Hedgehog & Fox

I meet with a group of business executive’s monthly, and Twitter is one of the topics that has come up recently in casual conversation. My own use of this social media tool has been steadily growing, but no one else in the group really gets it. I’ll be sending them this brief Twitter for Business guide from John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing fame.

The guide is not terribly meaty, but nor is it intended to be. This is basic, high level stuff for people who are a bit bemused or even, as Jantsch puts it, pissed off at the Twitter phenomenon. Having the Duct Tape Marketing stamp on it will also probably help with at least some folks.

Given that the group I meet with monthly focuses mainly on strategy, one specific business use I have suggested for Twitter is to use it internally as a communication tool for initiatives like the Balanced Scorecard. So often these types of initiatives fail not because of the tool used, but because the communication around them is so poor. It may be overwhelming in very large organizations, but in smaller organizations - which, after all, is most organizations - I can easily see a Balanced Scorecard “back channel” being a great tool for sharing ongoing progress, issues, etc.

Thinking more externally: Jantsch mentions, Twellow a Twitter directory which also got good press from  Marshall Kirkpatrick at ReadWriteWeb last week. Basically, Twellow makes it easy to find, follow, and be followed by folks with professional interests similar to yours. I’ve signed on, and it looks like it could be a useful tool.

Jantsch does a good job in his document laying out the reasons why you might want to consider using Twitter. If any of these match up with your strategy, I recommend that you Just Do It and Experiment - But Strategically.

By the way, you can find me at http://www.twitter.com/jtcobb.

Happy tweeting,

Jeff

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Related posts:

1. The Balanced Scorecard: A Framework for Learning
2. Facebook Watchers Are All a-Twitter