Web Design Development Articles

Twitter is the largest micro-blogging website with 6 million users and third-largest social networking website behind MySpace and Facebook. Because of my career, I have used Twitter to promote offers, drive brand awareness and positive PR, and simply drive traffic to a website. Twitter is truly unique in that it offers so much with so very little (text that is).

As I tweet on a personal level, I find myself blogging about everything from random thoughts to interesting articles. Why am I so addicted to letting the entire world know what obscure thoughts are floating around in my head? And then I look at my followers, and immediately know why. I want everyone to know who I am and what I am doing. I can hide behind text and there is no judgment. You can either choose to follow or not. On the flip side, I am a follower of several people whose drama I can’t get enough of. It’s the 140-character modern day soap opera. No one has time to sit through entire episodes anymore; just give me the punch line. Twitter allows us to sum everything up in just a few characters and help paint a picture. Do I take pleasure in the drama of others? Absolutely!

Now let’s look at the Corporate America side of Twitter. There are hundreds of articles out there on how to use Twitter to generate tons of traffic to your website. I know because I have read most of them.

Twitter is a simple concept for Corporate America:
1. Tweet a lot.
2. Insert links into a percentage of tweets.
3. Get a bunch of followers.
4. Get traffic to your website.
5. WRONG!

But it’s not that simple to disguise solicitation; it is an art form. You have to blend true blogging with solicitation without it appearing too much of a hard sell. You have to give information to your followers that they truly want or create the need. I think both Southwest Airlines and Zappos do a great job of this blending of voyeurism and blogging.

Southwest Airlines (twitter.com/SouthwestAir)
Southwest is one of the best Corporate America Twitters around. Not only does it engage with its followers, but you get into the daily routine of one of its employees.

Zappos (twitter.com/zappos)
Zappos is run by CEO Tony Hsieh. Tony is a text voyeur. He wants everyone to know every detail of his life from getting a funky haircut to where he is flying off to today. But I do go to Zappos.com to purchase shoes.

What does all of this mean? To be successful, you have to have a bit of voyeur in you. Drama sells! People want to live vicariously through others. I follow people and businesses because they keep me interested. They give me just enough information to want more. And for this, I listen to them.