When you think about Twitter, don’t let yourself see the forest when you should be looking at the trees.

Trying to see Twitter as a whole looks like a mess, but if you saw how all that seeming chaos organized itself in the Middle East recently, some light bulbs should have gone on.  The focus power of Twitter is amazing! Anybody who is researching any topic can crowd source the world.

Try this:

1.  Pick any topic in which you want to be an expert, then go to Google and search it. Whether you’re interested in a Congressional bill or turkey hunting in the spring, you’re going to find content. I’ll try MailChimp, the email marketing tool we use.

2.  On the left side click you will see “Realtime”.  Click here to see search live. Realtime gives you any messages with your keywords, live as they are being published. The more popular the topic, the more posts you will see.

3.  Scroll to the bottom and click “create email alert”. You will now get a daily listing in your email inbox. There are many ways you can follow this information: I prefer to add it to my RSS reader on Google Reader (where it feeds to my phone for storage until I get a moment to read) or using TweetDeck on the desktop or iPad.

4.  Try following it for a week. Look for interesting articles and sites with good resources about whatever subject you chose.  At the end of the week, you will now more about your subject and understand a little more about Twitter.

When communication tactics seem complicated, it’s important to first go back to the one constant in your marketing planning: Strategy. Know your customers and what you do best to serve them, define the messages that connect with the emotions that drive their buying decisions, and document your goals and the metrics used to determine success. Once you know how to talk about your brand then look for ways to share it.

My company develops the infrastructure for carrying your messages. Media Relations can help you plan and execute your marketing campaigns. If you’re thinking about how your company could better use the Internet to connect with your customers and prospects, call Checkerboard Strategic Web Development at (612) 283-4846.

“Life is short. Tweet stuff people want to read or do stuff people want to tweet about.” — Jason