Talking about shiny objects… has Twitter come up in your conversations about Web 2.0 marketing strategies? If not, it probably will or should. It’s got some great potential applications… as a relationship building tool for recruiters; news update site for the institution; a tool for sports fans; a way for faculty to engage and connect with students outside of class… you get the picture. As one professor, who’s using it with his class put it, “The immediacy of the messages helped the students feel like more of a community.” Read the full story.
Here’s the key, like in all things Web 2.0, you have to commit to it.
If you’re asking…what exactly is Twitter? You’re likely not alone. In short (no pun intended), Twitter is basically a 140-character micro-blog that people sign up to track or “follow.” The beauty of Twitter is that your micro blogs can be texted to followers that opt in to the service. You Twitter… “Am in line for the 5 p.m. of Tropic Thunder at the Cineplex. Join me.” and Twitter “tweets” your followers via SMS.
The application for individuals is pretty obvious. But more and more brands, including colleges and universities, are finding ways to incorporate Twitter into their marketing and outreach efforts. So, does this mean your institution should immediately jump on the Twitter bandwagon? Not so fast. Definitely do your homework before establishing your college’s or university’s presence in this venue. If you establish a page and then don’t post to it for weeks or months or years at a time…you stand to do more damage to your institutional image than good. Definitely check in on Jeremiah Owyang’s blogs Web Strategy: The Evolution of Brands on Twitter and Why Brands Are Unsuccessful in Twitter before starting out; pay special attention to the part about understanding your audiences.
Here are some higher education Twitter sites to get you acquainted with how others in higher ed are employing this tool. Also, you can find a longer index of organizations using Twitter at
Are you using Twitter at your institution? Would love to hear how and how it’s working for you!
Posted by Ineke 
