Is The British Prime Minister Following Me On Twitter? And Takeaway Lessons For Writers
Yes, I’ve hit the big time! 10 Downing St is following me on Twitter. It’s actually 100% true. But I’m not quite as well connected as it may sound.
I followed 10 Downing St on Twitter, and being polite (media savvy) Brits, they are now following me too. I check into Twitter daily and saw a 10 Downing St tweet about Gordon Brown, the British Prime Minister.
“Some may already know, but the PM has appeared on the US TV talent show American Idol to pledge 20 million mosquito nets for affected areas.”
This had just enough quirkiness for me to want to find out more. It is also testament to the changing face of public relations, communication channels and doing business.
Mosquito Nets & American Idol - An Unlikely Combination
Mosquito nets, British Prime Ministers and American Idol seem an unlikely combination. But it makes perfect sense when you have a message to go where the coverage is. American Idol and Twitter are now part of the PM’s office public relations toolkit.
Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama both use Twitter. I even saw a Twitter conversation thread used as evidence on TV’s CSI. Twitter has become mainstream.
10 Downing St Daily Twitter Vibe
Traditionally there’s daily list in the newspaper of the Prime Minister’s major diary events and functions. Twitter adds a new dimension. It’s an as it happens log of updates, communication, conversation, commentary and information gathering.
- PM at London Book Fair: Gordon Brown has taken part in a Q&A session at the Lords
- The PM has just concluded a breakfast meeting with city bankers and financiers on the global economy and the credit crunch
- PM just finished Good Morning America interview for ABC, focussed on Iraq and US-UK relations
- No10 admin in the US is tired, but surviving on strong coffee and muffins
- Africa Minister Lord Malloch-Brown wants your questions
Takeaway Lessons For Writers From 10 Downing St
Regardless of how you connect with readers or clients, there are some takeaways here for writers.
- It makes perfect sense to go where the audience is
- It’s important for your audience to feel connected and to be informed
- Finding synergies (e.g. American Idol, Mosquito Nets & Audience) requires creative thinking
- Keep in touch with your target groups through a range of means
- Encourage two way conversation and listen
- Use multi channel communication to reach a wider target audience
- Give your audience options for how they want to connect with you
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Yvonne Russell
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www.growyourwritingbusiness.com
www.smallbizmentor.com
www.homebiznotes.com
Thats pretty cool Yvonne. I noticed the 10 Downing St. icon, but being American, I didn’t think to follow.
I did see him on American Idol, though.
Laura Spencer’s last blog post..Of Note: Daily Writing Tips
Hi Laura
It’s good public relations, as I never realized how busy they are. It seems anyone who’s anyone is using Twitter these days.
At least we’re in with the in crowd (until something else comes along)
Gee, I gave up on Twitter a few months back…maybe I should start up again? I heard about the British PM using Twitter. It is amazing who you can meet up with online these days too — famous folks and weird people at the same time.
Matt Keegan’s last blog post..By: The Article Writer » Blog Archive » Is It Time To Review Your Freelance Writing Rates?
Hi Matt
I’m finding Twitter is a good business tool as well as for kicking back. There are a lot of informal but useful asides & insights which don’t make their way into blog posts - also interesting links.
BTW - Re: “famous folks and weird peole at the same time.”… You’re not calling me “weird” …are you?
Yvonne,
How in the world do you find time to Twitter … and Stumble … and all that stuff? I don’t do a good job of keeping up with blogs - I can’t imagine trying to handle all that other stuff. I admire those of you who have the ability to do it, though.
Lillie Ammann’s last blog post..Building Long-Term Client Relationships - Part 1: Why
Hi Lillie
I probably spend about 10 mins per day on Twitter. With Stumble it’s probably about 10 mins per week.
I’m convinced of the benefit of both, so I don’t see it as time out of my working week - more like an investment of time.
I’m still learning though.
I take your point. I am concerned about the number of new social media options that come out at the rate of knots as I can’t imagine keeping up with all of them.
I’ve avoided Twitter so far. Because the whole texting phenomenon is something I find really irritating.
Karen (Karooch from Scraps of Mind)’s last blog post..Does Size Matter…in scrapbooking?
Hi Karen
I was the same, but I found just a few minutes per day was a good way to find some useful info and also to catch up with others informally.
It’s 140 words or less, so it’s not rambling on like you sometimes get in a chat. I don’t find the interface all that intuitive, however.
Apr 24th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
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