Twitter for Organizations

Ein Communications is one of the nation’s top boutique public relations firms. We distinguish ourselves by providing clients with services that are thoughtful, proactive and results oriented – an approach that has been the hallmark of our firm since its inception more than 25 years ago. 1221 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 500 Washington, D.C. 20036 202.775.0200 Twitter for Organizations An Overview of Opportunities and Best Practices By Jeff Ingram, VP of Ein Communications

So What’s the result? The best content spreads quickly from one person’s network to another People who share common interests find each other The most interesting and important people have the most followers People feel personally connected to those they follow Millions of people revealing what they are thinking, feeling and doing throughout the day (in a 140 characters or less). Millions of people following what others who they like, respect or otherwise care about are thinking, feeling and doing throughout the day. Millions of people retelling and reacting to the most interesting thoughts, feelings and activities of the people they like, respect or otherwise care about throughout the day.

As of March 2009: 6 Million users and growing rapidly Early adopters receiving avalanche of traditional media coverage Users beginning to agree on common etiquette and best practices Value to the world: It’s the next evolution in making content sharing easier so that the best information and personalities rise to the top quickly . Opportunity for Organizations: Forge new and deeper relationships with key constituencies more quickly and less costly than ever before.

Primary Twitter Genres for Organizations The Leader The Loudspeaker The Ambassador

The Leader
From the senior executive or public leader of an organization
Compelling to followers because:
Offers an opportunity to respond to tweets and have their voices heard/impact decisions
Tweets are potentially “newsworthy”
See the human side of individuals who so many rely upon for employment, products, services, etc. and yet have no close interaction
http:// twitter.com/clairecmc http:// twitter.com/zappos https:// twitter.com/davidgregory Sen. Claire McCaskill CEO Tony Hsieh Host David Gregory

The Leader
Benefit to Organizations because:
Followers feel more connected to the organization because they have “relationship” with the leader (makes organizations human)
Sends a signal that the organization is committed to transparency
It requires little time and technical knowledge
Generates mainstream media attention now because few leaders are currently on it.
http:// twitter.com/clairecmc http:// twitter.com/zappos https:// twitter.com/davidgregory Sen. Claire McCaskill CEO Tony Hsieh Host David Gregory

The Leader
Keys to Success:
Tweet several times per day so that people feel a daily connection
(What are you reading? Who are you meeting with? What do you think of a breaking news item in the world/your industry?)
Occasionally tweet something newsworthy or provocative so that constituents feel you are a “must read”
Be human and occasionally tweet about your personal life (or at least the personal side of your professional life)
Respond to followers who respond to your tweets a few times per week (someone else can monitor the responses if it is too time consuming for the leader)

The Leader From the senior executive or public leader of an organization Sample Tweets: Professional Insight/News: Daily Activities/Readings: Follower Response: Personal reflection:

The Ambassador
From an individual or team functioning as spokesperson for the organization
Offers an opportunity to interact with a brand/organization that they support
Receive product/service updates, sales and related information
The Ambassador’s personality is engaging
http:// twitter.com/dunkindonuts http:// twitter.com/MarriottIntl https:// twitter.com/redcross Dunkin’ Donuts Marriot International American Red Cross

The Ambassador
From an individual or team functioning as spokesperson for the organization
Benefit to organizations because:
Opportunity to deepen relationship with followers by keeping them better informed and giving them a vehicle to be heard.
Drive sales or other organizational objectives by expanding reach into followers of followers (viral marketing opportunity)
Receive actionable intelligence on products/services from users and consumers
Define the brand through ambassador’s personality
http:// twitter.com/dunkindonuts http:// twitter.com/MarriottIntl https:// twitter.com/redcross Dunkin’ Donuts Marriot International American Red Cross

The Ambassador
From an individual or team functioning as spokesperson
for the organization
Keys to Success:
Have a defined personality and express opinions on and off-topic in numerous Tweets throughout the day.
Offer “inside” information about product and services
(e.g. sales, products in development, new services)
Respond often to mentions of the organization or responses to your tweets. (offer to handle customer service issues or pass on suggestions)

The Ambassador From an individual or team functioning as spokesperson for the organization Sample Tweets: Personality/Opinion: Inside Info: React to brand mentions: React to Tweet responses:

The Loudspeaker
A newsfeed of updates from an organization
Allows them to follow news from an organization in a simple format
Allows them to share and respond to news from the organization that promotes discussion with their own network of followers
http:// twitter.com/AmericanCancer http:// twitter.com/nihforhealth https:// twitter.com/urbanoutfitters American Cancer Society N.I.H Urban Outfitters

The Loudspeaker
Benefit to organizations because:
Drive sales or other organizational objectives by expanding reach into followers of followers (viral marketing opportunity)
Easy to execute
http:// twitter.com/AmericanCancer http:// twitter.com/nihforhealth https:// twitter.com/urbanoutfitters American Cancer Society N.I.H Urban Outfitters

The Loudspeaker
Keys to Success:
Tweet as often as organizational news occurs
Be proactive in following other people and organizations in your area of concern to achieve greater following for your own Twitter feed

The Loudspeaker A newsfeed of updates from an organization Sample Twitter Feed:

Which Twitter Genre to Choose? Best: The Leader The Leaders is the best at attracting followers, defining the organization and building trust with key constituencies (note: good offline communicators make good online communicators–and visa-versa) Great: The Ambassador The Ambassador is a good substitute for The Leader, but lacks the credibility to make key constituencies feel “heard” by decision-makers. Good: The Loudspeaker The Loudspeaker is a good way to ease into the Twitter community and can help build organizational support for further engagement. It gives key constituents another way to stay connected to the organization and can help prompt discussion online.

Which Twitter Genre to Choose? Tale of the Tape David Gregory (Leader) vs. Meet the Press (Loudspeaker) Zappos CEO (Leader) vs. Dunkin’ Dave (Ambassador) 120,000 Followers 3,600 Followers 170,000 Followers 8,500 Followers

Predictions for Twitter 2.0 Organizational Use of Twitter Will Evolve in Months/Years to Come
-New genres will emerge
-Organizations will maintain multiple feeds targeting more narrow constituent segments
-Advertising or some other revenue model will emerge that may force organizations to adjust their strategy

Further Reading
10 Corporate Twitter Accounts Worth Following
PC Magazine, February 28, 2009
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2341886,00.asp
Birds of a Feather Twitter Together
Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2008
http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB122826572677574415-rXaM5BTzeRQMfvAuP3_4gjVJm_A_20091203.html
New Data on Top Twitter Applications and Usage
Hubspot, February 28, 2009
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/4584/New-Data-on-Top-Twitter-Applications-and-Usage.aspx

Twitter for Organizations

by Jeff Ingram on Mar 05, 2009

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