On Twitter you can never be sure what you will get. And what you get can come on quickly and unexpectedly. The rush to tweet is on. But not so fast -- you don't have to be everything to everyone; planning, setting and managing expectations, establishing your message platform as well as aligning resources are essential to gaining the most value from your Twitter channel and being prepared for "what-if" scenarios.
So what if you haven't really thought about it, let alone prepared? To get your thinking going, consider some actual tweets in response to predictable scenarios, illustrated here with sales and promotional events, along with the unpredictable, such as the swine flu (H1N1) outbreak.
The illustrated scenarios began by following and monitoring brands that were relatively active on Twitter with clearly defined messaging platforms such as Moosejaw (an outdoor clothing retailer with attitude) and Tyson Foods, as well as other brands that had reasonable, active platforms. Monitoring top Twitter trends was also key to identifying these evolving and potentially challenging scenarios.
From the Colonel to Tyson Foods, Princess Cruises to MoosejawMadness, and others, here's what they would tweet -- in 140 characters or less.
Predictable, probable and possible scenarios
What would you tweet if you have a sale or a promotion and want to make the most of the messaging in regards to tone, codes, linkage, platform integration, etc.? And what if things go awry, from blips, to bloops, to blunders? Here are some direct tweets from brands when things are going right, followed by some examples from when things go wrong.
MoosejawMadness: "We've got a 20% off Sale going on spring styles from Roxy, Element, Billabong and Volcom (Use Code 741.) No Big deal. http://bit.ly/Vwxtn"
BillionDllrBabe: "Still time to save on OLIVER PEOPLES @ http://www.billiondollarbabes.com/. Take $25 off your purchase of $100 or more with code TWITTEROP. Enjoy!"
walmartdeals: "Walmart.com - George - Big Mens Cuffed Pleat-Front Wrinkle-Resistant Pants - $10.00 http://bit.ly/16DADi"
WholeFoods: "New Store Opening! Annapolis, MD. Find Muriel, Store Team Leader on Facebook & win a $250 Gift Card!"
But what would you tweet if you gave the wrong information about a promotion? Here is how a couple of brands corrected themselves.
1800flowers: "Do u know our sis brand, Plow & Hearth? Check 'em out plowhearth.com. They sent us Free Ship promo for $50+ orders 'til 4/27 Enjoy!"
1800flowers: "Minor bobo on my tweet about our sis brand. Please use code TWEET for the free ship offer on Plowhearth.com :)
Did you know that you can delete a tweet? This last tweet disappeared and was replaced with the following:
1800flowers: "Ooops.. forgot to give out the code TWEET for our sis brand Plowhearth.com free ship offer! Code is TWEET :)"
Here's how Moosejaw handled some accidental misinformation.
MoosejawMadness: "@corineaubin Actually I got that wrong. Moosejaw Rewards orders can be EXCHANGED for something else, but not RETURNED. So sorry about it."
These tweets represent some fairly typical, predictable and more easily managed "what-if" scenarios to make the most of your messaging and to correct relatively minor blips. But what do you tweet if your promotion goes totally awry?
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