twitter on your site

Be a good conversationalist

Listen, respond

Contribute relevant, useful material

How Best to Approach? Cultivate standards of Excellence Authenticity Engagement What will work for your organization ?

Cultivate standards of

Excellence

Authenticity

Engagement

What will work for your organization ?

Twitter Campaigns? not so much. Twitter literacy

not so much.

Twitter literacy

Business Objectives Measured by the most appropriate standards for the objective

Measured by the most appropriate standards for the objective

Bearing in Mind… Twitter can be a great vehicle for a brand extension if you are willing to produce feeds of cool, useful things Publish & subscribe environment The self-serving will flounder. The useful will flourish. Brands need to work to not be rejected as spam

Twitter can be a great vehicle for a brand extension

if you are willing to produce feeds of cool, useful things

Publish & subscribe environment

The self-serving will flounder. The useful will flourish.

Brands need to work to not be rejected as spam

Advanced Twitter for Business Twitter as a serious B-to-B Tool? What if my customers are NOT there yet? How do I prevent wasted time? Best branding lessons Big picture trends

Twitter as a serious B-to-B Tool?

What if my customers are NOT there yet?

How do I prevent wasted time?

Best branding lessons

Big picture trends

“ Off-Platform” Benefits

Off-Platform Benefits SEO Research Content Generation Engine Word of Mouth PR Gravity

SEO

Research

Content Generation Engine

Word of Mouth

PR Gravity

SEO Google the word “pistachio” or “dough” Common words, but the Twitter IDs DOMINATE What Google Adsense word would you spend your last dollar on? Incorporate your Name too for additional words

Google the word “pistachio” or “dough”

Common words, but the Twitter IDs DOMINATE

What Google Adsense word would you spend your last dollar on?

Incorporate your Name too for additional words

Research Passive - free and paid listening tools Active - ask questions, use #tags, “recruit” groups Live - create real-time focus groups, polls, surveys

Passive - free and paid listening tools

Active - ask questions, use #tags, “recruit” groups

Live - create real-time focus groups, polls, surveys

Word of Mouth @DellOutlet -- $500,000 of computers to HOW many followers? Disproportionately influencers, still Journalists and bloggers, especially “ Passs-along” ethic

@DellOutlet -- $500,000 of computers to HOW many followers?

Disproportionately influencers, still

Journalists and bloggers, especially

“ Passs-along” ethic

Content Generation Engine Let’s say you’re Madonna… ABC News during Obama’s speech Many ways to slice this

Let’s say you’re Madonna…

ABC News during Obama’s speech

Many ways to slice this

“ PR Gravity” Forbes, NYT Magazine, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Inc.com, Entrepreneur Magazine Publish, become known, be helpful

Forbes, NYT Magazine, Newsweek, BusinessWeek, Inc.com, Entrepreneur Magazine

Publish, become known, be helpful

How… BE USEFUL Turn the message inside-out! Offer things Talk about what you do

BE USEFUL

Turn the message inside-out!

Offer things

Talk about what you do

Applicability Listening Innovation Research Measurement

Listening

Innovation

Research

Measurement

Measurement Most of all: Measure the desired business objective the way you always measure that desired business objective

Most of all:

Measure the desired business objective the way you always measure that desired business objective

Measurement Follower numbers -- yes, but. Follower engagement Measurable links Clickthroughs Conversations Context Ripples in the water Retweets, reposting your links Others pointing towards what you do

Follower numbers -- yes, but.

Follower engagement

Measurable links

Clickthroughs

Conversations

Context

Ripples in the water

Retweets, reposting your links

Others pointing towards what you do

Preventing “Time Suck”

Efficiency Tools Objectives Discipline

Tools

Objectives

Discipline

Branding Lessons

Outlook

Outlook Landscape for business use of Twitter and microsharing generally How to think about brand opportunities in microsharing What’s on the horizon? What trends should we watch for next?

Landscape for business use of Twitter and microsharing generally

How to think about brand opportunities in microsharing

What’s on the horizon? What trends should we watch for next?

“ We see an ecosystem of developers swarming around the Twitter API like moths around a flame” -TechCrunch.com

Learning more…