Marketing in 140 characters or less

Recently, Pizza Hut interviewed candidates for the position of social-media manager. The catch? Candidates had to sell themselves in an interview that lasted only 140 seconds. That’s not very long to make your case, but in the age of social media, short, concise, meaningful messages are essential. So Pizza Hut took a page from Twitter, which allows messages up to 140 characters, and gave candidates 140 seconds to land the job.

Somehow, this reminded me of a TV show I used to watch when I was a kid called “Name That Tune.” Contestants would vie to guess the tune in the fewest possible notes. It would go something like this:

• Contestant 1: “I can name that tune in 11 notes.”
• Contestant 2: “I could name that tune in 10 notes.”

Eventually, one of the contestants would challenge the other to “name that tune!”

For advisors striving to market themselves on social media, there’s a lesson there, somewhere between Pizza Hut and “Name That Tune.” And it’s this: You must be concise and recognizable at the same time.

Twitter allows you just 140 characters to communicate your message, forcing you to be direct and to the point. Can you create a vision or mission statement in 140 characters? What about a brand promise or customer service  commitment?

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