By Michael Cummings

There has been a lot written about Twitter this year, particularly how it is great for public relations and it’s true: Twitter is a terrific platform for external communications efforts.

But Twitter is also a valuable tool for internal communications and oftentimes can take the place of cumbersome emails, lengthy memos, and company publications that frequently contain stale news.

How many times have you heard about a new client, customer or hire from someone you work with? Perhaps you didn’t see the press release on your company’s Web site or perhaps you didn’t scroll down far enough in an internal email to get the real news.

Twitter provides a solution to that.

By limiting messages (“tweets”) to 140 characters we are forced to compose tweets that get to the bottom of things fast!

That solution dovetails perfectly with today’s over-stimulated minds that don’t have the bandwidth to extract news from lengthy corporate tomes.

Some Twitter Tips

1. Determine which department will be the Twitter “gatekeeper.” Depending on how your organization is structured, this will most likely be marketing, communications or human resources.

2. Set up a Twitter team that is representative of your company’s offices, business units or departments. This team will be responsible for gathering relevant information and disseminating it to the internal gatekeeper in Tweet format.

3. Create internal Twitter guidelines on what information should and should not be tweeted about. Of course client news, new hires and industry musings should be encouraged, but they all must reflect on your company’s brand values and, of course, confidential information is verboten.

4. Include a review-layer between internal Twitter team Tweets and actual exterior Tweets. Through that, the gatekeeper can ensure that the Tweets adhere to your guidelines.

5. Market your Twitter account. Some of the simplest ideas are the most effective: include a “Follow Us on Twitter” link in employee email signatures, add a link on your Web site, include your Twitter account in your Search Engine Marketing campaign and make a concerted effort to “follow” other Twitter accounts that make sense-you’ll be surprised how many begin following you.

So what are you waiting for? Start Tweeting! You’ll be surprised how quickly your employees acclimate to and embrace this new and exciting way to share information!

Michael Cummings is the Business Development Manager at Kellen Company.

Best regards,

Peter Rush, Chairman & CEO

Follow us on Twitter @
http://twitter.com/kellencompany

Visit Our Web site: www.kellenPR.com
or contact Stephanie Fraiman, at 212.297.2129 for more information.

Back Issues

By Kate Grusich

Reporters regularly field phone calls, e-mails, letters and faxes from potential sources seeking coverage. After all, much of what is seen in the media is initially generated through a tip, pitch or press release. But how does one stand out when so many are competing for a journalist’s attention?

One of the easiest ways to do this is to jump on a story currently making headlines. When a reporter finds a source able to offer insight or a fresh perspective on a national event or trend, they typically bite. Has legislation recently been passed that will impact your industry? Can your organization provide some type of benefit, discount or tip to help people save money?

Here are some tips on developing an opportunistic pitch the media will find interesting.

• Be a know-it-all. Visit the top news sites, maintain RSS feeds on topics that pertain to your industry and read the headlines on major search engines to determine the hot topics that could make your next pitch more relevant. Piggyback on current events when appropriate. The struggling economy, for example, continues to garner ink. Provide new statistics or research or think of a solution that your organization provides to consumers during tough times.

• Be studious. Before reaching out to a journalist, do your homework. Read articles, view news segments, listen to radio reports and search media lists and Web sites to determine frequency, target audience and reporting style. That way you’ll have a better understanding of what to pitch and what topics to avoid.

• Be trendy. Reporters love to cover the latest trends. Secure a place in an upcoming article or segment by linking to or becoming an expert on a new fad, whether it relates to the environment, fashion, home renovation or technology.

• Be social. In this era of social networking, an audience can be reached quickly through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, podcasts and blogs. Got a hot tip on a major news story? Tweet about it or post a status update. This could generate significant publicity.

Kate Grusich is a Public Relations Account Executive at Kellen Company.