Tag Archive for 'Branding'

Your Brand’s Checklist for Twitter

Published
by
Matt
on Oct 6, 2008
in Branding and Web 2.0
. Comments

If you’re brand isn’t on Twitter, then check out these posts to get you up to speed. If you’re already on Twitter, then congratulations. You’re already well on your way to developing a solid new media presence and most importantly, connecting with your market.

However, there are a few things that every brand can do to enhance their Twitter account and make sure that they reach their goals with the program. Let’s take a look at 8 good ones.

1. Picture


First things first, logos do not tweet. People do. Your brand’s Twitter account handle will already be @BrandX, so no one has to worry about getting confused. Wait, is your name actually Nick Nike? or Samsung Jones? Check out Frank Eliason, who runs the wildly successful (and incredibly awesome) @comcastcares (Comcast) account. Right away you know you’re dealing with a person and not a PR department.

The only exception here is when the people who use the account actually are the entire PR department. In this case, the logo is okay, but try and work in some specific pictures and names in some ways mentioned below.

2. Name


See the above statement. Corporations may be a “person” in the eyes of the law, but not in the eyes of Twitter. We understand that this account may be representative of your brand as a whole, but there’s still a person running it. Social Media and Twitter specifically is all about honest HUMAN interaction. Do everything you can to keep that there. Let us know your name.

3. Sidebar


This is a pretty brilliant tactic that seems to be catching on much faster with individual users than with brands. The idea here is that you create a specific graphic to use as your background and on that graphic is other useful information. It might be the pictures and names of everyone who uses the account, or just other places you can find the brand on the web. This is a cool opportunity to say a few more things about yourself right away. Check out @flyingdog (Flying Dog Brewery) and @wldaily (Wine Library Daily Deals) to see it done right.

4. Bio


The Bio section is the Swiss Army Knife of the Twitter profile. You can use this space to say a little more about yourself like @jetblue (JetBlue Airways), give us your Twitter mission statement like @Wachovia (Wachovia Bank), give us some more contact info (see below) or just say hi. Either way, make sure you have something useful and relevant here.

5. Contact Info


So you’re on Twitter and you’re a real person (per number 1 and 2). Now give us a way to get in contact. It doesn’t have to be with the person running the account, it can be someone on your team. But you need to give us a way to get in touch when 140 characters just doesn’t cut it.

6. Link Out

Putting a link to your brands homepage is okay, but really you need to link to a “Contact Us” or a special page for Twitter users. Make this useful and make sure it’s easy to find.

7. Communicate

A lot of media/news outlets simply use Twitter as a broadcast medium. This is wrong! It’s another example of old media trying to do new media by old rules. Doesn’t work that way. Look at Frank Eliason’s @comcastcares account. Almost every single tweet is an @ reply. I’m sure he sneaks some Comcast-related news in there now and again, but the majority of his time is spent interacting. That’s how to do it right.

8. FOLLOW PEOPLE


Per number 7, Twitter is not your megaphone. You need to follow people back or you’ll look like a clown.

Additional Resources
-Follow Me On Twitter
-Twitter Brand Index
Twittermaven’s Best Practices
-Beth Harte - Who are you? And why should I follow you?

No One Cares About Your Brand More Than You

Published
by
Matt
on Sep 29, 2008
in Branding and social media
. Comments

The above statement might not seem like breaking news, but when you look at the way a lot of brands act, it might be less understood than you think.

In a post that should be required reading for any digital marketer, Alan Wolk tells everyone, “Your Brand Is Not My Friend“. He maintains that unless your brand is a “Prom King” (coolest kid in school, market leader, etc.) that most people don’t want a relationship with you. So please Folgers, stop trying to friend him up on Facebook! I agree with most of Alan’s post, and even came to a slightly similar conclusion myself in an earlier post. But it goes a little deeper than that.

Regardless of how cool your brand is, and how fanatical your fans are, the bottom line is that no one cares about your brand more than you do.

Now, I hear you out there going “Hey, wait a minute! What about the notoriously rabid Apple fanboys? Or the Zune guy? How about the Makers Mark Ambassadors, or Fiskateers, etc. etc.”

I know those are only a handful of examples, but think about it. Who do you think cares more about Makers Mark? One of their loyal fans in the Ambassador program or someone who’s last name is Beam? Same deal with the Fiskateers. I know they love those scissors and all the other products they make for scrap booking, but I’m sure that the Fiskar brand is more important to their CEO or Founder. The Zune Guy? We all know how that ended. And then Apple, with its fans that hold the brand in some sort of (almost creepy) holy regard. Who do you think Apple matters more to? The guy who never leaves his house without his iPod and MacBook or Steve Jobs?

My money’s on Jobs.

And this all means that you cannot hire an agency/consultant to do your social media for you. They can teach you, they can guide you, they can help you get started, they can participate, but that’s where it ends. The ownership has to be on your end. Because no matter how smart, your account manager doesn’t have those years of experience in the kayak industry that you do. They don’t understand the competitive landscape for protein powder or sneakers like you. Social media is all about connection, and if it’s not actually you out there connecting, then what good is it? If I’m a lifelong backpacker, I want to hear from your product manager who is out there testing your new packs on trails, not your consultant who tells you the best way to get outdoorsy links.

There is no quick way to be really successful in social media. Hiring someone else to do all your other dirty work or the thing “you don’t have time for” isn’t the answer. You have to care, because if you don’t no one else will.