This week I got an email from a client asking for some advice on how a brand (specifically their brand, obviously) should get involved in Twitter. At Leo’s suggestion I decided to respond using Forrester’s POST methodology. Read an abridged version of the reply I sent after the jump…
People:
- What audience does the brand want to appeal to…
- Customers?
- Prospects?
- Industry and thought leaders?
- Employees? (don’t forget Twitter can be used as an internal comms medium)
- An effective corporate Twitter feed should know which audience it wants to target and then provide tweets that serve their specific interests (and needs…in a very loose sense)
Objective:
- The brand’s objective(s) will be very much informed by the audience it wants to target; once that has been decided the brand should consider the following in forming its objective(s):
- How will the brand get subscribers to their feed? – once the target audience has been determined, the brand needs to get out in to the Twitterverse (thats right, if there’s a blogosphere there is *definately* a Twitterverse!) and see if the audience is already out there; if so then the brand should actively engage them – respond to their tweets and build a relationship with them. This should greatly improve the chance of them subscribing to the brands own feed
- Of course putting links to the Twitter feed on the brands website is another key way to generate a group of followers
- Twitter is not a medium for a hard-sell: having an interesting, exciting, engaging talking point is the most important thing to the Twitterverse
- Remember that Twitter is a form of ‘pull’ marketing in that people actively subscribe to a given Twitter feed; as such if a brand’s tweets aren’t engaging, interesting or arresting they will stop following the feed
- Brands must bear in mind that Twitter is a daily commitment; that means both tweeting on a daily basis as well as responding to other feeds and responding to the reponses on its own feed
Strategy:
- Having decided upon the audience and objectives the brand must plan a strategy
- Because Twitter is a constantly updating daily initiative, strategy needn’t be overly worked or complex; a lot of what the brand will do will be reactive – responding to the conversation
- Having said this, the brand should have in mind where it wants to steer the conversation
- I’d recommend that any strategy have, at its heart, a strong sense of timing – Twitter is a great medium for delivering timely and relevant message
- Use Twitter posts as a way to kick start a conversation – ask a question, say something contentious, give the lastest news, comment on the laatest news etc…
- REMEMBER: Twitter is a medium for conversation and as such this MUST be at the heart of any successful marketing startegy leveraging Twitter moreover it is a DAILY conversation
Examples:
- The following are some examples i’ve come across of good corporate Twitter feeds:
- Ford
- H&R Block
- Zappos
- SouthWest Air
- TED
- You’ll notice that all of these examples have a very informal and personal (i.e. one person tweets from a personal point of view from within the company) – its about being transparent, honest and human; brands shouldn’t tweet as ‘corporate suit brand man’, but as a person who works within the brand
And that, ladies and gents, is how I see brands best leveraging Twitter as a martketing medium. I thank you and goodnight!
I would have urged the client to pull their finger out and get on twitter. Strategizing for popularity on free tools is everything thats wrong with marketing. Sorry to be so grumpy.
No, no. You make an interesting point. Couple of thoughts by way of rebuttal however:
1) Whilst you’re right that sometimes jumping in and learning by doing is the best thing you can do – especially with free tools where the cost of making a mistake is relatively small – brands very often are a little wary of digital media and web 2.0 and don’t really ‘get it’ – as such they feel reassured if there is some strategy or process to getting involved.
2) What i’ve suggested, despite appearing long, is hardly a lengthy process. It can happen over cocktails for half an hour. It doesn’t require a committee and lots of planning. Don’t forget that whilst the tool is free, the cost of a brand employing someone to spend maybe 4-5 hours a week on this isn’t free. As a result its better they have a specific set of objectives and and startegy for achieving them so the employee knows what is expected of them and there is something measurable for the brand to quantify their activity. Whilst we might tweet as individuals for fun, for a brand it represents an investment in resources and as such they need to ensure that the activity is in some way guided – even if that guide is simply to track conversations and make their voice heard in an insightful, relevant and timely way.
Hey Matt
Asi Sharabi of Poke has come up with what I think is a game changer. You should read his second suggestion; maybe integrate it into your flow given it’s importance.
http://no-mans-blog.com/2008/12/10/twitter-rooms/#comments
And by way of counter rebuttal – If only because the term sounds so splendidly pompous.
