Media Emerging

Twitter is in an era of rapid evolution and global experimentation. The business sector is looking for new ways to use this powerful tool. Here are 20 Twitter uses I predict will gain traction in the coming months and years:

1. Mobile Business. In traditional retail, customers have to travel to the retailer’s fixed location. Unpredictability makes mobile retail tough on customers. Imagine if you used Twitter to broadcast your location throughout the day. Your market reach goes from fixed radius to limitless in an instant.
2. Gas Prices. It should be easy enough to mash local data from GasBuddy.com or a similar source into a Twitter feed. I want to know where the cheap gas is today and forward that info to my followers.
3. Coupon Alerts. I wrote about this a few weeks ago. When Starbucks sends me a Twitter alert that a new coupon is available on its website, I’ll be standing in line within the hour.
4. Press Releases. Journalists will appreciate the ability to self-select the organizations they want news, and 140 character limit forces you to get to the point.
5. Traffic Alerts. @iamvinnie created a Charlotte traffic alert by plugging in data from WCNC’s traffic alert system and other sources. It has some bugs, but apps like this could be immensely useful to commuters once they’re refined.
6. Public Health. Twitter can help improve public health communications by providing instant updates on public health threats, alerting citizens to vaccination options, advertising blood drives, and announcing the availability of public health resources.
7. Sports Scores. Okay, so you can already get scores on your phone, but what’s one more touchpoint for a crazed fan?
8. Real-time Crime Reports. Pros: Citizens alert to danger, fast response to help police catch criminals. Cons: Reckless vigilantism? Sensationalist journalism? Ambulance chasing lawyers?
9. Political Activism. This may already be underway, but Twitter has massive potential for organizing rallies, protests, phone calls to elected officials and other democratic exercises.
10. Doctor Appointments. Whenever I need to see my doctor, he’s booked solid for four weeks straight. Wouldn’t it be nice if his office could send out a Tweet when a slot opens up?
11. Emergency Alerts. During natural disasters, power outages can make TV news an unreliable source of info. Twitter was a critical communication tool during the California wildfires. Other emergency responders should have a Twitter plan, too.
12. Emergency Response. On a similar note, imagine a rapid response volunteer army that could be deployed in a disaster. Example: Need help w/sandbags at Steele Creek church.
13. Citizen Journalism. Newspapers are laying off hundreds of employees. The industry wonders whether print will survive. Consumers want news online, and they want it as soon as it breaks. How could the news media use Twittering citizen reporters to meet that demand AND stay alive?
14. Airline Deals. Dear Southwest Airlines: Please notify me when a first-class seat from Charlotte to Denver opens up at the last minute. Thanks. Also, I’m going to use Twitter to talk you down to $100, okay?
15. Crowdsourced Concerts. Instead of Toby Keith playing a set playlist, Twittering fans call the shots. Hey @TobyKeith, play “Beer for My Horses!”
16. Restaurant Reservations. You’re supposed to meet friends at Olive Garden for dinner. Outback is slow, so they Tweet about drink specials available for the next hour. You DM Outback to reserve a table, you Tweet your friends to change plans. True social connectivity.
17. Auto Sales. Instead of screaming TV commercials, can I just choose the make and model I like, follow that car on Twitter, and receive Tweets when local dealers have cars available? There has to be some way Twitter can get rid of hovering sales reps.
18. Tech Support. When my email crashes, it would be nice to have some way to talk to my tech support team. Twitter is a reliable communication tool when the email server goes down.
19. Real Estate Reviews. Ever read a home-for-sale ad that made a home sound like paradise, only to discover it was actually a dump? Imagine how much time you’ll save by Twittering with other homebuyers who saw the house.
20. Weddings. Can I skip the boring ceremony if I glance at the Twitter highlights? You’ll find me and @thebestman at the open bar.

It’s a busy day at PRstore, so I’m reaching into my lazy bag today. Here are three books I keep front and center on my bookshelf (does a bookshelf have a front and center?):

Radically Transparent: Monitoring and Managing Reputations Online
Andy Beal and Dr. Judy Strauss

If your Internet marketing plan consists of having a Web site and nothing more, Radically Transparent is a good starting point. Monitoring your company’s reputation online is a savvy PR move. It’s also less time-consuming than you’d think. Beal & Strauss provide an easy-to-read, engaging guide to assessing and shaping what’s said about you online.
(Meet Andy Beal in Charlotte: Online Reputation Management in Seven Steps)

The New Rules of Marketing & PR
David Meerman Scott

I hate press releases. When I was a reporter, I tossed 99% of them in the trash. Most press releases serve no purpose, in my opinion, save stroking the subject’s ego. But David Meerman Scott points out that press releases aren’t just about journalists anymore. The primarily Web-centric distribution of press releases means your release is more likely to be seen directly by a consumer. What does that mean for your PR strategy? Opportunity. DMS makes a compelling case for telling your story.

Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies
Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff

You’ve read the headlines about MySpace, Facebook, blogs, and YouTube. “Too confusing,” you say. “The Web moves too fast for me,” you say. “Kid stuff,” you say. Think again. These services with goofy names are the new communication tools, and with them, public impressions of your company shift and spread faster than ever before. Ignore them if you want — you’ll regret your laziness. Li and Bernoff map out the landscape, making sense of social media for those who care what the world thinks of their companies.