One cannot refute the success and adoption of Twitter. It has filled a basic human need to stay in contact with people that you are interested in, or who are interested in you...

1. icrossing PoV:
Written by:
brad Harrington
Chief Innovation Officer, iCrossing
APril 2009

2. icrossing PoV: TWITTER APRIL 2009
One cannot refute the success and adoption of Twitter. It has filled a basic human
need to stay in contact with people that you are interested in, or who are interested
in you. And because it is limited to 140 characters it actually doesn’t take that
much time to update, read and stay connected. The real value comes from the fact
that the ordinary person can stay in contact with the extraordinary.
This is the new world we live in.
For brands it’s important to understand how and why to use Twitter. In many cases,
when a company has an engaged and dynamic CEO, it allows others to peek into
a world that they are interested in and assuming this interaction is positive in
nature, there is probably no better way to build affinity for a brand than through
the people who drive and embody that brand.
© 2009 ICROssIng. ALL RIgHTs REsERVED. 2

3. icrossing PoV: TWITTER APRIL 2009
engAging WitH tWitter
The original intent of Twitter, getting users to answer the question “what are you doing?”
has been superseded by a community of creative users finding new uses for the service.
As a result, Twitter has been turned into a highly-versatile form of communication that
presents us a number of engagement opportunities:
complementing existing content
You can use Twitter to complement our existing content (such as blog posts or press releases) by creating a
new distribution channel for them. Where possible, existing content can be translated into Twitter format by
summarizing it and ensuring it meets the character parameters that Twitter requires (140 characters). It can then
be delivered to subscribers through an RSS Feed (or “streams” as they are known in this format). This enables
content to reach a new audience and/or be delivered in an alternative format.
Promoting original content
Provided you have compelling content to add, it is possible to make Twitter a source of original content. As
Twitter tenure among its user base lengthens, you will find user behavior shifting toward a preference for content
delivered in the Twitter format. However, content must be suitable for the audience and the platform.
Drawing attention to a promotions or sponsorships
Twitter can be used to support a specific marketing campaign or promotion. Fox TV was one of the first
entertainment companies to promote one of their entertainment products through a micro-blog platform. They
used Twitter to promote their new series “Drive” and had almost 1000 people following updates as the show ran
last season.
listening and responding to consumer conversations
A growing number of companies are monitoring what is being said about their brands via Twitter as part of a
comprehensive effort to monitor the social media space. Comcast, Dell, General Motors, Zappos and Kodak
are among a handful of companies monitoring Twitter. Micro-blog conversation tracking tools such as Summize
(Twitter’s own sentiment tracking tool) can present low-cost useful brand-monitoring opportunities, and also lead
to legitimate direct engagement with consumers. When TechCrunch blogger Michael Arrington tweeted about his
frustration with his Comcast internet service, a company executive contacted him within 20 minutes attempting
to resolve the problem.
If users are broadcasting brand-related commentary on Twitter, then an engagement plan should be created. If
monitoring efforts turn up a substantial amount of commentary, it may be an indication that you need to devote
official support resources to Twitter. While these users may only be a small percentage of the customer base,
they may be a vocal and influential group.
creating a new customer support channel
Providing customers with support on Twitter could generate a substantial amount of good will and brand affinity.
This often leads to customer service escalations and to reversals of opinion. There are numerous examples of
perturbed Twitterers who enjoyed rapid remedy after Tweeting a complaint then becoming brand allies.
© 2009 ICROssIng. ALL RIgHTs REsERVED. 3

4. icrossing PoV: TWITTER APRIL 2009
MAnAging tWitter risks
Acquiring followers
Corporations participating in Twitter tend to find it harder to acquire followers than personal accounts. This will
vary dependent on the strategy adopted, but in general you will need to promote your feed to acquire followers.
Just following users and hoping they follow you back is not the best method. You should consider adding a
badge or a link to your blogs. Include the Twitter link in signatures, press releases and customer newsletters. Also
perhaps add to event invites.
Managing bloggers
If your colleagues are interacting directly with consumers then you must ensure that they are aware of general
principles of managing risks in social spaces. You should give your colleagues the freedom to interact with their
audience directly, helping to promote the human side of the company.
Protecting consumer information
This is a relatively new concern as companies like Comcast provide actual customer support on Twitter. Company
spokespeople on Twitter should insist that consumers do not publicly share private information, and use more
secure methods of transmitting personal data, like phone numbers and account numbers, for the purpose of
customer support.
Micro-blogs give critics a forum
Twitter participants can be influential within the community and negativity can spread. However, this does give
us the means to study them and devise solutions to their problems.
not listening to followers
Failure to listen and reply to followers can breed negativity towards the brand’s presence on Twitter. Make sure
you reply when possible and balance the level of listening you do as well as talking. It is definitely supposed to be
an interactive program.
Twitter will continue to evolve with experimentation and evolution, and undoubtedly interesting, proactive social
campaigning will emerge and be extremely effective. The beauty of Twitter is its timeliness and in the socially-
connected world we live in, where information is our currency, Twitter wins by the shear fact of its immediacy. It
presents a new, unique opportunity to connect with users that all brands should seriously consider.
@icrossing
© 2009 ICROssIng. ALL RIgHTs REsERVED. 4