Everywhere I go, I hear people talking about Twitter. Twitter is a new social network application where you can ‘follow’ people and be ‘followed’ by those you may or may not know personally. Information is updated by answering the question, “what are you doing?’ Answers can range from a simple, “I am eating a sandwich” to providing breaking news on any type of situation. There are many opinions on whether this microblogging site really can be useful in the corporate world. Some people think the 140 character limit is too restricting, while others think it is a chance to really learn to write concise and relevant material. Twitter has only been around for three years, yet there are many companies who have turned to Twitter for extra support with their social media objectives.
According to a cision-twitter-conversation, Twitter should be used to establish relationships and create dialogues with audiences. Public relations can benefit from using Twitter because the format makes conversations simple and direct. Listen to your audience and decide if and when you should pitch an idea. If you are not trying to pitch a story, just try to find out what your audience is interested in and improve the way you communicate with them.
One company that has really explored Twitter is Zappos. An online shoe and clothing retailer, Zappos.com, has found a way to excel as a company with the help of social media. Tony Hsieh, Zappos’ CEO, uses Twitter regularly to update on anything from work travels to what he is eating to company news. The way Tony writes, as well as the links he provides, gives a personal insight into the company. On his blog, Hsieh lists the reasons he loves and appreciates Twitter.
The Zappos CEO is not the only one ‘tweeting.’ All of the Zappos employees are allowed to join Twitter and/or write for the company blogs. On Twitter, the picture identifies them as employees, so they are immediately showing transparency and authenticity with their followers.
Marshall Kirkpatrick on Read,Write,Web discusses how Zappos is using Twitter to engage with customers and provide personalities for the people working at Zappos. The post is from almost a year ago and the numbers of employees using Twitter and CEO followers has increased by a huge margin since then. Kirkpatrick discusses in depth the importance of Zappos including public brand mentions, employee tweets, employee twitpics, and employees who Twitter. Also, Hsieh has created an introduction guide for using Twitter.
As I have discovered in my previous posts, it doesn’t matter who blogs (or tweets) for your company as long as that person is willing to take on the commitment and deliver relevant information to their audience. Twitter presents a chance to really show a personality and have fun with the character limit. Zappos has found a strong personality and is recognized as an innovator in social media technology.
Wow Sarah I knew Zappos was big on Twitter, but I never had any idea the extent of the company’s use. It is pretty incredible. As a member of Twitter I was also very skeptical in the beginning. The 140 characters can really restrain people. I have learned that Twitter is about getting yourself out there. You should try and look for interesting people or companies and follow them. The best way to use Twitter is to find people with common interests and let your followings grow from there. In a former post of mine, I talked about how Twitter used interactive design to allow more creativity for members and draw in followers. You can check it out at http://nicolemfiorella.com/2009/02/27/a-future-with-interactive-design/. Zappos definitely knows how to use all of Twitter’s features to build their follower base.
I joined the CEO of Zappos’ Twitter a while back and am always excited to see the new posts he displays. It really is a fun and exciting way to learn new information, but you can also get a great sense of authenticity and transparency of the company. Although I have never ordered anything from the company I know if I were to use the company I could trust their business ethics. This is very important because Zappos is strictly an online company. If their is a problem a consumer can’t simply go to the store and talk to an employee face-to-face. Hsieh has the right idea, in order to compete with actual stores he needs to draw in his consumer base. He succeeded in this by being present in other online forms and reaching them in fun and exciting ways.
I agree with your advice about using Twitter. Shel Holtz (http://blog.holtz.com/index.php/weblog/twitter_gateway_to_substantive_content/Tweets)feels the importance of Twitter is how ‘tweets’ direct you to different information. Like you said, finding interesting people or people with common interests to follow will direct you to material you care about. (I found the Shel Holtz post on Twitter.)
Your post on interactive design shows the importance of making connections and forming conversations. I think Twitter has really embellished on this idea with the 400+ employee bloggers.
I knew Twitter was growing, but I did not realize how fast it was growing. I really like the fact that the Zappos’ CEO tweets about things other than being strictly business. This creates a personality for him and for the company. It allows followers to really get to know and feel like they actually have a relationship with this company. Also, by allowing any one of their employees to use Twitter and show them as an employee, as you said, really creates the feel of transparency and authenticity. If a competing company had strict rules that didn’t allow their employees to associate with the company’s Twitter, and only posted tweets that were specifically about business while another company, Zappos, created a more human feel to their Twitter, people are going to naturally be more inclined to buy from Zappos. People want to feel connected and Twitter is just another way of creating an opportunity for this to happen.
Hey Sarah,
I also just found this post about the importance of Twitter and why it is so beneficial. I thought you might enjoy it, too http://www.refocusingtechnology.com/index.php/2009/03/25/twitter-a-time-waster-not-with-tweetlater/
Sarah,
Although I am not an avid Twitter user myself, I still feel that Twitter provides a sense of community for organizations. Zappos clearly proves the benefits it has to offer. It allows information to be shared quickly and easily. The word count limit keeps comments short and concise, which allows for instant conversation and feedback. You basically have the opportunity to connect with a large amount of people, where you can teach others and even learn new things.
After reading your post, I am thinking about setting up a Twitter account. I feel like I am judging a book by its cover, and I am never going to know unless I give it a try. I’m also aware that is a great form of networking. I recently watched a YouTube video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do7gsU6EKUU, where many users of Twitter provided various reasons why they love it so much. Much like your post, the video really made me begin to look at Twitter from a different perspective.
Thank you Nicole for the link. I think Twitter will continue to grow and become more universal in building connections.
When I was researching before writing my post I found that video too, Mandy. The video really shows how each person can find their own reason to use Twitter. I think you should give Twitter a chance. The best part about Twitter is that it’s free, so there is no harm in testing it out.
Sarah,
I’m amazed at the time Tony Hsieh spends on Twitter to interact with followers. He shows true, transparent dedication.
I recently introduced Twitter to The Breeze, where I work as the marketing coordinator. I’m in charge of updating our Twitter account, but I’ve found that it’s so hard to keep “tweeting” constantly. People post and comment every few seconds on Twitter, which is, again, why it amazes me that Hsieh manages to find anytime in his busy schedule.
It’s so important for companies like Zappos, Amazon and Craig’s List to use social media tools because these companies are built upon a web-based platform. The innovators and early adapters that first to partook in e-commerce are responsible for starting a trend of long-term revenue for these internet companies.
It’s these innovators and early adapters who are also using Twitter more than ever now. Zappos has chosen the right medium to connect with consumers and employees who are very comfortable in the cyber world.