Rockland County Businesses Put the Twitter Bluebird to Work (Part 2 of 2)
In this blogpost (Part 2 of 2), Stephanie (aka @RocklandBizBuzz) takes another look at how some Rockland County businesses are utilizing Twitter today.
Part 1 of this blogpost took a look at how some businesses in Rockland County are utilizing Twitter today. We heard from a family-owned lumber business, a Rockland County website for women/moms, a motor skill development/gymnastics center, and a local music entrepreneur. With a variety of businesses specialties comes a variety of perspectives, so in this blogpost (Part 2 of 2), I interviewed more of our Rockland neighbors who represent other types of businesses, in order to gain additional perspectives on how Rockland County businesses are using Twitter.
As any "news junkie" will tell you (I 'resemble that remark' by the way!), it is notable that one of the first industry areas who saw, and continues to see, great value in Twitter was/is the media industry. Richard Gandon (aka @RamapoTimes on Twitter) is the publisher of Ramapo Times, an online-only news portal with over 25,000 email subscribers. During our interview, he described Ramapo Times as “community news, by the community, for the community” that aims to “keep the Ramapo community and its neighbors informed and engaged”. According to Gandon, Twitter “gives Ramapo Times the ability to inform the public quickly in a non-intrusive way”. This may be seen daily, as @RamapoTimes' tweets often state a news headline in the tweet, then provide a clickable link back to the news website so readers can get the full story. Gandon also commented on the importance of not only broadcasting, but also listening on Twitter. He explains, “Listening (on Twitter) allows us (Ramapo Times) to get a pulse for what the community is talking about.”
Gloria Collins, owner of GBCstyle, also sees great value in Twitter, and sometimes directly addresses this fact with enthusiastic tweets about how Twitter is helping bring together the local Rockland community when she tweets as @GBCstyle. Collins, who said the emphasis of her tweets is often about "sustainable designs, organic produce, eco-friendly goods, and especially support for local farmers" also likes the immediacy and connectivity created not only locally, but beyond as well. During our interview, Collins expressed her excitement at how she enjoys listening to, and tweeting with, thought leaders in her field that live/work beyond Rockland, and how she can then bring back helpful information to share with her Rockland County neighbors. She delights in her newfound access to tweet back and forth with leaders in her field who share her passions of healthy living, respecting the environment, and supporting local community, and local farmers in particular.
In general on Twitter, tweets can often inform or entertain, but one Rockland County business owner is setting herself apart by writing tweets that are tantalizing! Eileen Hughes, co-owner of Lanie Lou's cafe in Blauvelt (aka @LanieLousCafe), who describes herself as "interested in social media", often writes tweets that whet the appetite. (For example, one of her recent tweets described food items just out of the oven with delicious adjectives!). Her tweets also serve double-duty in that they inform her customers about the specials of the day, whether it be the soup specials, or which varieties of pies are featured on Friday "pie days". Hughes sees the customer service application of tweeting. She explained that her decision to add a Twitter widget to her cafe's website was somewhat based on the customer calls she would receive at the cafe, which very often are inquiries about daily specials.
There are also differences not only in how Rockland area businesses are utilizing Twitter, but also in how they are making choices about Twitter names. Some owners of businesses that serve Rockland County make the decision to tweet under their company names, while others have decided to tweet under their personal names. Dr. Jill Greenbaum, owner of www.majorinyou.com is one such example; she tweets as @JillGreenbaum. With regard to her decision to tweet under her personal name, she explains "in my business-coaching-it's all about developing personal relationships." Greenbaum describes her role as "to coach overwhelmed/anxious teens to engage in their college searches w/ confidence & excitement" and "finding colleges (for them) that are the right fit". She explains the success she has experienced using her personal Twitter handle for business: "I have used Twitter to successfully network and further relationships with existing colleagues, discover new colleagues, do research/solicit information and resources for a few of my projects, and to be more connected with people I will want to work with in the future." Greenbaum also explains that she appreciates the efficiency and speed of Twitter as compared with some other social media, "I follow several of my coaches and mentors and love to stay up to date on what they're talking about, learning, and doing (and) Twitter gets me to resources faster and more frequently than Facebook."
Whether Rockland County business owners and leaders are tweeting under their company's brand, or their personal names, whether they are using Twitter to inform, entertain, encourage local support, tantalize, or help, one overall trend seems clear- Rockland County is quickly becoming (bad pun alert, here it comes:) "all a-Twitter" with excitement. Still, it is important to point out that most interviews I conducted for both Part 1 and Part 2 of this blogpost indicated that at this time business owners believe that more Rockland customers are active on social media such as Facebook and LinkedIn than on Twitter. Will this change? Will it change soon? Only time will tell. You can be sure that I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for changing trends and new developments and will continue to share with you what I observe and discover, here on RocklandBizBuzz.blogspot.com, via @RocklandBizBuzz on Twitter, and on Facebook at Rockland BizBuzz.
-Posted by Stephanie 12:35pm ET Friday October 9, 2009
Questions/Comments/Feedback?
Stephanie may be reached via social media or via email at RocklandBizBuzz@gmail.com
