A friend of mine is involved with a social services agency that does outreach to lower-income people. While the agency does have a Web site, most of the outreach is done through print material.
My friend is very frustrated, especially as she believes that using social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook would be a very effective (and inexpensive) way to reach the agency's target markets.
Two myths about Twitter that my friend has to convince the agency are not true:
1. That Twitter is only available on smartphones. In fact, those applications followed Twitter's website at www.Twitter.com
2. That lower-income people do not have access to the Internet or to smartphones. While I can't quote numbers, article after article I read on this topic discusses how universal (meaning global) these phones are becoming.
In the old days, if you wanted to directly reach a certain target market, you might shoot pool at the neighborhood bar or pass out flyers in front of your neighborhood grocery store.
Today the Internet offers you the opportunity to identify where your target markets hang out online, and then affords you the opportunity to hang out there too.
Whether you have a business or a social service agency, use the Internet to locate where your target markets are hanging out online.
Then join in the conversation where they are -- and at the same time save some trees from being cut down for unnecessary and ineffecient paper communication.
(c) 2010 Miller Mosaic, LLC
Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is an Internet business consultant. Her new FREE report is “Twitter, Facebook and Your Website: A Beginning Blueprint for Harnessing the Power of 3 for Your Business” – download the report now from www.millermosaicpowerof3.com
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