Twitter for Organizations

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Twitter for OrganizationsAn Overview of Opportunities and Best Practices

By Jeff Ingram, VP of Ein Communications

Twitter for Organizations

So What’s the result?

The best content spreads quickly from one person’s network to another

People who share common interests find each other

The most interesting and important people have the most followers

People feel personally connected to those they follow

Millions of people revealing what they are thinking, feeling and doing throughout the day (in a 140 characters or less).

Millions of people following what others who they like, respect or otherwise care about are thinking, feeling and doing throughout the day.

Millions of people retelling and reacting to the most interesting thoughts, feelings and activities of the people they like, respect or otherwise care about throughout the day.


As of March 2009:

6 Million users and growing rapidly

Early adopters receiving avalanche of traditional media coverage

Users beginning to agree on common etiquette and best practices

Value to the world:It’s the next evolution in making content sharing easier so that the best information and personalities rise to the top quickly.

Opportunity for Organizations:Forge new and deeper relationships with key constituencies more quickly and less costly than ever before.


Primary Twitter Genres for Organizations

The Leader The Loudspeaker

The Ambassador


The LeaderFrom the senior executive or public leader of an organization

Compelling to followers because:

-Offers an opportunity to respond to tweets and have their voices heard/impact decisions

-Tweets are potentially “newsworthy”

-See the human side of individuals who so many rely upon for employment, products, services, etc. and yet have no close interaction

http://twitter.com/clairecmc

http://twitter.com/zappos

https://twitter.com/davidgregory

Sen. Claire McCaskill

CEO TonyHsieh

Host David Gregory



Benefit to Organizations because:

-Followers feel more connected to the organization because they have “relationship” with the leader (makes organizations human)

-Sends a signal that the organization is committed to transparency

-It requires little time and technical knowledge

-Generates mainstream media attention now because few leaders are currently on it.

http://twitter.com/clairecmc

http://twitter.com/zappos

https://twitter.com/davidgregory

Sen. Claire McCaskill

CEO TonyHsieh

Host David Gregory



Keys to Success:

-Tweet several times per day so that people feel a daily connection (What are you reading? Who are you meeting with? What do you think of a breaking news item in the world/your industry?)

-Occasionally tweet something newsworthy or provocative so that constituents feel you are a “must read”

-Be human and occasionally tweet about your personal life (or at least the personal side of your professional life)

-Respond to followers who respond to your tweets a few times per week (someone else can monitor the responses if it is too time consuming for the leader)



Sample Tweets:

Professional Insight/News:

Daily Activities/Readings:

Follower Response:

Personal reflection:


The AmbassadorFrom an individual or team functioning as spokesperson for the organization


-Offers an opportunity to interact with a brand/organization that they support

-Receive product/service updates, sales and related information

-The Ambassador’s personality is engaging

http://twitter.com/dunkindonuts

http://twitter.com/MarriottIntl

https://twitter.com/redcross

Dunkin’ Donuts

MarriotInternational

American Red Cross



Benefit to organizations because:

-Opportunity to deepen relationship with followers by keeping them better informed and giving them a vehicle to be heard.

-Drive sales or other organizational objectives by expanding reach into followers of followers (viral marketing opportunity)

-Receive actionable intelligence on products/services from users and consumers

-Define the brand through ambassador’s personality

http://twitter.com/dunkindonuts

http://twitter.com/MarriottIntl

https://twitter.com/redcross

Dunkin’ Donuts

MarriotInternational

American Red Cross



Keys to Success:

-Have a defined personality and express opinions on and off-topic in numerous Tweets throughout the day.

-Offer “inside” information about product and services (e.g. sales, products in development, new services)

-Respond often to mentions of the organization or responses to your tweets. (offer to handle customer service issues or pass on suggestions)



Sample Tweets:

Personality/Opinion:

Inside Info:

React to brand mentions:

React to Tweet responses:


The LoudspeakerA newsfeed of updates from an organization


-Allows them to follow news from an organization in a simple format

-Allows them to share and respond to news from the organization that promotes discussion with their own network of followers

http://twitter.com/AmericanCancer

http://twitter.com/nihforhealth

https://twitter.com/urbanoutfitters

American Cancer Society

N.I.H

Urban Outfitters



Benefit to organizations because:

-Drive sales or other organizational objectives by expanding reach into followers of followers (viral marketing opportunity)

-Easy to execute

http://twitter.com/AmericanCancer

http://twitter.com/nihforhealth

https://twitter.com/urbanoutfitters

American Cancer Society

N.I.H

Urban Outfitters



Keys to Success:

-Tweet as often as organizational news occurs

-Be proactive in following other people and organizations in your area of concern to achieve greater following for your own Twitter feed



Sample Twitter Feed:


Which Twitter Genre to Choose?

Best: The LeaderThe Leaders is the best at attracting followers, defining the organization and building trust with key constituencies (note: good offline communicators make good online communicators–and visa-versa)

Great: The AmbassadorThe Ambassador is a good substitute for The Leader, but lacks the credibility to make key constituencies feel “heard” by decision-makers.

Good: The LoudspeakerThe Loudspeaker is a good way to ease into the Twitter community and can help build organizational support for further engagement. It gives key constituents another way to stay connected to the organization and can help prompt discussion online.


Which Twitter Genre to Choose?

Tale of the Tape

David Gregory (Leader) vs. Meet the Press (Loudspeaker)

Zappos CEO (Leader) vs. Dunkin’ Dave (Ambassador)

120,000 Followers 3,600 Followers

170,000 Followers 8,500 Followers


Predictions for Twitter 2.0Organizational Use of Twitter Will Evolve in Months/Years to Come

-New genres will emerge

-Organizations will maintain multiple feeds targeting more narrow constituent segments

-Advertising or some other revenue model will emerge that may force organizations to adjust their strategy


Further Reading

10 Corporate Twitter Accounts Worth FollowingPC Magazine, February 28, 2009http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2341886,00.asp

Birds of a Feather Twitter TogetherWall Street Journal, December 3, 2008http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB122826572677574415-rXaM5BTzeRQMfvAuP3_4gjVJm_A_20091203.html

New Data on Top Twitter Applications and UsageHubspot, February 28, 2009http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4584/New-Data-on-Top-Twitter-Applications-and-Usage.aspx

Business

Twitter for Organizations