Great article...I am my brand personality...I am Truemanity.
Cindy
· 9 months ago
Cool article!
Jeff Pester
· 9 months ago
Good points, but I have to take exception to # 4 on your list (Re Don't use Twitter as an RSS feeder). I think there is great value in this, and many bloggers will tell you how popular it's becoming among their readers.
For me personally Twitter has virtually replaced my use of RSS. Now, you might want to create a separate "feeder only" account if you don't like the idea of mixing personal with broadcast tweets, but make no mistake about it - For many people Twitter IS the new RSS reader.
ap
· 9 months ago
This is one of those things were you're going to have mixed reviews. I don't use an RSS feed. I just click on the names of the people I follow from 7-9a.m. See what I've been missing or just favorite an update for later. It works for me.
Dave Andrews
· 9 months ago
I agree with Jeff Pester's comment. I use Twitter to get my RSS feeds for CNN, ESPN, and many others.
Companies may want two Twitter accounts - 1. Basic Twitter 2. Twitter with RSS for their brand and let the Users know what they are getting.
While you mention tech savy people knowing what RSS is try to explain it to everyday Users and them have that User set up a reader. One of the beauty's of Twitter is that it is simple and open. I can have my clients get a Twitter account and they do not need to get RSS feeds so everything is in one location.
Some companies do abuse RSS in their twitter feed and I usually un-follow them. Companies need to find a balance.
sethuram
· 9 months ago
Great post Kai !!
ap
· 9 months ago
I disagree with number 2. People understand other people that communicate the same way i.e. I mesh well with clients that rely on text and emails. The clients that want to communicate by telephone are within a two words: demanding and needy (not really) but you get my point, right? Yes, I totally agree. When you imitate and it's not genuine, you will know it ASAP. Then again, text is read not necessarily spoken, unless read out loud. So, semantics may not matter since the reader has their own reading and speaking style. Just a thought.
Bilal Jaffery
· 9 months ago
I use twitter to connect with my market as well. IBM's Lotus Foundations main focus is small businesses and who better than their marketing manger to connect directly with the small businesses on twitter.
@bilaljaffery
ecommerce web design
· 9 months ago
Great advice for Twitter newbies and reminders for seasoned Twitterholics . Nice work!
Great tips Kai! I think as more and more people get on Twitter it's important to remember these key factors. Most people and companies are definitely moving away from the generic (and apparent) RSS feeds, as well as the spam tweets - because they'll just find themselves losing followers if they keep it up. And keeping up a constant stream of communication and interaction is important as well.
mcmilker
· 9 months ago
Excellent post!
Your point about considering developing your online voice as a branding exercise is right on. I do however disagree" that This is a different sort of voice than the one companies have been familiar with in their traditional print and broadcast media channels". I think one of the key issue is maintaining the message across media. Yes, it is a more open voice on Twitter - but that is because it is a conversation - the "voice" should be the same as a brand has already established...but in a different context.
As a teacher has a voice or personality when speaking to her students, but a different tone when speaking with a colleague. - brands on twitter must speak to customers as partners, rather than as lecturers. Twitter helps the brand to develop its voice further.
Your point about "who" will be the voice of Twitter is great and a topic that should be discussed. With my clients I've recommended in-house personnel, but I provide extensive training and hand holding in the beginning. This is the in-between, more cost-effective approach that may be appropriate for some clients. While younger members of the marketing staff are tech savvy, they often need help with translating brand strategy and message into tweets. A few months of training and monitoring of tweets is a better way, I beleive of getting the best of both worlds. In-house staff can much more easily handle customer service issues and promotions on Twitter - that is the goal after all- conversation.
The experienced outside trainer can help guide the inhouse person toward focused links, interesting topics to discuss/blog and help him or her attract followers and develop his or her own voice.
