We’re talking to executives from advertising, PR, interactive marketing, social media firms to explore and convey what works in the business use of microsharing. Through Q&A, interviews and case studies we’ll help you stay on top of what companies should do in this space.
Doyle Albee is President and New Media Practice Director for Metzger Associates. He’s on Twitter as @dalbee and writes for Metzger’s blog. We discussed Metzger’s take on good business uses of microsharing.
What should clients know about Twitter and other social media platforms?
From my perspective, I talk to people a great deal about how they need to understand these platforms enough to grasp the POTENTIAL of the platforms. I think they’re far from a killer app (email might be the one ubiquitous killer app so far), but they’re gaining in use, importance and potential. I encourage my clients to join in so that they can get it. Like I told one recently (who had given his staff an assignment to come up with some “viral applications”), “That’s a bit like telling someone who has perhaps heard of television, but who doesn’t own one, to come up with a great 30-second spot.” What are the chances?
What microsharing projects have you been doing with your clients?
We’re doing a few different things on Twitter. For one client, we’re getting followers and pushing specials, discounts, events, and shout-outs to customers that tell us it’s OK as a part of a larger social marketing program (we’re doing almost no traditional advertising). For another client (a large telecommunications company) we’re monitoring Twitter and helping them answer posts relating to customer service or tech support issues.
Again, it’s about understanding the medium well enough to get the potential and then apply it as appropriate, not just do “Twitter marketing.”
What issues you have encountered with clients, and what success stories seem to resonate with them the most?
The most common issue is the “are you kidding — do people really do that?” question from many senior execs — and I get that from a variety of ages and from companies of varying sizes and focuses (including technology companies). I like to use examples of things we’re more familiar with to get over the hump. I offer things like “I have a hard time believing there are many people in our target audience that watch in excess of 10 hours of TV each week, but they’re out there. Our job is not to judge, but to engage.”
The best success stories so far have been small ones, ironically. I was expecting doubters to care very little about a one-off success, but I’ve found just the opposite. They’re so pleasantly surprised when we’re able to show that one customer engaged us directly via Twitter, etc., that it’s a break-through. For one client, we’re getting positive comments on both Twitter and Yelp about the fact that we’re even using Twitter. So, rather than waiting for the reviews to roll in on the product, we’re getting positive mentions on the marketing itself. The client is thrilled.
What advice would you give a business considering how to engage on Twitter?
I often describe social media as a cocktail party. No one likes the person that walks in and immediately begins to sell. Instead, be the person that truly gets involved in the conversation and adds value to it. If your goal is to listen to your customers, engage them. If your goal is to sell something, that’s OK, but understand that you have to give to get. Consumers are getting more and more picky about when they want to be pitched, and the cell phone is the most sacred of the territories. Tread lightly and carefully and earn the relationship. Perceived Twitter spam won’t cut it.
Thanks for reading our new series of interviews and Q&A with agency executives about the business use of microsharing. Want to be interviewed, or submit a question for our Q&A posts? Please contact us: laura (at) pistachioconsulting (dot) com.
