5. Engage in conversations and customer service
I saved the most important Twitter tip for last: Twitter is about conversations, not monologues. Old-school, one-way marketing is at best quaint and at worst annoying in this two-way world of social media. Twitter is about talking with people, not merely at them. While publishing content and creating personality are starting points and should be components of your Twitter strategy, it shouldn't stop there.
First, make friends on Twitter. If people follow you, follow them too. You're creating a community around your brand, not a soapbox for you alone. Barack Obama succeeds on Twitter because visiting his page feels like entering a community of like-minded folks, unlike Hillary Clinton's Twitter page, which feels like an empty room.
Obama's Twitter page
Clinton's Twitter page
Second, reply to others. This critical component of your Twitter activity makes all the difference, because it shows you want to engage with customers and listen to them. When people make a comment or ask a question, respond quickly and authentically. Respond like a real person, not like a marketing robot. Here's a typical conversation JetBlue engages in on Twitter:
- Customer: @jetblue where can I find your checked bag policy? Does a car seat count as an extra bag?
- JetBlue: children's car seats don't count as a second checked bag (and can also be gate checked if you find that easier)
- Customer: Thanks much. I'm ready to be a happy jetter tomorrow
This simple dialogue answers a customer's question, and because Twitter is a public forum, it also informs other customers and displays JetBlue's responsiveness and service.
Other companies such as Network Solutions use Twitter to respond to requests for improvements:
- Customer: Network Solutions Hosted DNS service does not allow SPF, TXT or PTR records of any kind. I don't understand how that is possible.
- Network Solutions: I know we are adding features to the DNS. I can have someone give you more details. My contact http://tinyurl.com/6gsz66
- Customer: props to Network Solutions @netsolcares for offering to speak to me after I bitched about their service.
- Network Solutions: Thanks. Your feedback is the stepping stone for our improvements.
Finally, be proactive in starting conversations. Listen for mentions of your brand, read them, and take the lead in starting a conversation. Here's an example of how Comcast reached out to a customer who said something about them:
- Customer: my comcast internet has been down since yesterday. so not cool, comcast. esp w ur already low customer satisfaction #s
- Comcast: Can I help?
- Customer: i tweeted about my 24hrs of dead comcast internet and @comcastcares answered my cry for help in secs. No. 2999 why i am in awe over Twitter! plus i have a new found respect for comcast. thank you, @comcastcares
- Comcast: DM the phone number on the account and let me take a look
Imagine the surprise a customer experiences when, after he or she rants about Comcast, a helpful person from Comcast sends them a message and earnestly tries to help. Helping one customer at a time where everyone can see it can make a real difference in brand sentiment. And those good experiences are being shared beyond Twitter, where blog entries and word of mouth generate broader benefits.
Because success on Twitter requires these types of back-and-forth interactions, it requires dedication and resources. You can't create a Twitter account, post a press release once a month, and expect an instant audience of thousands. Companies such as Comcast and JetBlue are having an impact because they are willing to have personal, authentic conversations with customers. In an era where messaging is the standard, one-to-one conversations stand out.
Steve Mulder is director of emerging interactions at Molecular.
