Barack Gets It

This is not a post to talk about the candidates from a for/against standpoint. This is a commentary on a Twitter message I received from Barack Obama today. A few months ago, when I signed up for Twitter, I was thrilled when I found Obama, and I immediately started following him. OK, following one of his staffers posting on his behalf, but whatevs.

I loved hearing about where he was campaigning, as this was still in the midst of the Clinton/Obama battle. I liked the updates on upcoming speaches, and links to where I could see them live. But today, I received a post that blew me away. The Twitter said, "Announcing the VP candidate sometime between now and the Convention by txt msg & email. Text VP to 62262 or visit www.barackobama.com/vp."

You better believe I sent that text! I, like the rest of the country, am dying to know. And, just the mere possibility of me being "in the know" before any one else is exciting! It makes me feel involved in his campaign, invested somehow.

I have had lots of conversations lately with clients and industry folks about Twitter. What it is, how it works, but most importantly, how it can work for them. I think this is a perfect example. With a message that took 5 seconds to send, I become excited, intrigued, and more interested in Barack Obama.

This is something that local companies can easily do as well. In fact, they can Twitter far easier than all of the other social media out there. When you have something interesting to say, your fans WANT to know about it. When they have an inside scoop, it makes them feel important, almost invested in the goings-on of you business. And, when customers feel invested, it is very likely they feel loyal at the same time.