Three Tips for Brands Using Twitter

A few weeks ago I bought some dip from Sabra, the people who make Sabra hummus. I got it home, ripped it open and was offended by the taste. The dip had spoiled in spite of an expiration date a few days into the future. I found Sabra’s Twitter account and tweeted my experience to them. They “followed” me and expressed regret for my experience. They followed up by asking for my email address. Haven’t heard from them since but just expressing regret was pretty class to me.

An even better experience is one I had with Cathay Pacific. I’m flying Cathay Pacific to Bali for my honeymoon next month. I mentioned on Twitter that I had looked at Cathay’s online virtual tour. Cathay found me and let me know they hoped to see me onboard soon. I replied that I’d be flying with them to Bali on my honeymoon. They first congratulated me on my marriage and then followed up the next day with a restaurant recommendation. Neither of these things cost them much (if anything) but acknowledging my marriage and making the recommendation have both improved my perception of the brand before I even board the plane.

These experiences have me offering a few pieces of advice for brands on Twitter:

• Take it seriously – Twitter may be a fad. Who’s to say? Right now, however, your customers are on it. Don’t create a Twitter account and ignore it. Use it as a serious tool to engage your customers and learn about their preferences. Search to see what people are saying about your brand and, where necessary, interject. Even if it is a fad, it can provide you with insights and, perhaps, prepare your company for what comes next.
• Inquire – People choose to follow you on Twitter for a reason. It may be good, it may be bad. Use the new follower notification as a catalyst for improving the relationship you have with customers. Send a note saying hello and say something positive about their potential relationship with the brand like Cathay Pacific did for me.
• Offer to help – Use Twitter to make recommendations or provide customers with solutions or even to express remorse. Sabra didn’t send me coupons but the dialogue with them, though not completed, let me know that they cared. The tweeter at Cathay Pacific thought it worthwhile to send me a restaurant recommendation and I really appreciated it. Customers feel important when they feel the brand cared enough to communicate directly with them. Such 1-to-1 communication is a unique benefit of Twitter.