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Five Reasons to Use Twitter for Public Relations
by Shea Laverty
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The proliferation of social media networks has propelled modern business into a brave new world of marketing and public relations. Press releases and product announcements can now be made instantaneously and be read almost immediately by potentially millions of customers. As a premier social network, Twitter's unique 140 character format and high-speed posting make it a powerful tool for corporate public relations.
High-Speed Dissemination
One of the biggest pluses about using Twitter for PR is the speed at which information is distributed. News, gossip and data move at the speed of light in the information age, and the Twitter format is able to keep up fairly well. Rumors can instantly be quelled or confirmed, announcements can be made almost minutes after a decision is reached, and much more. This not only informs customers quickly but creates an image of corporate transparency and openness -- two very positive selling points for any company's PR campaign.
Broader Audience
Using traditional media has several crippling flaws -- one of these is a limited audience. At any time, only so many people will see an advertisement, news coverage of a press conference or any other PR event. Some regions may not cover the footage -- many news companies restrict content to certain users based on the region their IP address originates from. Twitter is accessible worldwide, online at all hours and readily viewable in a number of mobile formats in addition to their primary website.
Public Interaction
Another big bonus of using Twitter for PR is the ability to directly interact with your customer base. Twitter feed subscribers can comment on posts, giving companies the ability to use Twitter posts as a sounding board for customer opinion. Comments can be compiled and analyzed by PR and marketing analysts to get an idea of what public opinion is regarding policies, products and announcements and make necessary adjustments to improve.
Direct Access to Customers
Another flaw in traditional media is the fact that the media acts as a middle-man between company and customer. Twitter removes this middle-man, allowing a company to give information directly to customers without the customer needing to read, hear or watch a news story with the information. Some stations may also omit information released by companies or only give the story limited airplay, which makes it difficult for the information to reach anyone who may have an interest.
Low Operation Cost
Utilizing Twitter can be a low-cost PR strategy. Twitter is free to join and maintain a feed -- at most, a social media expert or team needs to be hired to manage the feed. This makes the feed an inexpensive tool that also has considerable customer reach -- an extremely worthwhile investment.
NFIB: 5 Reasons Your Business Should Use Twitter
HubSpot: How to Use Twitter for Marketing & PR
Journalistics: Using Twitter for Media Relations
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