It's just Twitter, what's the big deal?

It's just Twitter. What's the big deal?

Oh dear non-PR students/professionals. If it is JUST Twitter, why are Public Relations Agencies as well as renowned consumer brands bending over backwards to hunt for Social Media Talents?

Twitter, as I mentioned before, is relatively a new thing for me too, but here are some common phrases I've been hearing from others:

1. Not that many people use Twitter anyways what's the point?
You have to be kidding!

• 175 million registered users as of September 2010 (That's the whole population of Pakistan!)

• The average daily sign-up rate has been 460,000 new accounts in March 2011

• The average number of tweets = 140 MILLION a day. (Just imagine trying to spread a rumor by word of mouth... like the numerous death hoax spread around Twitter).

2. You tweet once or twice a day, I can do that, why hire a professional Social Media manager?


There are certainly different ways of using Twitter, and I presume none of them is "easy".

It's about interaction, finding the right people to interact with, making connection, providing feedback and a whole bunch of stuff.

You can definitely schedule a whole day to managing social media, it's a lot more work than you think it is.

With the right analytic tools, a brand can/needs to monitor what other people are saying about its products, how to respond, and interact. Some analytics tools now even analyze the spread of tone used to describe your brand (negative, unsatisfied, excited etc.)

Providing insightful news means posting more than just your usual Facebook promotions. Read industry news, current events, trends and more, then filter them, and find a good angle to tweet about.

Not only that, it's about how to use the stingy 140 characters with wit and creativity to capture your audience's attention.

Although it's blurry, Twitter CAN be scientific - using optimal tweet times, tweet scheduling, #hashtags, lists, and etc., to help you get your message out.


3. Twitter is just like the status portion of Facebook, why not just use Facebook since everyone is on it?

Apart from scrolling down to read my previous post, the following article should answer your question:

Why Many Businesses Are Adopting Twitter…instead of Facebook http://j.mp/bad9Wp 

4. I don't like to tweet/ have nothing to tweet about.

You don't necessarily have to be tweeting to benefit from Twitter. Just as there are thought leaders in the community and news broadcasters, doesn't mean you have to be one. You can benefit by following the right accounts depending on your interests to keep up to date on trends and news. Trust me, Twitter is pretty fast and up to speed with this.