Tag: Twitter

The Social Media instinct

You’ve just thought of a great post, and as you reached for your phone, your thumb pauses, hovering between the blue icons.  Which account should you post this to? Twitter, Facebook or both?  The two sites have a very different feel to them and appeal to a different demographic.

The fact that you ‘approve’ friends on Facebook, and ‘follow’ on twitter suggests the intimacy of the relationship.  FB (family & buddies) is largely about continuing real relationships in the virtual world, whereas Twitter is more about making connections from an entirely online community.  So you’re more likely to get a stream of birthday messages on FB and a link to an interesting article on Twitter.

Many of us use one site more than the other, and have a natural ‘feel’ or what’s appropriate where.  However the social media scene is vast, there’s Instagram, Pinterest, blogs and many more, each with their own ethos and perspective to consider.  Obviously there aren’t hard and fast rules, but the subtle differences between the sites is a big consideration when planning a social media campaign, which is why it’s crucial to have people on your team who have experience across the vast range of social networking and who understand why one post doesn’t necessarily work across sites.

How’s your social media instinct? Where would you post in these scenarios?

1)     Pictures from a family holiday

2)     Funny post about a topical story, just to make people smile.

3)     Link to a news article with a comment aimed at starting a debate.

4)     Request for help finding a handyman in your local area.

5)     Sharing a petition about a cause you support.

6)     A review you’ve written about a book you read.

7)     An amazing up-cycle job you’ve done on an old chair.

8)     Trying to raise donations for your sponsored walk.

At chicken/egg, Jacqui and her team, make sure that the right message gets delivered in the right way to get through first time, because you don’t get many second changes in the constantly updating on-line community

Tweet Tweet

We thought we’d do a follow up to our ‘HOW TO: Facebook Comps‘ post back in April … this time focusing on the wonderful world of Twitter!

So here’s a brief overview on the Dos and Don’ts to get you  started …

The one thing to remember is that Twitter isn’t an advertising board; it’s a conversation.

Do:

  • Follow, follow, follow!  Spend some time building up the people you follow. If you’re not sure where to start, use the Twitter suggestions, or check out who your friends are following
  • Try to reply to all the Tweets that mention you
  • Find your ‘voice’.  Is it chatty, formal, cheeky, official?  Do you want your Tweets to be first person, or third person?  First is more approachable, but may be too relaxed for a corporate account
  • Devote time to Twitter.  When it comes to Social Media, the more you put in, the more you get back.  You need a steady, regular presence to make real ripples
  • Consider utilising someone already established in the Twitterverse, to help you gain momentum.  Just like in real life, well-placed connections can introduce you to all the right people

Don’t:

  • Simply blast out company info, or product news.  Build real relationships – friendships even – with your followers
  • Let complaints or negative Tweets go unanswered, but DO try to take them offline, or deal with them via Direct Message
  • Wait to be invited into conversations; just start chatting.  People don’t mind you joining in; in fact, that’s kind of the point!
  • Leave it weeks between Tweets.  People will check your stream; if it’s not sparkling with fresh content and lively conversation, they won’t click Follow
  • Schedule too many Tweets.  The odd ones here and there are fine; especially when you’re unable to log on, but if people realise there’s no one at the other end, you’re not going to get any engagement.  In fact, you might just annoy them

If you’ve any questions about Twitter then feel free to drop us an email!

the trouble with social media ...

As an agency it’s our job to come up with great new innovative ways to engage with consumers/customers.  We always try our hardest to look at every campaign from every angle to ensure that there are no potential pitfalls, issues or indeed negative connotations that could be associated with our plans.

But stuff goes wrong sometimes.  All good intentions get slightly battered and someone has to pick up the pieces.

The latest ‘social media bashing’ award goes to Waitrose. (I know this links to a Daily Mail article … don’t judge me! – here’s another link to Marketing Magazine’s article as well)

I really feel for the PR agency, as on paper, the campaign sounds great.  In practice, especially in Twitterverse, you’re always open to those that will jump on a #hashtag and have their merry way with it.

Hats off to Waitrose though for their gracious handling of what could, and probably is perceived by some, as a PR disaster…

I’ve read through some of the tweets and to be honest more than most were actually humourous rather than scathingly attacking the brand.

What do you think?