Frocomm Flashback

During my time in Australia, I have been fortunate enough to attend two of Glen Frost’s Frocomm conferences (one in Brisbane and one in Melbourne). The focus of these two events was social media. My involvement would never have come to be if it weren’t for connecting with my friend Ross (The Media Pod) via Twitter. Below is an article I wrote after the Brisbane conference focusing on how organisations can take the plunge and get involved. I thought it was appropriate for my blog readers since Twitter is how I’ve come to make so many great connections over the past year. Enjoy!

Join the Conversation

July 2009

In early June, Frocomm held it’s 4th Annual PR & New Media Conference in Brisbane, Queensland. A diverse group of PRs, Journos, and media representatives joined together to discuss the best practices within the field of communications. The one common thread throughout the two days of presentations was the ongoing discussion about the microblogging site, Twitter.

Is Twitter just a fad?
Can it really benefit my organisation?
What can 140 characters really accomplish?

One month on and having slipped back in the routine at the office, can Twitter realistically be integrated into the daily grind? More importantly, is it worth the time?

Kylie Johnson, founder of Kylie Johnson Media, put it best: If Kevin Rudd is doing it you should be too.

So how can you jump on the Twitter bandwagon and get the most out of it?

Three Steps to Getting Involved on Twitter

The first step is simple: register. In communications, silence can be dangerous and you can be sure that if you don’t stake out your company’s name, somebody else will.

That being said, registering your company name is not enough. The whole point of social media is to be interactive. The great thing about Twitter is that it’s an easy way to engage with your publics, or as Cameron Reilly put it, Twitter is putting the public back into PR.

Step two is to listen to those important stakeholders, both clients and competitors. Reilly, CEO of The Podcast Network, described Twitter fittingly as the global water cooler. “You have to be listening to know what people are saying about you.” By monitoring what people have to say about both you and your competition, your organisation is better able to tailor their messages, attack consumer issues head-on, and be prepared for potential crisis situations.

Finally, and most importantly, the third step is to engage with your audience. This is the step where you will benefit the most from the microblogging site. Join in on the conversation by asking questions and responding to consumer inquiries. By being active, you will not only be able to build trust in your market, but you can help your company to strategise for the future.

Getting involved may appear a bit daunting, but as Lilian McCombs of Make Believe said in her lecture, it’s important to remember that technology is a tool, not the messiah. It takes work to build trust, but as we all know, it all comes down to building relationships. Twitter is merely another item our toolkit to help us do what we’ve been doing all along. So log on, sign up, and join in on the conversation.