I think it can be difficult to find a person inside or outside who : already speaks in the brand's voice AND knows the company AND how to effectively develop a Twitter voice. A partnership between an inhouse expert on the company and an outside expert on marketing on Twitter is the better path to follow toward building a successful brand on Twitter.
clcdan
· 9 months ago
Look, even though our website is a mix of website styles (it is generationally adjusted, as a community college moves its students through quicker, generally speaking) the content is our brand and is created (with very little moderation) by students or staff, depending on their expertise or their mood! On twitter, however, we actually use a combined, moderated approach to the twitter "transmission" in order to create a "Team Tweet" - a different approach than how we use movable type or Vox or Vimeo or ustream or our blogs. When there is a tweet in the "cue", at least "2 and 1" must vote it up to "the top" for OUT cuing (will actually be sent ASAP) as "clcradio". ("2 and 1" = 2 DJs and one student Staffer or faculty manager/advisor if no student Staffer is available). If an RSVP to the tweet-in-line isn't committed within 10 minutes of submittal, the tweet goes out without a vote (this last bit keeps everyone on their toes, there have been mishaps). This keeps the tweets fresh and hopefully in context. We tend to break this option on purpose when there is a customer service issue either with our listeners (rare) or our providers (constant).
Simon Stapleton
· 9 months ago
I like your approach Kai. It suggests that we need to be structured about our approach. A big Twitter following must be considered as a valuable asset, and treated as such. We should employ all the same sensible caution as we would do with any other channel, but the messages we tweet are different - less intrusive and more considerate of the value we add to the community. I used to consider tweeting in the early days as just an information blast, but Twitter has developed much more into a fabric of micro-communities, where Retweets are growing as a key measure... and risk if the message isn't appropriate.
Paula Dauncey
· 9 months ago
Great article Kai. I like point 5 in particular and think that it's not just about what you want to communicate but who you are communicating to.
JulieWilliams
· 9 months ago
Like everything about www.Agency.com they talk about IA so clearly
George Nimeh
· 9 months ago
As Sam would say, Boom! Great article Kai. Good to see you last night. @iboy
Excellent point on going back to an "earlier exercise in developing brand identity ... describing brand personality." Twitter allows us to directly share our daily lives and personalities with our users/customers/fans, which establishes more real and valuable relationships.
Your insight on "if you are passionate about your business ... then share your passion" is something I definitely need to focus on. If you tweet about your brand and nothing else, you become another salesman at your market's door.
Thanks for a great post!
maggie
· 9 months ago
thanks for not biting... I feel like I just graduated Twitter Kindergarten! Thanks for the education!
FlairMedia
· 9 months ago
Fantastic thoughts! I encourage all my clients (probably ad nauseum) to really identify their authentic voice. I even give them exercises to help uncover where that voice might be hiding and try to help them hear the difference between natural discussion vs "marketing." There's nothing more valuable than a person or brand's unique self. Let it shine!
Rob Bunting
· 9 months ago
Great advice along with very helpful examples of Dell using multiple Twitter accounts & Starbucks having an identifiable person behind the tweets. I think "sounding human" and "sounding like yourself" (instead of using the lingo of the 'target market' are the best nuggets of advice to takeaway here, Thank you for such a helpful article.
Stephen Downes
· 9 months ago
A very thoughtful and well written post with sound advice... once you have made the strategic decision to take your brand onto Twitter.
However, like many others I've read, it is based on the implicit - or in this case, explicit - assumption that all brands should have a Twitter presence (quote: "big brands need to get on Twitter").
I think this is an assumption that should be challenged, as I have in this post on my blog http://tr.im/hc4V
Twitter is not for everyone and Twitter is not for every brand. Just as some brands succeeded during the "golden age of TV advertising" without advertising on TV, Twitter won't be the right strategic communications choice for all brands.
Once you've determined strategically that Twitter should be part of the communications mix and customer brand experience - and that means assessing not only the power and potential but also the downside risks and implications - then Kai's points about brand voice are right on the money!
Becky Carroll
· 9 months ago
Great set of suggestions for a brand voice on Twitter; I may roll some of these into the UC San Diego class I teach on marketing with new media (will full credit to you, of course!).
I also see some of these suggestions as great for a brand voice in any social media tool, including blogs and social networks. Being human, not promoting self too much, and most importantly, listening first are all keys to being part of a real conversation via social media, rather than just the old way of shouting at customers.
