Brief but meaningful content: a site like
Twitter is designed with both concepts in mind, but can really only enforce the
former. With over 500 million users pouring countless thoughts, links, and
photos into a 140-character, haiku-like space, a formula like the one presented
in Michael Sebastian’s article "Anatomy of the Perfect Tweet" must look like a godsend; after all, if eight
simple guidelines can be used to craft a tweet designed for maximum
dissemination, why wouldn’t you use
it?
But riddle me this: if a blogger tweets,
but there’s no one around to read it, does it matter how perfectly designed it
is?
The answer: Of course not. Before any
business or organization can hope to make any sort of impact on Twitter, it
needs to accrue followers. Sure, Twitter users can find tweets using tracked
tags, but many prefer to follow specific accounts that appear directly on their
Twitter feed whenever they log in. What Sebastian fails to mention in his
article is that regardless of how an individual tweet is designed, if no one knows
about your specific account, it’s unlikely to gain any sort of notoriety or
experience mass dissemination.
So what does this mean for small
businesses? Make your Twitter handle visible -- everywhere. If you plan to use Twitter as a
primary source for business updates, product launches, etc., put the Twitter logo on everything from business cards to shop window
decals to signature blocks on company emails. When customers inquire about
upcoming events, be sure to let them know that all of the details and updates
can be found at your Twitter account. If your company caters to a more tech-savvy
clientele (usually between the ages of 14-35), so much the better: this age range
comprises the vast majority of personal Twitter account users.
For government agencies, the goal should be
transparency and accuracy to the extent possible. Sebastian’s first pointer –
including links – is especially crucial here. Because Twitter is designed for
brevity, most important news updates cannot be fully explained in a single
tweet, which is why the use of links to agency blogs becomes critical.
A word of caution to both: there is such a
thing as tweeting too much, and it can be detrimental in the long run. As a
regular user of the site, I have found that even if I like and follow a certain
company, if it updates 10+ times a day with no breaking news or pertinent
product information I am likely to unfollow its account. So keep it brief, yes,
but especially meaningful.
