I’ve been so and so regarding Twitter and I somewhat still am - to be honest I don’t really see why I should follow anyone on Twitter (or anyone should follow me :-). I created an account a year back, but I can’t really say that I’m using it, and why should I - what’s in it for me?
From a marketing perspective, you have to get people to follow you before you can use Twitter as a marketing channel and I would only follow a brand if I got special offers or VIP kind of deals/discounts etc.. I’ve seen too many campaigns just including a “Follow us on Twitter” or “Add us on Facebook” button on the campaign website, just so the client can say that they are on the beat!
But it’s just not enough to create an account and post a “Follow us on Twitter”…you need something more - what do you want to achieve using Twitter or Facebook? – You should use the media channels for the right reasons, not just because everyone talks about it…
That said the micro blogging mechanism is very interesting and it can work for brands if the right concept is there - like stock updates which you need up to date every minute etc. (have a look at this 1on1 describing how to use Twitter as a marketing channel).
I have found a couple of great cases where Twitter fit nicely with the concept and adds value. Here is part 1 - part 2 will follow tomorrow:
Yello Strom
German utility company Yello Strom is clearly into accessible tech: it manages its meters directly via households’ broadband connections, and offers access to Google’s PowerMeter. Now, it’s keeping its customers informed by enabling meters to tweet about energy use.
Each “Yello Sparzähler” smart meter is allocated its own Twitter account, which is automatically updated with energy consumption data. The owner can follow the account to receive regular updates, leading to greater awareness and hopefully lower energy use. DIY power monitors such as Tweet-a-Watt are also capable of tweeting, but Yello Strom seems to be the first utility company to offer the service as an integral part of their smart meters.
While adding Twitter to their mix will undoubtedly give Yello Strom a PR-boost, the larger goal is to feed energy data into any tool customers may be using. As explained by Yello Executive Director Martin Vesper, “Our goal is to use as many different channels as possible to inform our customers about their energy consumption.”
Website: www.yellostrom.de
Public use of Twitter
San Francisco is the first city we’ve seen to accept citizen complaints and reports via Twitter.
A couple of months back San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom announced that San Francisco residents can now send messages to the city government via Twitter by directing them to @SF311. Customer service representatives are available 24/7, 365 days a year, for help with such matters as the need for street cleaning, graffiti removal, potholes, abandoned vehicles and garbage can maintenance. Users simply sign up to follow SF311, which will automatically result in a reciprocal follow connection. Photos and links to illustrate the subjects of complaint are encouraged, and the city also plans to send updates about planned and unplanned local events using the platform. San Francisco is using Twitter business platform CoTweet to track its Twitter-based conversations, according to TechCrunch.
Website: sftwitter.sfgov.org/twitter
Job sourcing
Riding the Twitter tidal wave, a Dutch marketing agency asked job applicants to apply in 140 characters or less.
Utrecht-based Energize was looking to hire an account manager and a strategic planner, and designed an application form that looks exactly like a page on Twitter, including an empty text field. Candidates entered a short message—their “twillicitatie”, or twapplication—describing why they’re the person for the job, plus their email address and Twitter username. Uploading a resume is optional. For privacy reasons, Energize won’t publicly tweet the applicant’s message.
While it might seem like a gimmicky way to recruit new staff members, the process highlights that Energize is looking for people who actively use social media. More importantly, by forcing them to be both engaging and succinct, it’s the perfect way to test a candidate’s writing skills.
Website: www.energize.nl/twillicitatie
Source: Springwise.com, Techcrunch.com
