Twitter, Tweets and Twits

Many media and advertising groups rave on and on about how so-called “social media” is the big game-changer now, where e-services like Twitter and Facebook and MySpace are the great new frontier for promoting business and brands.

Perhaps, but (and maybe I am old-fashioned) I have failed to be so convinced. Just how does one leverage such social media to benefit your business? We’re told it will, but details remain highly sketchy…and never deal with B2B. Sure, I can see soft drinks and music and apparel – common consumer brands – benefiting from social media buzz. But just how does that work when one business is trying to sell to another?

Don’t know. This is what I do know, though. In recent weeks a number of companies and individuals have gotten their you-know-what caught in the wringer over their Tweeting. Apparently they didn’t get the memo that Twitter and Facebook and MySpace posts are not private communication. You know, like phone calls and secret meetings in restaurants.

Worse yet, when ad agencies sell their clients on using Twitter vs. proven conventional means to promote products and services in the B2B arena. I have an armload of e-mails from agencies announcing that their clients would be Tweeting “live” from such and such event. As if potential customers have the time to monitor such things…140 characters at a time. Come on.

Confession time: Tire Review is participating in social media. We have a group on LinkedIn, a social media site for business pros. We’re are carefully watching participation to gauge whether there is a real benefit, or if such activities are just wishful thinking. If it proves to be the latter, we’ll be moving on.

Meanwhile, you may want to carefully watch the social media activities of your staffs lest they post anything that can harm your business. They may plead that you are invading their privacy, but public postings can hardly be considered private. It is, after all, your business.

If you have comments to share, send to me at [email protected].

– Jim Smith

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