What is the Real Value of Twitter?

Twitter is like a giant, never-ending cocktail party.

Now, in all fairness and full disclosure, I did not come up with that metaphor. A quick Google search for that phrase returns a lot of results. However, the oldest document that I can find seems to be this blog post by David Meerman Scott from 2009 (that cites a book that seems to have been the original inspiration). He writes:

Seeing the Web as a city helps make sense of each aspect of online life and how we create and interact…

I like to think of Facebook, LinkedIn and other social networking sites as the cocktail parties of the city. To extend the tortured analogy even further, Twitter is sort of like when the girls go to the ladies room and talk about the guys while the guys are discussing the girls while they are away…

Viewing the Web as a sprawling city with social media as the cocktail parties helps to make sense of the best ways for marketers to use the tools of social media. How do you act in such a situation?

Social media in general – and Twitter in particular – confuses many marketers. Should we promote content? Should we advertise directly? Should we connect with influencers and journalists? Should we pitch our products and services directly? All of the above?

Well, in the context of traditional communications theory, the first thing to understand is that social-media networks are just modern communications channels that – just like the television, radio, and print – deliver content with a desired message to a particular audience. That’s the big picture.

The smaller picture, however, is that each communications channel has its own set of best-practices. Here, I wanted to focus on Twitter and expand upon the metaphor that it’s really just one big cocktail party. There are certain things to do and NOT to do. Here are some of the latter.

1. Do not self-promote all the time. You know that guy at a cocktail party who always brings a conversation back to himself somehow? Don’t be that guy. No one likes that guy. Rather, use the commonly-known principles of the “art of communication.” Ask people about themselves. Respond positively to what they say. Suggest things that can benefit them. Be positive! Help them before you think about helping yourself.
   
   
2. Do not spam. This ties into the first principle. The going theory was that social media changed marketing “forever” and that consumers now wanted to “engage” with brands. That’s only half-true. Say a group of people are talking about last night’s sports game when Tony the Tiger appears about of nowhere and says, “Buy Frosted Flakes! They’re GRRRRRRREAT!” They would smirk, turn their backs, and ignore him. That’s the wrong way to use Twitter. A right way would be for, say, a local pizza place finding a tweet where someone in that city says that he’s hungry for pizza – and then tweeting him a coupon. This is better because it’s responding to a stated need and then fulfilling that need – it’s not spamming out of the digital blue. This is another reason why it’s better for individuals to do direct Twitter outreach and not brands.
   
   
3. Do not ignore questions. At a cocktail party, people might ask others for their thoughts and opinions. In the same way, people now often tweet questions, problems, and ideas to companies on Twitter. It’s crucial to monitor brand mentions and have PR, customer service, and related communications policies in place to respond to people as needed.
   
   
4. Do not ignore the value of making long-term friends. Cocktail parties often lead to the formation of friendships – in the same way, companies that are active on social media in the right way will develop followings over the long term. This leads to the next point.
   
   
5. Do not be boring and uninteresting. You know that person at a cocktail party that always has a funny joke or cool story to tell? Even brands can be interesting in a way that will lead their gained followers to retell (retweet) their stories. Here’s a famous example from Oreo during the 2013 Super Bowl blackout:
   
   
   
   What is called “engaging content” like this is still essentially advertising. It’s “newsjacking” relevant events by creating and transmitting advertising – albeit funny ads. It’s just the modern version of creating memorable advertisements.

In short, the key to success on Twitter is to act just as you would in real life – be a cool, real person. And just as you would not drink too much at a business cocktail party, it’s probably best not to drink while you tweet. Nothing good can come of that!

Josh Cline is President and CEO of The Cline Group, President and CEO of Cline Ventures, and General Partner of INE Ventures. You can see more of his thoughts here. Follow him on Twitter.

(Image: phandroid.com)