Be On Twitter Why?

As a student who grew up in the age of technology I was very excited when Twitter first emerged. I saw it as another version of Facebook, a way to connect with my friends and post meaningless statements about my life. As time passed and Twitter became more essential to my career, I had to sit down and ask myself “why is Twitter important and how can I use it for business?”

Recently, in one of my courses, I learned the many benefits of Twitter and why PR professionals and other businesses should become active Twitter users. In my textbook there is an article titled “Get Into Twitter or Get Outta Public Relations?” which states three reasons why using this social media tool can benefit your company.

The first reason states that Twitter will benefit your personal branding. Being online and using social media well can show how well you interact and conduct yourself on the web, and with today’s scandals, this is very important. Twitter also allows you to share info video and text formats without overwhelming viewers with text. This social media tool allows you to positively represent yourself to the masses at a low cost: free.

The second reason PR practitioners should use Twitter is because it allows practitioners to “be in the know.” Twitter allows you to subscribe to other people’s feeds and read what they find important. It also creates a tailored feed because you can choose who to follow and who not to follow, therefore only receiving the information that interests or benefits you. In PR, it is always important to be well-informed and knowledgeable to better do your job and assist your clients.

The final aspect is the ability to create relationships online that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to make. Being active on Twitter and following certain people creates the ability to also interact with them and create a discussion and possibly a deeper relationship. This is also beneficial because as a PR practitioner you can implement Twitter as a way for clients to interact with their customers.

I have always been a supporter of Twitter but now I have the knowledge and understanding to use it for my future clients and how to maximize its benefits.