Well done!
Renagade
· 9 months ago
Jeff Pester...I have to agree! After all... thats how I found this! it was tweeted! Love the info I can find on twitter feeds!
benhedrington
· 9 months ago
Great post, can't believe I missed it by a couple days!
I think there is an option in personal and truly social channels like Twitter for brands to combine the voices of their employees to create their companies voice in a very real, decentralized and authentic way. I am experimenting in this area and would love your feedback on it.
Great post with some good tips - Would be interested to know which big business twitter accounts you manage Kai.
I'm currently running twitter feeds for a £100m turnover property consultants, and one of the UKs largest charities, andI've been blogging on the project at the Chameleon Net website www.chameleonnet.co.uk. I would definitely agree with some posters on here that "all big businesses should be on twitter" is just a completely incorrect attitude to have. Only companies that are willing to put the time into understanding the medium, and who want to talk to customers, rather than sell to them, should get involved
gkrew
· 9 months ago
Good post but not every brand needs to be on twitter. What standards do you measure success as a brand on twitter by? To me there is no set way to utilize Twitter and each company/brand has to make their own way.
clcdan
· 9 months ago
The only thing you left out is, Remember, twitter isn't the end all, be all of twitter-type of thing that twitter is today. There will be other companies like twitter, probably better, and certainly more open (as in also open source). So, always be looking to brand-out - get on other network types, not just instant messaging - that is just plain dumb.
NettyS
· 9 months ago
I have enjoyed reading the post by Kai. I am @nettys on Twitter. I agree that a brand voice should really reflect the brand personality. No, do not only talk about the product.
Alan Munro
· 9 months ago
Excellent post, Kai. It's fascinating watching how brands and individuals are shaping Twitter and these tips will help those responsible for corporate accounts to create a meaningful dialogue with customers.
@alanmunro
Rich Casey
· 8 months ago
Great article.. really helped cystallize my thinking on this... thanks, Kai!
Edward Frebowitz
· 8 months ago
Hello I also agree with Jeff. I manage a prayer request site, we RSS feed the requests to twitter, so far we feel the voice of the site is the requests posted to the site. At this time we believe there is no additional need to comment.
Cheap Flights to Australia
· 7 months ago
I support GoEverywhere Team's comment. It's an excellent post- no doubt.
Joshua Auerbach
· 7 months ago
Nicely done.
Danny Brown
· 7 months ago
There's no real right or wrong way to use Twitter, or to "launch yourself" on it.
People say don't broadcast, but for some users this will actually be the best approach.
Same goes for RSS feeds - I don't think you can say "every Twitter user is tech savvy" - a lot are just curious to see what all the fuss is about. They may be completely clueless at tech (and I say that in the nicest way).
At the end of the day, use Twitter as you feel comfortable with. Your customers (or your targeted customers) will either "get it" or not. Adapt as needed.
sidtech
· 6 months ago
Great post Kai! Though Twitter is diffrent things to different brands, I am hopeful the readers of this article will definitely be at an advantage to their peers when it comes to build a brand image on twitter.
I particularly loved "DO let it all hang out". It really has to be a grand paradigm shift for businesses who tend to get defensive with mistakes or competition!
All Comments
For me personally Twitter has virtually replaced my use of RSS. Now, you might want to create a separate "feeder only" account if you don't like the idea of mixing personal with broadcast tweets, but make no mistake about it - For many people Twitter IS the new RSS reader.
Companies may want two Twitter accounts - 1. Basic Twitter 2. Twitter with RSS for their brand and let the Users know what they are getting.
While you mention tech savy people knowing what RSS is try to explain it to everyday Users and them have that User set up a reader. One of the beauty's of Twitter is that it is simple and open. I can have my clients get a Twitter account and they do not need to get RSS feeds so everything is in one location.
Some companies do abuse RSS in their twitter feed and I usually un-follow them. Companies need to find a balance.
