“My Customers Don’t Use Twitter.” Oh, but they do!
By Steve Farnsworth (@Steveology)
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The Golden Rule is Delusional: People want to be treated the way THEY want to be treated. Not the way YOU want to be treated.
You may know a lot of things about your customers, but you don’t know what each one of them had for breakfast based on what you had in your bowl this morning. Your own behaviors are not a good place to start when deciding how customers like to interact.
In my early days of marketing I did a lot of direct mail. I would have clients tell me emphatically that direct mail was not effective. The research they had to support this claim? It was because they personally NEVER read junk mail. And they were right about customers not reading junk mail…kindda.
I would ask, “What hobby or interest do you really like? The client would say something like, “I love to fly fish.”
“Do you ever get mail that you didn’t request on fly fishing?”
“Sure.”
“Do you sometimes read it?”
They would start to smile a little and say, “Yes.”
It is only “Junk Mail” if it is not relevant to you. They had the facts, but were unable to be objective with the data. You cannot be your own focus group on how your customers want to engage with your company and product. You need to try it and see how they respond.
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I had this conversation hundreds of times regarding dozens of marketing tactics. You can’t know how others will choose to interact with your company and brand. You need to provide ways that make sense and let them decide.
I have had a surprising number of conversations lately with other marketers and business people telling me that there are no reasons to Twitter since their customers don’t use it.
Already knowing the answer I ask, “Do you Twitter?”
“No, not really.” Hmmmm, color me surprised. Same conversation. New tactic.
So, how do you find out if Twitter is for your company? Start learning to Twitter.
- Find other businesses in your field that are twittering and follow them. Take notes, watch, and learn.
- Follow a few other companies that are twittering, but are not in your field, and follow them. What are they doing that you can use? What can you do better?
- Set a goal with your activity, e.g., awareness of your product, drive traffic to your blog or website, or to have a dialog with people who buy products like yours.
- Promote your Twitter profile on your web page, in the signature of your company’s email, and in other customer touch points.
- Choose a focus for your Twitter account that supports your branding and your goals.
- Just like when you are at a cocktail party, the worst offenses are to be uninteresting or boorish. So, start twittering useful, engaging, and relevant tweets!
Don’t let your own head trash get in the way of a great opportunity for you and your company to be successful by engaging with customers. Go out and test it.
dajeffords
April 21, 2009
Hi Steve,
I found this helpful. I am struggling with exactly this topic. I’d tried a number of recommended strategies to find and engage potential ManSim users on Twitter. I didn’t find any taker. I’ll try a couple of your suggestions and see what results I get. I have a ManSim blog on wordpress,http://mansim2.wordpress.com/
Regards,
Dave
PS: I picked up your blog from linkedin updates email I get weekly.
Robert Bacal
May 31, 2010
Not to worry. It’s not you. Most people/business fail on twitter, and there’s nothing in Steve’s “advice” to help. Virtually all the numbers suggest Twitter is a poor business platform.
Steve Farnsworth
June 2, 2010
Hey Bob-O,
Thanks for sharing your “insights” here. I was surprised that a self-proclaimed “social media crusader” like you does not allow comments on your “blog”. A choice that seems amazingly out of step with smart blogging practices.
I would have been happy to respond to the mischaracterization of this post and of my credentials that you made in your follow-up post “More Social Media Nonsense From Another “Marketer” #socialmedia”.
However, you don’t allow reader feedback on your “blog”. Clearly, you are more comfortable taking snarky potshots on other people’s blogs than you are allowing a discussion of the “ideas” you opine on yours. (By the way, why do you use so many quotation marks in your writing?)
P.S. Calling me a “Marketer” would have been much funnier if your post didn’t contain numerous typos. Aren’t you a self-proclaimed “author”?
Stephanie Chandler
February 9, 2010
Great advice. To add a few suggestions:
- Reach out to people on Twitter. Compliment or add feedback on their posts, retweet generously and show the human side of your business. A LOT of companies miss this.
- Don’t forget to follow everyone back. Your customers and prospects need to know that you’re listening to them and not just shoving content at them!
- Follow the 90/10 rule – 90% useful/interesting content, 10% sales. Retailers are an exception–your Twitter followers will expect sales announcements, special offers and discounts!
- Engage daily. I see a lot of businesses start to get involved in Twitter and then disappear and show up half-heartedly and without consistency. Designate someone who commits at least an hour per day to this effort.
- Follow those you want following you! I followed a bunch of media folks awhile back and month later landed an excellent interview because the reporter was following me on Twitter.
- Now is a great time to get a competitive advantage. Don’t let your competitors get all your prospects! Surrender to the evolution of the web and the opportunities that are available. A lot of companies are getting business from Twitter and yours can too!
Cheers,
Stephanie
Steve Farnsworth
February 9, 2010
All great suggestions. A significant practice I have seen in business Twitter accounts is a Me, Me, Me theme. Predominately a monologue broadcast all about what the company is doing; followers and their conversation are of little consequence. This in turn alienates customers. I think your advice, if taken to heart, can help a company avoid this common pitfall.
Stephanie Chandler
February 10, 2010
Thanks, Steve! You are so right about the “me, me, me” attitude and how it alienates customers. Social media shouldn’t REPEL business! It should magnetically attract it!
Lovings
April 14, 2010
I disagree with Stephanie’s recommendation to follow everyone back. 100-200 accounts is a maximum I can handle in my main stream before I start to miss significant messages – after all, I *do* have another job :-).
Twitter as means of communication between your customers and yourself is only useful if you can actually catch information important to you and your customers in the stream.
If you want to follow more people, Twitter lists are an easy way to organize content. You can create several lists based on any criteria you want, and even use them to reward the people who are the most engaged with your company/retweet your messages etc (for example: Biggest Fans list).
That way, you can stop by and see what each particular group is saying at your convenience and without wading through thousands of messages about dinner tacos.
The better way to show people that you are listening to them is to pay attention to the messages directed at you and respond in a timely manner. Check the person’s profile, follow any links, and include personal comments about what you find there in your response. That lets people know you care to take the time to get to know them.