Extra, Extra, Tweet All About It!
Posted by Sandy Fitzgerald on Mon, Aug 24, 2009
Newspapers h
ave been around since the beginning of time, and unfortunately are finding themselves catching up with times that have gone on past them.
However, while they want to be relevant to today's market, too many of them are bypassing the social marketing tools that can keep them relevant and fresh.
Yes, I was a newspaper editor, and I also thought Twitter was silly, for a while.
That is, until the one day when I discovered that several major huge newspapers and news organizations were using Twitter as a vital tool.
It was a revelation! You mean I can just add whomever I like to the people I follow, and I can get all the headlines? Cool.
Twitter is a godsend for newspapers. Where else can you tell millions of potential readers what your reporters are working on? What your headlines are?
Where else can you get a free link that will lead people right back to your website?
Reporters at the better papers are also starting to tweet their whereabouts as they go through their days, allowing everyone else to live vicariously through their tweets.
ssfitzgerald: Heading out to multiple crash scene. Eight cars, looks bad! http:tinyurl...
Who isn't going to click on that link and find out more?
It's use of social marketing tools like Twitter that is going to help save the big newspapers, and other companies can learn a lesson from those newspapers.
Use any means to get your message out there. Build up word of mouth; build up some talk.
There was one company the other night that was offering a free external hard drive as a prize in a drawing chosen from those who tweeted on their site between the hours of 9-10. You bet I tweeted!
I even went to their website to look at the hard drive...and even today, I'm still talking about it.
That's some good marketing!
Twitter can be much more than "I had some toast for breakfast." Properly used, with an eye toward searchers, you can bring customers to your business, 140 characters at a time.
Follow the lead of the bigger newspapers and businesses...put your words right out there, for others to find.