Twitter and Facebook have seen explosive growth this year. This had led some industry analysts to believe that there is no longer a need to write posts on blogs because that content can live literally, to a larger or smaller degree, on Facebook and Twitter.
A recent study by PR firm Burson-Marsteller indicated that many firms are avoiding their own website posts in favor of going directly to Twitter. Further, the study showed that of the Fortune 100, 54% use Twitter and 29% use Facebook, while only 32% have their own blog.
This tactic might work for the Fortune 100 but I don’t suggest it to smaller companies. Here’s why:
Blog posts need to co-exist with Twitter and Facebook in today’s competitive marketplace.
1. Write content on your blog and increase your Google Search Rank.
Facebook status updates and Twitter “tweets” pass by quickly and don’t currently get searched by Google. Blog posting allows important content to stay prominent on your site. You can also deliver more information to your customer.
2. Twitter, used well, can increase traffic to your site and help distribute news, deals and updates quickly.
Use your 160 characters well. Talk up specials, news and deals. Use photos via TwitPic. A shortened link to the blog post you’ve just written can increase traffic to your site. Learn about how to work “in community” on Twitter, rather than creating a monologue.
3. Facebook works great to ask for opinions from and engage with your customers.
Longer updates should be fed through their Note function. This is like a mini-blog post that has RSS and HTML. It doesn’t replace blog posting since not all of your followers will use Facebook.
4. Blog followers know “you” well.
Those who follow your blog in email, by RSS feed or by return visits, exhibit a deep interest in your subject matter and content.
Success takes all three; you can’t have one without the other two.
My customer can’t get to know me in just a Twitter or Facebook update. If this is my only source of contact I lose my effectiveness. On the other hand, if I only use blogs, I miss additional, important opportunites to engage.