Is your brand even welcome on Twitter?
Ask a Twitter user if brands are welcome on Twitter, and you're bound to get responses ranging from an emphatic "No," to "Maybe, if they're offering something useful," to "Why wouldn't they be?"
The truth is, brands are welcome. Or at least, they are as welcome as any Twitter user who is good at tweeting. Nobody likes bad messaging, whether you're talking about friends who can't resist sharing nonsensical tidbits in their Facebook feeds, or brands that saturate the airwaves with crude, obnoxious commercials. But that may be where most brands run into trouble -- they're too cultured in the ways of one-way messaging to, shall we say, play nicely with others on a platform like Twitter.
"Typical brand blast-broadcasting simply will not work in this space," Banks says. "Users demand personal, relevant, and useful information -- or they stop following. Unless it is a stream focused on opt-in unique deals and offers (like the highly successful @delloutlet), users expect insightful two-way dialogue that reveals some of the personality of the tweeter."
That's not a limitation of Twitter per se (in fact, it could be an asset for some brands), but if your brand is still getting acquainted with interactive (and many still are), Twitter might be just a tad too advanced for now. And even the brands that are a little more advanced in the digital space may have a tough time adapting to Twitter, says Paul Ratzky, interactive director at OLSON.
"For some select brands, actual brand or product info may be enough (think Disney or Apple)," says Ratzky. "But for most, a higher purpose must be in play that offers an immediate and emotional benefit. The right answer is likely different for every brand and category. [But] brands that haven't landed on this answer [and made certain that the answer is authentic] might [do] best to avoid the space for now."
The world's smallest creative
Twitter may be a boon for copywriters blessed with succinct prose and a penchant for shooting from the hip, but the reality is that microblogging is probably too small for engaging creative, says Daniel Stein, CEO and founder of Evolution Bureau.
"It's not a very good advertising vehicle in a traditional sense," Stein says. "It's difficult to create an engaging brand story and build any sort of lasting emotion behind that story."
Click Here's John Keehler seconds that point, saying that making brand clients aware of the 140-character limit is critical because anything beyond the most basic messages requires the support of outside channels such as email, other social networks, or a full-blown website.
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