A Few Ideas On How AEC Firms Could Use Twitter

Unless you have been living a magical life under the sea, you know what Twitter is.

If you don't, read this.

Once you do, read on.

Recently I've been thinking a lot about the functionality + usage of Twitter.  I like the concept but I don't particularly like how it's used by a lot of people.  

It's a lot like person-to-person networking: Ever walk into a room for a networking event and 80% of the people you meet are talking about themselves, how great they are or how great their company is?  That's Twitter in digital form.  But there are other uses too.

So, anyhow through some general pondering I've come up with a short list of ways AEC firms can use...and I mean really use--not just toot your own horn or talk about how the weather is today.

Project Management:  You can use Twitter updates to keep members of the team informed--this goes for any complex project.  Even have folks sign up for mobile updates without even having a Twitter account. (just get them to text "follow @(your username)" to 40404)  Send out resource links, deadline reminders and celebrate milestones.  Make sure you're sensitive to whether the updates should be private or public (change this in Twitter settings).  Plus, you keep people informed with simple communication even when they're out of the office.

Internal/External Marketing:  Let stakeholders both inside your firm and out know what's going on.  Communicate job postings and company events.  Share success stories and promote internal/external initiatives to stakeholders.  Did your firm just implement a new policy?  Have you purchased new software that will help streamline a process?  Are you hosting a Client BBQ?  Let the people who care know.

Process/Change Management:  Let's say IT recently installed some new software.  Keep users informed about training, software updates and best practices.

Ultimately it boils down to your company's needs.  Twitter is a nice tool to enhance communication.  All you need is an audience!