The reason why most late adopters don’t “get it” is because one has to “do it” to “get it”.
Which brings us to my original assertion.
By way of polite warning:
I’m kinda bored poopless with “Twitter randoms” asking questions that are largely context free. They only get one chance at that before I resort to Twitter excommunication which is something I’ve just invented for the hel of it because I like to get all Papal on offenders asses.
It’s a bit like people who end a sentence in social media with “discuss” isn’t it?. I’m quite well known for my propensity to discuss and it’s somewhat embarrasing that others think they can trigger things with a didactic two syllables. I know you haven’t suggested that but the nuance of Twitter is learned not taught.
Tweet peeps who gratuitously pump out links don’t quite grasp that ‘we are what we share’ is deliciously nuanced. It has two very sharp sides.
Or is that too ambiguous Matt?
I dropped some comments on the whole Twitter Asymmetric Follow thing that is really the basis of how revolutionary Twitter really is.
http://bit.ly/LnZ4
I’d use that as the basis for a strategy chat if a client was really so emotionally cauterized that participation was unthinkable. Well anyway that is how I roll.
Hey, even Asi ate his own unguarded flatulence about Twitter
http://no-mans-blog.com/2007/02/19/i-just-farted/
He is now a thought leader on the interface, as I hope you’ve digested from his post I’ve linked to at the beginning (check out my comment in his blog. I’d forgotten I’d written it but let’s be frank. “I ROCK” to quote one of my favourite early bloggers.
Lastly a top tip from me is to refrain from refering to yourself in the third person when twittering. You finally dropped that habit on July 22nd although as you’ve only tweeted eight times since then it’s visible.
On your marks. Get set. ……
[...] ← Thoughts on brands leveraging Twitter as a marketing medium [...]
Thanks for sharing those links Charles – really interesting.
Whilst I like Asi’s idea of Twitter rooms (or a “designated shared space”) for Twitter conversations to exist online i’m not sure if its the game changer you suggest it might be. Its a cool idea for an app, heck its almost there with TweetDeck but since it is currently no more than a cool idea in Asi’s mind and not a) in existence b) widely adopted i’m not sure i’d add it t the process I have.
I agree that contextless questions and ‘discuss’ are social media no-no’s and any human or brand caught doing so should indeed feel the fire of a thousand firey pokers up their bottoms. That is why I hope you noted in my original post that I stressed how brands should integrate (and indeed ingratiate) themself with the Twitterverse by responding to tweets. Twitter is a conversation medium:iyou wouldn’t crash into a dinner party and interupt whatever the guests are saying with a non-sequitor you instead listen to what the dinner guests are discussing – add relevant insight and opinion when you have it and having done so you’re in a position to assert your own *related* topic of discussion (when it is both timely and relevant to do so).
As for my own forays in to Twitter… i’m flattered you looked me up on Twitter! You’re absolutely right to chastise my use of the thrid person (you’ll be glad to hear you’re not the first to critique my third person faux pas). All I can say in my defence was that I was young and foolish and have since seen the error of my ways. As for the lack of tweets – I jacked it in when Twitter no longer updated to my phone (pesky lack of revenue model…). However just lately I’ve returned to the Twitterverse aided by the rather marvellous TwitterFox add-on.
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woow easy there Charlie…was just a random thought…I cannot see any game changer there as well!
Terrific post matt -I very much like the POST methodology. so commonsensical and simple.
For me the key ways brand can (read: not should) engage through twitter is first and foremost for listening and monitoring . Any service company that doesn’t listen today, at the end of 2008, to the conversation must be in deep trouble. And if someone is saying bad or good thing about you, you should reach and say BIG THANKS.
Secondly, there are quick tactical things like pop-up sales announcements + special codes to experiment with as well as reaching out to fans and early adopters with launch announcements, and any other fast news breaking.
big hug to Leonardo
happy holidays chaps!
[...] while back I gave Twitter Forrester’s POST treatment as a handy-dandy cheat sheet for brands considering entering the medium. I’ve decided its about time I did similarly for [...]
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