Social Media for business
In the old days, companies made products and used advertising to tell people how great the product was. These days, companies still make products, still use advertising to tell people how great the product is but consumers can tell companies whether they agree or disagree.
They can do this because of social media – the ever expanding network of websites which allow users to share their experiences about products and services. If you've ever looked on the internet for a user's review of a product or service before buying, then you've used social media.
According to an American study by Universal McCann, 36% of regular online users think more positively about a company that has a blog and 34% post about their experiences with products and services they've tried on their own blogs.
Because of this, blogs are now seen by many in marketing as mainstream – a must-have for online marketing. But now there's a new type of blogging. It's even more social and even more immediate, and it's called micro blogging.
If you're thinking that the term micro-blogging refers to a small blog, then you're right. By far the most popular micro flogging platform is Twitter, where every post (or update) is limited to a maximum of 140 characters. Not 140 words, 140 characters. So you need to be brief and to the point – no room for word-waffle!
Once you're logged in to Twitter you can send updates which can be received by any other Twitter users who have chosen to follow you. You, in turn, receive updates from the Twitter users you've chosen to follow. Think of it like a giant, simplified instant messaging service.
Like many blog posts, the subject matter of many Twitter updates is purely personal. But many large companies – such as Cisco Systems and Whole Food Markets – use Twitter as a quick and easy way to send information to their customers. They've found it can be much more cost-effective to send out a Twitter update on a new product or customer service announcement than to use email, or snail-mail.
It's another example of how in the world of social media, companies are going to the consumer, not the other way around.
How to keep your updates to 140 characters
- know what you want to say before you start writing. Aim for one idea per update
- simplify your sentences. You can omit subject pronouns, auxiliary verbs and articles, as long as the sentence still makes sense. For example "Just bought new TV and now going home" for "I've just bought a new TV and now I'm going home."
- use some abbreviations. Using Twitter is not like texting, but some abbreviations are common, such as v for very. "V happy about new TV." (= "I'm very happy about my new TV.")
- use modal verbs to avoid long phrases. "Can meet up at 10." (rather than "I am able to meet up at 10.")
- avoid formal words and phrases. They make you sound pompous and there just isn't space for them.
- edit out unnecessary words. Remember that updates are similar to very short emails.
- use verbs rather than long noun clauses. "Meet" instead of "have a meeting" and "discuss" rather than "have a discussion."
See our article on writing concisely for more tips.
