Depending on whom you ask, Twitter is either the social media gods’ gift to the Internet or an over-hyped and meaningless Web application. Some even think the site is deserving of a Nobel Peace Prize.
"On the one hand, we are sick of talking about Twitter. But on the other, it keeps becoming more and more useful," said Dan Blank, director of content strategy & development for Reed Business Information, a trade publisher.
If you can manage to wade through the hype, the micro-blogging Web site has a large number of practical applications for publishers. Twitter’s ability to harness real-time conversations can give publishers a valuable tool for promoting their content and engaging with their audience.
To help get the most out of Twitter, we’ve compiled a handful of tactics recommended by some of the more prominent media outlets using Twitter.
Promote your content
When used cautiously, Twitter is an ideal vehicle for promoting content.
“Keep in mind that tweets spread fast,” said Leah Betancourt, digital community manager at the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
All it takes is the right piece of content with an enticing tease, and content can be re-tweeted hundreds of times, giving content creators free promotion for no cost.
Use Twitter in combination with link shortening services like bit.ly to test what content and topics are well received by your audience. But send too many links, and users will perceive your account as automated spam. Be sure to track referrals from Twitter.com to see if your links are catching on. Some link shortening services, like bit.ly, also have metric tools that allow you to measure individual tweets.
Segment your audience
Take a page out of the Publisher’s Weekly playbook. In addition to having an “official” Twitter account (PublishersWkly), PW has accounts for one of its individual sections as well (PWreviews). The segmenting of Twitter accounts allows publishers to see what sections have the most social media-friendly content and allows A/B testing across different segments of an audience.
For example, PW could test what content belongs in what section by tweeting out links under different accounts and measuring the response. White paper and other similar lead generation campaigns can also be more highly targeted when readers are divided into niches.
"You get a lot more research or feedback this way," said Blank. Blank works for Reed Business Information, the same company that publishes PW.
Be an authority in your space
Blank believes that publications, particularly those in the B2B or niche consumer space, can use Twitter to become the go-to place for questions related to their target audience.
A magazine covering the construction industry, for example, could field questions posted about equipment, or a newspaper could monitor tweets in their coverage area and respond to questions or problems.
Solicit ideas from readers
Short of instant messaging, Twitter provides the fastest way to interact with a community of readers. Use RSS feeds of Twitter search terms to monitor what topics are receiving buzz in your industry.
Or, try the old fashioned method and ask readers for feedback directly. Many journalists use the site regularly to generate story ideas and uncover new sources for their reporting.
"I’ve even seen back and forth from the editors on Twitter," said Blank.
Supercharge your event coverage
Especially in B2B publishing, event coverage is crucial. News and announcements that come out of an expo or conference can help fuel the news for months.
Having a strong presence on Twitter – that is, following a large number of people in your community – can help you keep an eye on an event’s “back channel.” Most events have a designated hashtag (i.e. #superbowl) for tweets pertaining to the event. Use sites like Twitterfall to monitor the hashtag and know what the attendees are buzzing about in real-time.
"It becomes a real catalyst to know where to show up, to know what’s interesting," said Blank. And that knowledge can help journalists better understand what aspects of the event are getting the attention of the community.
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Because Twitter is free, the only expense in experimentation is time. Experiment with the frequency of your tweets, the links you pass on, the time of day you tweet and the level of community interaction that best suits your publication. Unlike new print or online strategies, Twitter strategies can be adjusted on the fly.
Your Twitter followers are members of your community that are concerned with your brand, not dissimilar from a newsletter subscriber. Like email newsletters, with the right strategies publishers can better serve readers while building a community around their brand.
And that is something worth Tweeting about.
