AdVerbs

Five Ways Twitter Improves Communication. Really.

I see lots of articles about how email and Twitter signal the end of good communication as we (and Mrs. Kerr our eight-grade English teacher) know it. All these articles were posted on line. This is a touch ironic, which leads me to point number one:

1. Everyone's an editor.

Because more people read your Tweets than read a business letter, you expose your writing competence (or lack thereof) to a larger group of people who will be happy to point out your grammar errors. One of the favorite corrections going around recently is calling out someone for the improper use of ironic. Coincidence does not equal irony. Knowing you will be widely read should make us more careful about word choice and meaning-- which leads to clearer communication.

2. Get to the point.

In journalism classes, we spent whole semesters on headline writing. (Obituaries, too, but that's not as useful with Twitter.) It's a difficult art to master. You need to grab attention, communicate clearly, and do it all in 140 characters or less. Many people think longer, more convoluted writing full of "Thesaurus" words make them sound more intelligent. Twitter forces you to cut the fat.

3. Keep in touch.

Twitter gives you a quick touch that's the equivalent of saying "hi, remember me?" In business, that can translate to top-of-mind awareness in a non-annoying way. 

4. Never having to say you're sorry.

Like love, Twitter means never having to say you're sorry. Make a stupid post? Pull it down or write a new one. The disposable nature of social media means even if you make a blunder, it's not forever. Unless you're a serial offender, most of your followers won't remember that unintelligible (or unintelligent) Tweet.

5. More writing means better writing.

Before Twitter, blogs, and Facebook, a lot of people were uncomfortable writing anything other than the occasional business letter. Like any skill, practice makes, if not perfect, at least better. Plus, the more you write, the more you develop your own "voice" and take advantage of what social media's really about-- one-to-one communication.

Where will your ads be in 2024?

Fifteen years ago today the first ever banner ad ran on the internet. Boy, how things have changed since then. Today, we're using media that we couldn't even dream of back in the olden days of 1994. Just a few years ago, we wouldn't even have known what an iPhone was. Now Volkswagen is getting ready to launch its new GTI exclusively on an iPhone app. If media continues to morph as quickly and as profoundly, who knows what we'll be using to carry our marketing messages by 2024?  

What doesn't change, though, is good strategy and clear communication. Take a lesson from Volkswagen. In the 60s, they cut through the clutter of big-car advertising with a clear objective (take a perceived negative--small size-- and make it a positive) and cool content ("Think small"). Now, they're cutting through the clutter of print and broadcast with a clear objective (reach 50 milllion tech-savvy, social-media users and tap into viral pass-along PR) and cool content (download the Real Racing game and drive the new GTI).

Great strategy. Compelling copy. Some things never change.

Be prepared to catch the economic wave

Surfers don't wait on the beach to catch that perfect wave; they paddle out and position themselves so they're ready when they see it coming. Great analogy for what seems to be happening in the business world. According to John Augustine, chief investment strategist at Fifth Third Bank, who we heard speak last week here in Indianapolis, important economic transitions have already begun. The global economy and corporate operating profits will likely continue to gain momentum. Is your brand positioned to catch the wave of new possibilities? This fourth quarter could be key in capturing market share from those who are still "standing on the beach." Get paddling.