Like many people, I have a love/hate relationship with my daily commute. OK, so it’s mostly a hate relationship. But there is an upside to riding a sweaty, lurching train packed like a sardine in a can every day, and that is the opportunity to overhear and observe my fellow human beings in their natural habitats, and tweet the most interesting tidbits. So imagine my delight this morning, when I stood next to a guy wearing this:
Of course, I just had to share the moment with my Social Studies colleagues. Right then. And after asking the gentleman if I could snap his picture with my phone (and promising that his likeness would not end up on the Internet. Oops.) In just a few clicks I had tweeted the image into cyberspace and into the hands of my intended recipients.
Now imagine if I saw this guy five years ago. Best case scenario, I would’ve had my camera with me and gotten his picture. Then, I’d have to wait until I finished the roll of film, take it somewhere to get it developed, make five copies, stick them in the mail in five separate envelopes to five separate people. And by the time they got it, the joke would’ve long ago grown stale.
My mobile device, coupled with social networking tools like Twitter allow me the opportunity to let my friends in on the joke instantaneously. And that, to me, is priceless. This story is meant to illustrate another way to think about how to use these tools for your clients. What story to they have to tell that just won’t wait? What do they have to offer that will engage and entertain their target audiences as they stand squashed and cranky on a streetcar? Coco shared a great example of just what I’m getting at in his post last week.
As consumers of social media, we expect entertainment (and news) to be delivered to the palms of our hands. So, how can your client entertain me?