The interactive world is all abuzz about Twitter and how these new social networking channels are revolutionizing the marketing landscape. But hasn’t there always been a “Twitter-like” technology that is being hyped as the next “big thing”?
Eight years ago, email marketing was just coming onto the scene. Man, if you didn’t have an email newsletter you were going to be left behind. And does anyone really still use RSS? Wasn’t RSS supposed to transform the way businesses connected with consumers? My favorite, The Blogosphere. Just 3-4 years ago, everyone HAD to have a blog, and today, few are left standing. All these burgeoning technologies have been hyped in the press as the next “killer marketing app”, and then something shinier always seems to come along and they fade from the limelight.
So, is Twitter just the current “big thing” that will eventually fall from stardom?In a word… yes. BUT, that doesn’t mean that it can’t be a useful tool in your mix. Like all of these new technologies, Twitter has a certain buzz about it that reflects positively on your company. It tells your audience “Hey, no flies on us. We’re living in the 21st century and we have knowledge and insight to share here”. That reason alone could be enough to make it worth your while. And there ARE people finding smart uses for Tweeting to their audiences. Celebrities and sports stars have used Twitter to help build their popularity by letting fan base feel a close connection with them. We have B2B clients who have used Twitter to help position themselves as indutry thought-leaders by sharing some of their knowledge through Tweeting.
In the end, like most technologies on the web, it’s all about the content. If you have something really compelling to share that other people value and want… then it will be successful no matter what technology you use to push it out. I mean, HDTV is a great new technology, but it doesn’t make a TV show successful. It’s been said before, but in this world content is king. Sorry folks, it’s up to YOU (and us) to make your marketing messages interesting and desirable. If you think you’re going to get customers interested in you by using Twitter to push out links to your company’s sell sheets, you may want to rethink it.
