When I first learned about Twitter, I have to admit I thought to myself “Why?” It seemed to me a tool for sharing pointless information about oneself. “Late night, need caffeine!” “I just ate the BEST burger EVER!” “My husband comes home today! Yay!” Didn’t I already get an earful of this from Facebook? The entire effort was never presented to me in a way that I found worthy of my time. Fortunately, not having a Twitter account in this business was not an option. So, I set up a Twitter handle and I have to say that I was surprised at what I found.
For those who are unfamiliar with Twitter, it’s a free social networking service. You communicate through 140 characters or less, which is called a “tweet”. In those 140 characters you can share sites, videos, pictures and other information (including what you are wearing or ate that day). But, this doesn’t do justice to what Twitter is really about. I believe Twitter describes that best:
“It’s like being delivered a newspaper whose headlines you’ll always find interesting – you can discover news as it’s happening, learn more about topics that are important to you, and get the inside scoop in real time. Some people find it useful to contribute their own Tweets, but the real magic of Twitter lies in absorbing real-time information that matters to you.”
Now, let’s reflect on that a moment. “The real magic of Twitter lies in absorbing real-time information that matters to you.” I think that is the biggest part of Twitter that many who don’t use it do not understand. You see, it’s not necessarily about Ellen’s new shoes she got for a killer price or that John missed the bus…again (though that is a part of it), it’s about the Twitter magic which is having portable access to the most relevant information in 140 characters or less.
As I reflect back on my reluctance to use Twitter, I wish I would have looked at it in this light. One of my favorite stories to tell people who are reluctant to give tweeting a go or have the “why?” attitude about Twitter is that of my husband. My husband, like many husbands, loves sports. He spends an awful amount of time absorbing sports-filled information. When the Barry Bonds trial was in full force, he would come home from work and go on and on and on at dinner about the trial. I started to wonder if he was actually working or just reading about Barry Bonds 24/7. When did my husband get so informed? I asked him “How do you know so much about this?” His answer? “Twitter.” He had been following certain individuals who were sitting in the courtroom and tweeting about the trial in real-time. He was a perfect example of the “magic” of Twitter. It wasn’t necessarily about what he was tweeting about, it was about the information he was gathering through his Twitter feed. This started me on the path of wondering “how” and “why” others were using Twitter and how this social networking phenomenon could be and is affecting the world.
Twitter does an excellent job of explaining the “how” of Twitter. In their help center you will find many tips to start you tweeting and here are some:
- Find & Follow others – One great way to find more interesting accounts is see who those you know or admire are following.
- Take it with you – connect your mobile. The beauty of Twitter is that it’s portable.
- Build a voice – retweet, reply, react. If you’re a new user, others are more likely to find your messages if they are retweets or replies.
- Get fancy – include images, videos, etc. The best way to gain followers on Twitter is to regularly engage and contribute in a meaningful way.
- If you are unsure what a #hashtag, direct message, etc. is – check out Twitter’s glossary here
I also scoured the Internet to see “why” others were using Twitter and the majority of them were lumped into the following areas: to read the news, to get a discount, to share your thoughts, to promote your business, blog, website or brand, to follow a celebrity, to network, to brand yourself, to engage with your readers or fans (from a brand perspective), to replace Facebook updates and, microblogging (tweeting about events in real-time).
In August this year, Lab42 ran a study to see how people were using Twitter. They surveyed 500 Twitter usersover the age of 18 to see how they used the site, who they follow and how they interact with brands on Twitter and turned it all into this infographic:
You can also find examples of the magic of Twitter through “Twitter Stories.” Twitter announced “Twitter Stories” on their blog in November. It’s a series of stories about the power of Twitter. Twitter states that “each story reminds us of the humanity behind Tweets that make the world smaller.” So true.
One of my favorite stories is that of Roger Ebert, the famous film critic who lost his voice in 2006 due to cancer that led to a tracheostomy. Twitter has given Ebert a new voice. He currently has 500,000+ followers that he communicates with daily. He talk about movies, politics, etc. Ebert said this about Twitter in an article in the Chicago Sun Times “…there’s something seductive about it: The stream, the flow, the chatter, the sudden bursts of news, the snark, the gossip, time itself tweet-tweet-tweeting away.”
You can also read about how an individual saved his mom’s bookstore with one tweet, or another who shares saved the lives of two people trapped by the earthquake in Turkey. If you are interested, you can submit a story by mentioning @twitterstories or by using hashtag #twitterstories.
As the face of marketing has changed, Twitter has become a vital tool for us here at Bolin. We use Twitter to connect our brands with their fans, to engage, and to listen. We’ve developed #Bolin to pull together all of the tweets from Bolin employees which include industry news, agency events, etc. and they live right here on our blog so you can see what we’re up to (check it out on the right). For us, Twitter is a way to empower our brand’s fans and is a tool that helps us create one-to-one connections.
Do you have a Twitter story to share? How do you use Twitter? Why do (or don’t) you tweet? Have you experienced the magic of Twitter?
