I’ve talked at length about Twitter because its a big topic that many people are unfamiliar with. There is a lot of pressure for companies to be cutting edge but no one wants to be the company that exemplifies failure. So how do you take advantage of Twitter and succeed?
First, its important to acknowledge that Twitter may not be right for you. Just like in any other communications or marketing medium, it doesn’t suit every company. Below are a few considerations to help determine whether you should be on Twitter or not.
1) Research and get to know the medium.
If you really want to succeed, then create your own personal account — use a handle if you don’t want to use your real name. Using Twitter yourself will allow you to realize what it is you like, and don’t like, in how other people and organizations use their accounts. Who do you choose to follow? Who do you unfollow? Why? This insight can help you avoid common pitfalls and improve the quality of your own account.
2) Consider your audience.
This is a standard refrain in all things that we do and yet many people haven’t applied it to their Twitter accounts. So ask yourself: Why would someone follow your corporate account? What do you have to offer them? Is it a valuable offering? For example, offering nothing but announcements of upcoming sales may not be useful to a broad audience, but offering advice, tips and tricks along with those notifications of sales may be. Do you anticipate your audience to be tech savvy and young? Do you want to target a professional and more experienced audience? Once you know this you’ll be more prepared for your business account.
3) Strategy — Type of posts
Consider the tone and type of posts you think is most appropriate for your account. Are you going to go for a personal approach? Do you want the voice to be a single employee, or a multiple employees? Should the Tweets be under Company ABC? Or Bob Smith, CEO? Should the tone be playful? Relaxed? Businesslike? Are there rules to what is appropriate to post?
4) Strategy — Topic
Carefully think about what value you have to offer through Twitter. Why would someone opt-in? Can you consistently offer value? What value does your company wish to get from having a Twitter account? Is it a customer service thread? Is it a public relations move?
5) Strategy — Resources & Frequency
How often will you post? If posts are infrequent there is no incentive to follow. How much resources are you going to invest? Posting often on Twitter doesn’t have to be a large draw on time. In fact, it can be fairly painless. I’d recommend doing a little research into different apps (cell, desktop) which may make it easier to manage your account.
6) Strategy — The Bad
Twitter is about dialogue and once you open that door you need to be prepared for the good and the bad. Companies who censor messages will be noticed, and called out. This kind of behavior can backfire and ruin the goodwill you are building through your Twitter account. Instead, come up with a strategy. How will you handle criticism? Will you have a set response? Responding well, including following up with the dissatisfied client, is often reported back and discussed in the blogosphere — this is ideal. (Click here to hear of an example).
Just because Twitter is a free service, don’t do yourself the disservice of not researching it as carefully as you would any other marketing campaign. And remember, like everything else, Twitter isn’t suitable for all companies. A strong communications or marketing professional will be willing to recognize this and not simply jump on the bandwagon.
The past few posts have covered a great deal of information, but there’s always something to learn. If you’ve had any questions, suggestions, feedback or advice, please let us all know in the comments. I’d love to hear from you.
As an added bonus, who is my favorite person to follow? Stephen Fry!