Let The Governor of Iowa Speak...

I like Chet Culver.  There, I've said it.  I like him because, to me, he has always seemed like "one of the guys".  A former teacher and coach, I've always thought of him as being somebody that you could sit down with and have a serious conversation or a cold beer. Or, both at the same time.  I also see him as a leader who in his heart has the best interests of all Iowans.  Of course, I also liked Terry Branstad, Tom Vilsack, Bob Ray and Harold Hughes.  (Some of you are, right now, doing a Google search for Harold Hughes...I know you are.)   During my years in Iowa I have had the pleasure of sitting down with all of these men and each treated me with kindness and seemed to have a sincere interest in what I had to say.   Guess  I'm an "equal opportunity" sort of guy when it comes to the leaders of our state, no matter the political party.

Those of you who follow this blog or our radio show, Insight on Business, know we talk plenty about the use of Social Media for business.  One of our favorites is Twitter.  We see it as a business tool.  We use it to learn about breaking news stories, interact with clients and potential clients.  We use it to watch consumer trends and we use it to communicate...to relate and to build relationships.

That's why we were excited to see @GovChetCulver pop up on Twitter.  "All right!  The governor of our state is going to join with the governor of Michigan, @GovGranholm, and others and begin a conversation with Iowans who live here and elsewhere.  What a great opportunity!"  But then we noticed all of his Tweets were in the third person, "Come and see Governor Culver do XYZ today at..." or "Gov. Culver today announced that...."

We don't want Phil or another staffer communicating with us....we long for the Governor to pick up his Blackberry and let us know what is on his mind.  What he has to say to the people and then listen to what the folks of Iowa have to say to him.  That is the real beauty of Twitter.

So, Governor, ask the staffer to put away the keyboard and let's build a relationship...  You will be amazed at the support you'll get and the insight you'll receive.

Michael P. Libbie - Insight Advetrtising, Marketing & Communications - @MichaelLibbie or @InsightADV