Social Media Research - To Tweet or Not To Tweet?
Posted by Sandy Fitzgerald on Wed, Sep 16, 2009
To Tweet or not to Tweet: That is the question many companies and social media research professionals are asking themselves these days.
On the one hand, it's hard to resist the lure of a network that puts you out there, to thousands of potential followers every day, especially when it's free.
However, that is the potential problem with Twitter - there are so many people using Twitter every day for so many purposes, your message could get lost in the shuffle. After all, while you think your company is offering a service nobody else's is, the fact of the matter is that many people are more interested in seeing if Ashton Kutcher has tweeted any more photos of his wife's rear end. (I wish I was making this up, but unfortunately, I'm not!)
Yes, Twitter is a great tool, and everybody should use it for at least some of their marketing efforts. However, it's not the ONLY social media research tool out there, and truth be told, there are others that may be far more effective in helping you meet your goals.
In today's rush for immediacy, and to Tweet everybody we can, there are many times you just can't say what you need to say in the confines of 140 characters. Fact is, while Twitter is generally regarded to be the cool new tool on the block, is it smart to use it exclusively? Of course not - just like it's not smart to use any one tool exclusively.
But to answer that eternal question, yes, you should Tweet. You should take some time to Tweet every day. Even if you're not posting anything of your own, it's a valuable tool for keeping up with others in your industry.
But while you're Tweeting, don't forget to use your blog, to check out Facebook, Digg, Reddit, Stumble Upon and the many other sites that are out there just waiting to help you get the word out. After all, the main thing about social media research is finding out what it is that gets people talking, and you want them talking about YOU. The way to do that is to make yourself interesting and indispensable.
Until you do that, your Tweets may as well be notes about how you're sitting on the couch, playing video games and drinking Red Bull.