Social media monitoring is increasingly important for public relations departments and agencies. The social Web is often the battlefield of modern PR. These social networks of companies, customers, and employees are naturally flowing important stories. That makes it all the more critical that PR professionals are monitoring these new media channels.
One of the most important of these channels is Twitter.
What is Twitter?
Think of Twitter as the party-line telephone of old. You may dial in to talk to one or more people, but everyone is potentially listening. That means both the interesting and salacious conversations move quickly through the community.
Much like other social networking, Twitter is compelling to people because it is an interesting and efficient way to communicate with a large audience of “followers.”
To the average consumer that means there friends are chattering about things they are doing, interesting products and services they are buying, and the experiences they are having–both good and bad.
To marketers, this smells a lot like a targeted audience. People who have already connected and identified their interests. And more importantly are willing to spread the word.
To public relations, this is the whisper wire. Twitter is where you hear things as they are happening, before they rise to the noise level of traditional media.
Why is Twitter Important to PR?
Public Relations is about controlling and monitoring the interaction between the organization and the external parties it associates with: clients, customers, vendors, shareholders, and other interest groups. Twitter contains conversations between these interest groups–some critical and others not. Twitter is influential in building or shaping a brand, corporate image, and also communicating to various parties and individuals within these groups.
Tapping into these open conversations is like being a fly on the wall. Tuning into Twitter can give you the jump on opportunity and crisis.
How Do You Monitor Twitter?
Twitter is an open community, which means you can listen in on your customers talking to friends and family. Why wouldn’t you want that kind of insight into your brand perception. Twitter is also becoming a very popular way to syndicate and interact with news. Again, all the more reason to be monitoring Twitter. If it happens, its newsworthy, and it’s going to impact your brand–it’s going to show up on Twitter. Make sure your social media monitoring is tuned in.
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