Tantalized By Twitter
I’m tantalized by Twitter. Okay, I have yet to “Tweet”, but it seems like everywhere I turn I hear about the potential of Twitter and its fellow microblogging sites. From mobile payments to micromarketing, the possibilities of the short-message based, social networking site seem endless.
Whether the many ideas thrown out about how to best utilize the power of Twitter actually come to fruition (and profitability) remains to be seen. Even so, microblogging, and its “normal” blogging cousin, has already begun to reshape the way many companies do business.
Imagine this scenario: Joe Microblogger goes to a local sandwich shop for lunch and orders a turkey sandwich. He takes a bite, but for some reason the turkey in his sandwich smells funny to him. While eating, he Tweets into his Blackberry: “Am at Susan’s Sandwich Shop, the turkey smells funny today”.
The 250 people who receive his Tweet read the message. How many of those people are heading to Susan’s Sandwich Shop for lunch today? Fairly or unfairly, people may start to avoid Susan’s delicious deli sandwiches, just because of one comment from Joe Microblogger.
Now, extrapolate this scenario to a global company. Ten years ago, the impact of a dissatisfied customer was limited to his or her extended network of friends and family. Today, one blog entry or tweet from the same disgruntled customer can turn into a PR fiasco for even the most reputable of companies.
To combat this cyber-negativity, companies have begun to form marketing teams whose primary duty is to monitor blogs and Twitter-like sites. Many use websites like Tweetscan, which provide a searchable breakdown of company-related tweets. Some even have Twitter handles to respond to complaints. For example, Comcast uses the handle ComcastCares to respond to negative tweets, often expediting service to satisfy the customer.
The old adage “Knowledge is Power” has never rung more true. Due to the ubiquity of the internet, consumers can now broadcast their thoughts about a product or service to the world. Other consumers can use this information to make purchase decisions, and, in turn, broadcast their own experiences.
For a corporation this should be viewed as an opportunity rather than an obstacle. The immense amount of customer feedback which populates the web essentially provides free market research. This information can be used to quickly uncover defective products, and incorporate customer suggestions and desires into future offerings. In the end, everyone benefits—the customer vents, the corporation responds, and a better product or service hits the market.
For a good article on Comcast’s Twitter strategy check out this article in the Boston Globe.
If you want to learn more about Twitter visit Wikipedia.
Or head to Twitter.com.
