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Get Tweeting

Click here to download this guide as a pdf

Here at Pickle Jar Communications we’re big fans of the micro-blogging phenomenon that is Twitter. We think this simple technology offers a multitude of opportunities for marketing and communications if used carefully. This handy guide will tell you about Twitter and offer suggestions for how it can be used in your marketing-communications activities.

What is Twitter?

Twitter was launched in March 2006. It is a ‘micro-blogging’ site and the premise is simple: you tell the world what you are up to at any given moment in no more than 140 characters.

What’s the point?

Sharing what you are up to at various points in time might seem a little pointless. I hear you ask: can’t we already do that through Facebook? Well, yes, you can. However, Twitter is a much more ‘public’ platform than Facebook and provides you with the opportunity to communicate with wider networks of individuals.

What is a ‘tweet’?

A tweet is your update of no more than 140 characters.

What might I tweet about?

Some people on Twitter use it purely to say what they are up to: going shopping, taking the kids to school, writing an assignment. However, the cleverest uses of Twitter from a communications point of view are those that share interesting or useful information and links. For example, you might be reading a really interesting article and want to share the link to it.

Can’t I just do all of this through a blog?

Yes, you can. However, the beauty of micro-blogging through Twitter is that it is fast, simple and easy to use on the move. You can update your profile by text message, or through desktop applications. Likewise, you might also use Twitter to direct someone’s attention to a longer blog post that you have written. Here at Pickle Jar Communications we frequently ‘tweet’ that we have just blogged about a particular subject, thus driving people to our blog to read the longer article if it interests them.

Integrating dynamic content into your website

The real benefit from our point of view in using Twitter is the ease with which you can work a Twitter feed into your own website, blog or profile page. Its integration with MySpace, Facebook, Blogger and TypePad is simple to use. Furthermore, Twitter also offers HTML and Flash widgets that can be integrated into almost any website.

So what?

Many websites lack dynamic content. They remain static for far too long. Twitter offers an easy way for you to constantly update information on your website without having to actually change anything on the website itself. It’s a time-saving way of keeping your site fresh and interesting. For example, at Pickle Jar Communications we have a Twitter feed integrated on the homepage of our website to provide clients and potential clients with updates about what we’re working on. This means that anyone can view our Twitter feed without having to be signed up to Twitter (or even know anything about it) or be following us. Coupled with the blog feed on our home page, our site can remain dynamic without the complexity of having to update the homepage as frequently. We’re also currently providing advice to another PR agency on web developments and how they can use new media more effectively. We recommended that on the page of their website where it introduces each member of the team, each individual has a twitter feed so they can show clients and potential clients the diversity of what they are up to and the kinds of services and activities that they offer.

Drive traffic to your site

Twitter is an excellent way of driving traffic to your site if used carefully. Blatant marketing or sales tactics are not received well by the Twitter community, but saying what you are up to as a way of drawing traffic in does work. For example, we recently updated the Pickle Jar Communications website. We were tweeting about our progress and then, eventually, tweeted that the update was complete with a link through to the site. By doing this, we saw a peak in our unique visitors, many of whom could be traced back to Twitter. People had clearly seen the message and decided to click through to the website. We have seen similar results when we have been blogging about a particular issue.

Issues and subject monitoring

Monitoring services such as Summize make it easy to search recent tweets. Organisations can use these search functions to monitor mentions of their organisation, or to simply monitor keywords of relevance to their business. For example, here at Pickle Jar we often conduct keyword searches of our clients names to check nothing untoward is bubbling away about them, and we also check keywords of interest to us like ‘Public Relations’ or ‘Higher Education’.

Crisis communications

Twitter is a useful tool for crisis communications for two reasons: firstly it can be used, as the section on issues monitoring above identifies, to keep an eye out for issues that might be building or bubbling away and help you to manage those issues before they grow out of control; secondly, it can be used during a crisis to keep people updated on situations or to provide essential information.

Internal communications and giving your organisation a friendly face

Twitter is an excellent tool for internal communications. You can build online communities and encourage staff or members of your organisation to sign up to Twitter to receive updates. Alternatively (or additionally) you can also use a Twitter feed in a web space (such as an intranet) that is more likely to be visited by your internal audience. However, we feel that one of the most powerful tools for Twitter is for senior managers and CEOs of large organisations to communicate what they are up to with internal stakeholders, customers or shareholders. Busy managers are often seen as aloof or just not around very often. By posting regular tweets, a manager can make known what he or she is up to, showing that they are working, that they are out there adding value to an organisation, and that they are human. This approach can be used to humanise such persons and give the organisation a far more friendly and approachable face to both internal and external stakeholders alike.


If you would like us to help you think of ways in which your organisation can use services like Twitter or other new or social media tools, do not hesitate to contact us.