#welovethenhs: Twitter sets the media agenda… but who sets the Twitter agenda?
In the wake of #welovethenhs, the campaign that put the Conservative Party on the defensive, it has become clear that Twitter has the ability to set the news agenda.
Many thousands of tweets in support of the NHS apparently crashed the site and Labour acted quickly to associate itself with the campaign. But #welovethenhs was not a Labour Party initiative it was sparked by a TV comedy writer. The Twitter campaign worked because it had real support. It was a spontaneous.
Nevertheless, the lessons for public relations professionals are unclear. That there was no backlash to the prime minister’s tweet shows it’s okay to jump on the bandwagon, if you’re credible and you do it right. But spontaneous campaigns cannot be easily manufactured and might erupt at any moment.
If you’re on the wrong end, expect to be battered.
Twitter success can only come through hard work. Nobody will follow a corporate brand with an obvious sales agenda. A successful agenda setting Tweeter is someone who’s been around long enough to gather an army of followers who follow because they are engaged and whose trust has already been won.
Comments (No comments)
There are no comments on this post so far.
Post a comment