Can Twitter Work for Economic Development?

I’m hearing from a lot of economic development organizations who want to get involved with social media. Some are interested in Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, etc., but almost everyone I hear from is interested in Twitter. Although most are not sure if Twitter will work for econoimc development or what it is they should be tweeting about.

One of the first things you should do is develop a separate social media strategy so that you understand what it is you want and the specific policies surrounding it. Once that’s done, here are some ideas on what to tweet about.

Share what’s going on – I’m not saying you need to share every little thing that goes on in your organization but share the important things. For instance, your community has recently won an award or your organization played a key role in a business expansion or relocation.

Communicate your Vision or Mission – What is your community striving for and how are you, as economic development, doing things to help realize that vision?

Talk about trends – Many organizations are using Twitter to not only talk about themselves but to discuss trends in their industry. This can be true for economic development organizations. Discuss best practices in the industry or talk about trends you are seeing locally, nationally or internationally.

Recognize key players in your community – There are many ways you can share the things that are happening in your community. What company is thriving, what company is doing something unique, what individual is working towards making your community a better place to live?

Be receptive – Twitter is still evolving and your organization needs to be flexible to adapt to a changing environment. What starts out as sharing information about your community may evolve into something completely different. Be aware of who is following you and the type of response you are getting to help forecast your Twitter future.

Ask questions – Twitter can be an excellent resource for finding out information. Don’t be afraid to ask a question. For instance, perhaps your community is struggling with how to help local businesses, put the question out to see who is doing something that your community may be able to adopt.