Getting Started with

Steve Buttry, Gazette CommunicationsKirkwood Community College

Oct. 27 & 29steve.buttry@gazcomm.com

@stevebuttry on Twitter

Twitter is a gr8t tool to follow local/natl news/events and stay in touch with like/dislike minded folks on issues

I use Twitter for fun and to drive traffic to station websites and hopefully get folks to turn on the radio.

I use it to be able to connect to the community. It's an easy way to connect outside of my usual social and political circle.

I differentiate between social media, @stevebuttry. FB for people I know. Twitter for listening to/learning from people I don't.

For business, Dell and others have found success by offering deals to its Twitter followers.

I use Twitter for all of the things mentioned. Social, work, fun. Its helped meeting new people in same fields easier.

The key is to do it consistently and consistently well.

I try not to be too repetitive, and to evenly pace my posts throughout the day if I have multiple tweets.

Twitter allows regular customers to see specials for more repeat business.

Everything is much faster on Twitter. Timeliness was never more important – even posting something half an hour late is sometimes too late.

One thing we have started using Twitter for lately is posting our fliers via Twitpic. This is great and people seem to retweet them a lot

I have found some good information on Twitter. The tweets that contain links to blogs or articles relevant to the topic are very helpful.

“A tweet I posted about the new mural on the Iowa City store was viewed by KCRG news, so they came down and did a story about it. Success!” – Stephanie Catlett

We are currently using Twitter to advertise new job opportunities, updates on my video blog, current events, etc.

“We’ve promoted events/activities in which people can get involved. We’ve also recognized people for their efforts (e.g., volunteers).” – Becky Soglin

As a business, I use Chirpcity, to find people that live in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City to follow … and hope they follow me back.

Twitter is not a sales tool, nor is it best utilized for overt marketing. It is a conversation. It is giving value.

Twitter for business purposes is like an after-hours mixer or business cocktail party.