Using opinion leaders on Twitter to amplify PR and marketing messages

Abstract

This project is a component of a larger social media campaign assignment for a client (usually a nonprofit). Students are tasked with using the microblogging tool, Twitter, to amplify the reach of their campaign via a retweet (RT) by an opinion leader or "celebrity." Over the course of the semester, students build a Twitter campaign, sending messages about their client to their personal followers. Along the way, students will try to appropriately engage a "celebrity" Twitter account by @ing them in messages about their cause (putting the celebrity's Twitter handle within the message), perhaps even directly requesting a RT by that celebrity. If the opinion leader is persuaded to tweet about the client or RTs the student's tweet to their many followers, this could be a game changer for the campaign. A RT to that many followers would be a huge coup to any PR or marketing campaign because of the large new audience that will be viewing the message. That new audience may, in turn, RT the message again (further amplifying the message), and also may start following the student for more news about the campaign and/or the client. © 2013 Woodhead Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.