Twitter for Dummies - Laura Fitton [40]
Regardless of whom you know on Twitter, you may want to set a few boundaries. Twitter works on the Internet, after all, and even though the Twitter community has tended to be a trustworthy one, it’s growing rather fast now. Also remember that Google indexes your tweets, so the whole Internet can see what you say. Exercise caution! Don’t blurt out sensitive information — say, your home address or phone number — in public tweets. Save those for e-mail or direct messages.
Building Company Relationships with Twitter
Many companies have found value in Twitter as a way to build awareness of their brand name, strengthen relationships with customers, provide better and more immediate customer service, and boost sales. Companies’ presences on Twitter range from individual Twitter accounts belonging to CEOs and employees, to corporate accounts for the brand run by teams of marketing or PR representatives.
Here are some of the most famous examples of companies that have gotten some positive buzz for their presence on Twitter:
Zappos.com: This online retailer was founded in the dot-com boom and is based in Las Vegas. It has fully integrated Twitter into its corporate structure. Not only does the company monitor and use Twitter for customer service and feedback, but CEO Tony Hsieh encourages Zappos.com employees to participate on Twitter to keep the world posted on what’s going on in the company. (He even has an account for his cat, El Gato, who is @el_gato.)
Of nearly 1600 Zappos.com employees, more than 400 are on Twitter, (http://twitter.zappos.com/employees) actively tweeting to one another, about their own lives and work, and, in the process, Zappos.com. Hsieh himself often responds to Twitter users if they tweet him about a problem or specific need. Hsieh and the rest of Zappos.com make sure that they’re engaged with their customer base, both current and potential. Their dedicated microsite http://Twitter.Zappos.com features Twitter searches for every brand they sell, collected tweets about Zappos, and an amalgamation of every employee’s tweets and profiles.
Comcast: After serious issues with negative connotations to their brand name, this cable company took Twitter by surprise (although they had been actively listening to Twitter for two months when they did) and established the Comcast Cares account (@comcastcares), run by Frank Eliason, the company’s director of “digital care.” Frank now has a team of employees on Twitter who handle customer service, helping as many as they can and backed up by the ability to escalate problems directly into Comcast’s executive customer service department. How this will scale remains to be seen, but Frank’s team is extremely dedicated and inspiring and has attracted substantial press coverage and goodwill toward the company.
Dell: This computer manufacturer has also had some branding issues. At one point, customers filled a popular anti-Dell Web site with negative feedback and derogatory remarks. The company countered with a strong social media program that now includes real people behind active Twitter accounts, such as @RichardAtDell, offering customer service support and Twitter-only discount deals (DellOutlet) that led to over a million in sales. Dell, which also maintains a Twitter-focused microsite at www.dell.com/twitter, is engaging with customers in several innovative ways thanks to Twitter’s ability to enable real-time interactions and on-the-ball responses.
In fact, companies in all kinds of industries are using Twitter effectively. Here is just a tiny sampling of some companies that do business related to food, drink, and nightlife:
The Roxy Theater (http://twitter.com/theroxy)
21st Amendment (http://twitter.com/21stamendment)
Flying Dog Ales (http://twitter.com/flyingdog)
Elanas Pantry (http://twitter.com/elanaspantry)
Pangaea Organica (http://twitter.com/pangaeaorganica)
Templeton Rye (http://twitter.com/templetonrye)