Many people ask us, why use Twitter?  Well there are several reasons.  Like any other digital communication tool, to be used effectively it has to have a focus.

Remember, when people started blogging in the late 90s?  The early adopters wrote what amounted to daily diaries or ranted and raved about something.  Pretty boring stuff (I guess except to them).

Now there are countless respected blogs read by millions of people every day.  How did that happen?  They had a clear focus, useful content and then built a loyal following.

Twitter will follow the same trajectory.  Right now there is a lot of mindless bird chatter on Twitter, but certain bird calls will soon soar above the rest.

What are the best uses of Twitter for your organization?

1)    At the very least the focus should be about your organization’s expertise. Share links to related resources, book suggestions, events, etc.  In some ways Twitter is starting to replace newsreaders for some people.

2)    Tweet your events. One of the attendees at a digital conference we recently produced for the New York State Broadcasters Association tweeted the entire event, creating a permanent record that can be viewed by anyone unable to attend the event.

3)    Communicate with your core community. Identify 10 to 20 passionate supporters of your organization and ask if they will Tweet about resources and events related to your mission.  Obviously follow them on Twitter, so you can pass on their ideas to your community at large.

4)  Monitor trends. Search for keywords or #hashtags on Twitter to follow trends affecting your organization.  It’s a wonderful and easy way to monitor trends.

Still don’t understand how Twitter can be useful to your organization?  We can help.