Are You Bitter Over Twitter?

Newspapers, Magazines, and Marketers  (even google) can learn something from the little blue Bird.

The recent slow deaths of multiple magazines and newspaper have people scraping over the future of print. Many have stated that newspapers and magazines could not compete with that little blue bird that has millions of followers. In fact, last night’s tabloid news program solemnly informed his audience that “Print is officially dead” and you could catch the obituary by conducting a twitter search on Conde Naste to get the latest information.

But, is print really dead? For example, using your laptop in the bathtub to read an on line magazines can be risky. All kidding aside, is the fall of newspapers, magazines and even direct mail due to content overload, or just the content is not relevant or conversational. In the old days, pre- 1999, the average periodical was first researched and written, then printed, and finally the content was distributed. In fact, I can remember pouring over the card catalog at my local library to find topics, next hunt for the books from the library shelves, next I plopped down on a desk, and finally scouring for the relevant information to write my college papers.

Between 2002-2008, it was a different process. Most information was first googled using a keyword, followed by the readers clicking on to multiple websites and reading, and then compiling the information for print. At this point, content was king, and it did not matter if it came from the Times or the WSJ – this was the beginning of the end.

But in 2009, the game changed again. Today, Tweeters get their research, news or info on any topic from their network of followers. And different from the old 2008 method, this conversation provides instant feedback, answers, additional information, viewpoints, suggestion’s from hundreds and sometimes thousands of network experts. In fact, no one on twitter even cares about content indexing, or search engine ranking. That little bird flipped the bird.

So advice to those left in the feathers: be sure your marketing strategy includes tactics that encourage “conversations” within your customer segments. Leverage your existing customer data via data analytics to drive these conversations in form of micro promotions, relevant content, information, and imagery. Use multiple touch points in the conversation including offline print (statements and direct mail) in conjunction with online vehicles such as web and email, and of course social media to keep the conversation going. Remember “birds of a feather – flock together” so get your conversation started.