Tweet-tastic!

We're a NASCAR site. Not exactly the type of demographic most folks associate with technologically savvy consumers. But as our analytics have been showing us recently, that is a big-time mistake. In the last three months, the traffic and energy we are getting from our Twitter outrach has really blown us away. Month over month, the amount of visitors we are getting from Twitter is up almost 300%, and the Facebook number are not far off. These tools are extremely important contributors to our traffic and our sense of connectedness with fans, which is the single most powerful competitive advantage we have.

Sure, there are bigger NASCAR sites, larger communities. But none are as loyal, active, or dependable as Rowdy's. I think the main reason for this is that we have given ourselves total freedome to be ourseleves wherever we reach out. Our Twitter presence mirrors our podcast which mirrors our blog posts which mirrors our web policies. We are open, honest, respectful, responsive, and consistently real in all cases, and it has borne sweet fruit.

NASCAR fans are actually very technically savvy. They have Twitter accounts. They have Facebook pages, and they like the technology of racing. They are also very good at sniffing out BS. So when we post, or tweet, or podcast, or create video, we stay real.

So? What's your point, Rusty? My point is that there is a lot of chatter recently, especially in PR circles, about who should be talking for brands, and with which voice. How much openness is appropriate? Can the CEO afford to have his tweets ghost-written? Should a company have "social media policies?" I think the very fact that we even have to ask that question says a lot. At Rowdy, we have always been well-served by total openness and frankness. Other businesses might have other requirements that make that impossible. But I think it is a goal worth striving for as much of the time as possible becuase in this age of social media, fake tweets and posts WILL bite you eventually.

What do you think?