Yes, I totally agree. When you imitate and it's not genuine, you will know it ASAP. Then again, text is read not necessarily spoken, unless read out loud. So, semantics may not matter since the reader has their own reading and speaking style. Just a thought.
@bilaljaffery
Your point about considering developing your online voice as a branding exercise is right on. I do however disagree" that This is a different sort of voice than the one companies have been familiar with in their traditional print and broadcast media channels". I think one of the key issue is maintaining the message across media. Yes, it is a more open voice on Twitter - but that is because it is a conversation - the "voice" should be the same as a brand has already established...but in a different context.
As a teacher has a voice or personality when speaking to her students, but a different tone when speaking with a colleague. - brands on twitter must speak to customers as partners, rather than as lecturers. Twitter helps the brand to develop its voice further.
Your point about "who" will be the voice of Twitter is great and a topic that should be discussed. With my clients I've recommended in-house personnel, but I provide extensive training and hand holding in the beginning. This is the in-between, more cost-effective approach that may be appropriate for some clients. While younger members of the marketing staff are tech savvy, they often need help with translating brand strategy and message into tweets. A few months of training and monitoring of tweets is a better way, I beleive of getting the best of both worlds. In-house staff can much more easily handle customer service issues and promotions on Twitter - that is the goal after all- conversation.
The experienced outside trainer can help guide the inhouse person toward focused links, interesting topics to discuss/blog and help him or her attract followers and develop his or her own voice.
I think it can be difficult to find a person inside or outside who : already speaks in the brand's voice AND knows the company AND how to effectively develop a Twitter voice. A partnership between an inhouse expert on the company and an outside expert on marketing on Twitter is the better path to follow toward building a successful brand on Twitter.
Great article Kai. Good to see you last night.
@iboy
http://twitter.com/MIGUELRODRIGUES
Your insight on "if you are passionate about your business ... then share your passion" is something I definitely need to focus on. If you tweet about your brand and nothing else, you become another salesman at your market's door.
Thanks for a great post!
However, like many others I've read, it is based on the implicit - or in this case, explicit - assumption that all brands should have a Twitter presence (quote: "big brands need to get on Twitter").
I think this is an assumption that should be challenged, as I have in this post on my blog http://tr.im/hc4V
Twitter is not for everyone and Twitter is not for every brand. Just as some brands succeeded during the "golden age of TV advertising" without advertising on TV, Twitter won't be the right strategic communications choice for all brands.
Once you've determined strategically that Twitter should be part of the communications mix and customer brand experience - and that means assessing not only the power and potential but also the downside risks and implications - then Kai's points about brand voice are right on the money!
I also see some of these suggestions as great for a brand voice in any social media tool, including blogs and social networks. Being human, not promoting self too much, and most importantly, listening first are all keys to being part of a real conversation via social media, rather than just the old way of shouting at customers.
Well done!
I think there is an option in personal and truly social channels like Twitter for brands to combine the voices of their employees to create their companies voice in a very real, decentralized and authentic way. I am experimenting in this area and would love your feedback on it.
Blog post: Combining Your Voices on Twitter - http://bit.ly/13JnG7
Tool: http://www.connecttweet.com
I'm currently running twitter feeds for a £100m turnover property consultants, and one of the UKs largest charities, andI've been blogging on the project at the Chameleon Net website www.chameleonnet.co.uk. I would definitely agree with some posters on here that "all big businesses should be on twitter" is just a completely incorrect attitude to have. Only companies that are willing to put the time into understanding the medium, and who want to talk to customers, rather than sell to them, should get involved
@alanmunro
People say don't broadcast, but for some users this will actually be the best approach.
Same goes for RSS feeds - I don't think you can say "every Twitter user is tech savvy" - a lot are just curious to see what all the fuss is about. They may be completely clueless at tech (and I say that in the nicest way).
At the end of the day, use Twitter as you feel comfortable with. Your customers (or your targeted customers) will either "get it" or not. Adapt as needed.
I particularly loved "DO let it all hang out". It really has to be a grand paradigm shift for businesses who tend to get defensive with mistakes or competition!
Manish Pahuja