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Twitter has featured heavily in the news of late, from twitterers breaking news tales ahead of the news wires, to the power of the user community making and hurting brands.
Marketing professionals instinctively know they need to be in this space, but how; in what capacity; with what investment and what are the returns going to be? These are all valid questions and all deserve attention.
So, letâ??s take a step back and look at how Twitter is currently making an impression and some things to consider when deciding when to peep.
The Golden Rules:
1. Donâ??t Sell
First and foremost, Twitter, like any other social media channel is about community. The individuals that are there are not there to be sold to. So, rule number one is: Donâ??t push sales through this channel. First and foremost, this place is about communication and community.
2. Get Involved
Even if following users might provide companies insights into what the Twitter community is talking about, the point is to give information as well as receive it. Posting useful news about your brand or sector might end with your company gathering a host of followers that could very well become, depending on what you have to say, your brand advocates.
3. Add Value
The point of using Twitter is to place forward information. If your acquaintances are following you, you might feel comfortable talking about your morning walk into work. If a brand does that, users might find it a bit odd. So if youâ??re going to post information, which by all means you should, make it useful and relevant to your business, whether itâ??s about your company specifically or a touch relating to your industry. Twitterers tend to follow people that “peep” about things theyâ??re interested in, so keep information up to date and relevant.
4. Respond
Like most things, there are rules of etiquette that should be followed. When people follow you itâ??s because theyâ??re interested in what you have to say. When they “re-peep” what youâ??ve said itâ??s because theyâ??ve found it valuable enough to share. When a name takes the distress to comment on what youâ??ve tweeted, itâ??s only polite to respond, even if you donâ??t automatically like what they have to say.
This is where the real opportunity for user engagement lies. You can set up alerts that go straight to your in-box letting you know when people are talking about your brand. Whether the conversation is negative or positive, you can use this as a tool to reach people on a real personal amount. But whatever you do, do not try to choke the conversation. Allowing people to have their say is what Twitter is based on.
5. Watch your mouth (or be ready for the consequences)
Last month an ad outfit expressive was flying into FexEx Global Headquarters in Memphis to present on digital media on behalf of their outfit, Ketchum. Upon his arrival, he sent out the following peep:
“Right declaration but Iâ??m in one of those towns where I scratch my head and say â??I would die if I had to live here.â??”
The peep was picked up by a FedEx employee who promptly emailed it to all Directors and management within FedEx. The result was an mad letter to the offending twitterer regarding the amount of cash spent with his outfit and how offended FedEx was at the peep.
The moral of this tale is be careful about what you peep and be prepared to react to any negative response.
6. Be patient, be persistent
Engaging in social media takes time and stanchness and the things are not permanently immediate. But, through count value to the community, you can start to see the audience grow. What you mustnâ??t do is neglect this channel once you get started, otherwise, your followers will get bored and “unfollow” you. So, being consistent is vital. Over time, you may see more and more individuals following what you have to say, responding to you and giving you insights into what is happening in your marketplace. So, direct financial ROI might not be apparent, but by being a long term contributor to Twitter, you can be doing your brand a world of excellent. (As long as you pay attention to rules one to five)
Other Elements to Consider:
Measurability
One of the statements Iâ??ve heard a lot is, “It sounds excellent in theory, but I donâ??t reckon weâ??ll get anything out of it. If I canâ??t get a direct ROI, I canâ??t justify the investment.”Â
I awesome sight at this attitude given that the volume of budget that is spent on habitual marketing where accountability is hard (and in some cases) impossible to measure. With Twitter, you can monitor how many people are following you and set up alerts to tell you when your brand is mentioned.
You can add news pieces and blog posts to your tweets that can be tracked back to your site. Also, in some cases, people re-tweeting what you have to say can add to your overall link popularity if they include the URL. In addition, because Twitter is based on people following you because they are interested in what you have to say, it is consent based. Just donâ??t abuse this by trying to sell.
Being part of the Twitter community is about communication, engagement, value and trust. As long as you remember this when stepping into this channel, you can soon start to see the benefits of the rapidly growing network.
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