micro marketing

Twitter: Simple, Powerful, Web 2.0 Customer Service & Marketing ToolJoel PostmanPresentation to Forrester Research

October 23, 2008

3Entire contents © 2008 Forrester Research, Inc. All rights reserved.

Executive Summary

• Fortune 1000 companies are using Twitter to deliver a new variety of online customer support and customer service. Benefits include improved customer service and satisfaction; direct engagement with consumers; improved perception of the company and its brand; and positive coverage in the mainstream media for companies willing to do business in the public eye.


Agenda

• Twitter gains momentum in customer service and brand ambassadorship

• Companies can achieve significant benefits with Twitter, but must understand “operating principles” of new medium

• Recommendations

• Interactive marketers must keep current on the latest tools in order to remain competitive


• Deep corporate participation

• 3 million users

• Supporting ecosystem


Definition of Microblogging

► What is Twitter?

► Emerging social media category

► Combines functions of blogs, social networks, instant messaging and news feeds

► Designated “micro” due to limits on length and type of supported content


Anatomy of a “Tweet”

Avatar

User ID or “Handle”

Link Timestamp Source


Agenda



• Recommendations



“The Internet is a place. … where people can go to learn, to talk to each other, and to do business together… where customers look for wares, vendors spread goods for display, and people gather around topics that interest them. It is a conversation.”


Benefits of having a corporate presence on Twitter

• Twitter offers a new, highly effective way for your brand to engage one-on-one with consumers.

• Transparent customer service has “hidden” value.

• Novelty has PR benefits.

• Twitter extensibility enhances appeal to marketers.

• The brand conversation is happening, whether you opt in or watch from the sidelines


Twitter “reach” measured by Twinfluence


Typical Twitter communications “models”

• Individual customer service

• Comcast, Plaxo

• General customer service

• Popeyes Chicken, Delta Airlines

• Brand ambassadorship/marketing communications

• Southwest Airlines, Wachovia, Carnival Cruise

• Some used mixed model

• Starbucks Coffee


Representative “Tweets”

• [Carnival Cruise Lines] Saturday, Sept. 27: New 4 & 5 day cruises on the Carnival Destiny sailing from Miami - http://tinyurl.com/4vz4oo

• [Ford Motor Company North America] @ajm50* Do you have a phone # I can call? I represent Ford & I'd like to help. Also, can I get the last 8 of your VIN to check into it? Thanx

• [Bigelow Tea] Did you know October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month? (And did you know tea might help with recovery?) http://twurl.nl/ibffzz

• [Comcast] @tupton Signals look good. Try changing DNS servers to 68.87.64.146 and 68.87.75.194 and I let me know. I may want a traceroute

http://tinyurl.com/4vz4oo

http://twurl.nl/ibffzz


Resource considerations

• Staffing varies from .25 to .75 FTE depending communications model

• Some companies use “volunteers” and/or assign people to general social networking duties

• 100% automation possible with some models

• Registration and use are free

• Graphics costs minimal


When Twitter might not be a good choice

• Privacy, regulatory concerns would limit companies in stock and commodities trading, healthcare, legal, certain government agencies, and some other industries

• Companies outside of B2C space, like large industrials, unlikely to reach their target audiences

• Facebook or MySpace have 100 million users each, more predictable, more refined advertising strategies.


Permissive “Terms of Service” requires company diligence

• “Brandjacking” a risk on all social networks/sites

• ExxonMobilCorp example of unauthorized company “spokesperson” on Twitter

• Recapturing brand assets generally left up to the owner (you!)


Elements of a “Tweet”


Agenda



• Recommendations



Recommendations

• Tie up your company name now.

• Have realistic expectations for Twitter results.

• Help consumers validate your presence on Twitter and understand why you are there.

• Staff your Twitter account with people who understand the conversational aspect of the medium and have the power to engage on behalf of the company.


Agenda



• Recommendations



Interactive Marketers Must Stay Current

• Rate of availability and adoption of new tools accelerating.

» Blogging took almost a decade, microblogging > two years

• New Twitter-style entrant could change the game.

• Microblogging category is evolving

» Friendfeed, 12 Seconds, Qik adding new dimension, changing paradigm?


References

• Fluent Simplicity Twitter Brand Index (list of companies on Twitter)

• To search a company name or other term on Twitter: http://search.twitter.com/

http://blog.fluentsimplicity.com/twitter-brand-index/

http://search.twitter.com/


Joel Postman

+1 415/279-3444

[email protected]@jpostman

Thank you

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