2 years, 9 months ago
What companies do you think "get" social media, specifically Twitter? What actions have they made that show they understand the space?
Be Specific and cite examples. I'm hoping that not everyone says Zappos. I'm looking for companies that I may not know of and that haven't received as much acclaim as they deserve.
The answer that provides the best examples and backs their answer most will get the loot...or I may let it go to vote...you never know.
The answer that provides the best examples and backs their answer most will get the loot...or I may let it go to vote...you never know.
Separate topics with commas, or by pressing return. Use the delete or backspace key to edit or remove existing topics.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$4 Answers
Zappos (@zappos) and http://twitter.zappos.com:
(I know you mentioned this in the question, but they are just too good to leave out)
They promote their brand subtly by posting interesting tweets about things happening to people in the Zappos world (employees, industry, etc.) and don't just harangue followers to buy their stuff. They try to connect on a more personal level, which endears people to the brand and makes them want to find out more about them.
Even more interesting, they encourage their employees to twitter by aggregating tweets from all employees at a centralized site. Presumably if the employees can easily find each other’s tweets, they can learn more about their colleague and bond with coworkers.
Wine Enthusiast (@wineenthusiast):
What's great about them is that their account is fun to follow for wine related info even if you never buy from them. While they do link a lot to their sites, much of the tips and info they share will also interest people who prefer other wine merchants. This approach will likely win consumers over without making them feel like targets of spam.
Comcast (@comcastcares):
Comcast is a often severely criticized, especially with regards to their internet services. Their twitter account did a lot to counter some of that negativity and improve public opinion. If people tweet about a problem they are having with the service, Comcast will search it out and contact the complainer and offer to help. This is a great way to use social media to win over disgruntled customers and garnered a lot of positive media attention.
Southwest Air (@SOUTHWESTAIR) and Jet Blue (@JetBlue):
They both tweet deals, flight info, photos and videos about their industry, job opportunities and answers to questions. They tend to market directly quite a bit of the time, but it doesn’t feel too spammy as their do interact quite a bit with others.
Ford (@scottmonty) Chevy (@AdamDenison) and GM (@gmblogs):
They all post about new vehicles, monitor the twitter stream for comments tweets about their products and respond with friendly messages. They do a pretty good job of straddling the line between direct marketing and interacting with others, and their accounts feel a bit like they belong to an enthusiast instead of a massive corporation.
There are a LOT of other big corporations with similar twitter accounts, but they mostly use them in the same way so I won't try to list them all. Where it really gets interesting is when an individual or small business uses social media to help carve out a niche for themselves in a seemingly saturated industry that is dominated my mega stars and big corporations. Novelists such as Scott Sigler (@scottsigler), J.C. Hutchins (@jchutchins), Philippa Balantine (@PhilippaJane) and others have used it to promote their podcast fiction, build an audience and then use that audience to help convince publishers to sign book deals. The just use their personal twitter accounts and be themselves, and mix in the occasionally promotional tweet. They ask fans for opinions, answer questions and do a great job of interacting with people.
Small independent food vendors like Bliss Frozen Yogurt (@blissfroyo) use it to publish their "Flavors of the Day", describe daily specials and even take suggestions for new flavors and products. Mobile lunch trucks (@kogibbq) use it to tweet their locations and time tables so that customers can find them. Even Mahalo is carving out a nice niche in a market dominated by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in part because of their innovative use of @answers.
(I know you mentioned this in the question, but they are just too good to leave out)
They promote their brand subtly by posting interesting tweets about things happening to people in the Zappos world (employees, industry, etc.) and don't just harangue followers to buy their stuff. They try to connect on a more personal level, which endears people to the brand and makes them want to find out more about them.
Even more interesting, they encourage their employees to twitter by aggregating tweets from all employees at a centralized site. Presumably if the employees can easily find each other’s tweets, they can learn more about their colleague and bond with coworkers.
Wine Enthusiast (@wineenthusiast):
What's great about them is that their account is fun to follow for wine related info even if you never buy from them. While they do link a lot to their sites, much of the tips and info they share will also interest people who prefer other wine merchants. This approach will likely win consumers over without making them feel like targets of spam.
Comcast (@comcastcares):
Comcast is a often severely criticized, especially with regards to their internet services. Their twitter account did a lot to counter some of that negativity and improve public opinion. If people tweet about a problem they are having with the service, Comcast will search it out and contact the complainer and offer to help. This is a great way to use social media to win over disgruntled customers and garnered a lot of positive media attention.
Southwest Air (@SOUTHWESTAIR) and Jet Blue (@JetBlue):
They both tweet deals, flight info, photos and videos about their industry, job opportunities and answers to questions. They tend to market directly quite a bit of the time, but it doesn’t feel too spammy as their do interact quite a bit with others.
Ford (@scottmonty) Chevy (@AdamDenison) and GM (@gmblogs):
They all post about new vehicles, monitor the twitter stream for comments tweets about their products and respond with friendly messages. They do a pretty good job of straddling the line between direct marketing and interacting with others, and their accounts feel a bit like they belong to an enthusiast instead of a massive corporation.
There are a LOT of other big corporations with similar twitter accounts, but they mostly use them in the same way so I won't try to list them all. Where it really gets interesting is when an individual or small business uses social media to help carve out a niche for themselves in a seemingly saturated industry that is dominated my mega stars and big corporations. Novelists such as Scott Sigler (@scottsigler), J.C. Hutchins (@jchutchins), Philippa Balantine (@PhilippaJane) and others have used it to promote their podcast fiction, build an audience and then use that audience to help convince publishers to sign book deals. The just use their personal twitter accounts and be themselves, and mix in the occasionally promotional tweet. They ask fans for opinions, answer questions and do a great job of interacting with people.
Small independent food vendors like Bliss Frozen Yogurt (@blissfroyo) use it to publish their "Flavors of the Day", describe daily specials and even take suggestions for new flavors and products. Mobile lunch trucks (@kogibbq) use it to tweet their locations and time tables so that customers can find them. Even Mahalo is carving out a nice niche in a market dominated by Google, Microsoft and Yahoo in part because of their innovative use of @answers.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES! they post important updates about their flights, and their sale-prices, as well as fun & feelgood stuff.
SWA is one of those companies that 'get' customer service, and twitter is a natural extension for them. And best of all they dont' abuse it.
... more to come...
SWA is one of those companies that 'get' customer service, and twitter is a natural extension for them. And best of all they dont' abuse it.
... more to come...
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I don't believe that is really "getting" social media, they are simply using it as a tool. Just like anyone else would that just signed up. I think the best example of a company that "gets" social media would be http://www.skittles.com. They transformed the entire site into a social media hub for that brand.
I agree with you ssergei. I think Zappos would be a company that gets Social Media and also uses it as a tool. There definitely is a difference, I should have been more clear in my question.
Report Abuse
http://twitter.com/XfireGaming
The Tweets are on topic, they add value, and are common but not too frequent. Unlike some companies that use this as a one way tool I have seen them reply to tweets.
http://twitter.com/CoffeeGroundz
A coffee shop that announces events and sales, and they are very willing to chat.
I think in general gaming and technology companies are going to see and understand the value of interacting in the Twitter environment. The other fine example was a coffee shop that does community events, I think this kind of social tie in can lead to savy when it comes to twitter or other social outlets.
The Tweets are on topic, they add value, and are common but not too frequent. Unlike some companies that use this as a one way tool I have seen them reply to tweets.
http://twitter.com/CoffeeGroundz
A coffee shop that announces events and sales, and they are very willing to chat.
I think in general gaming and technology companies are going to see and understand the value of interacting in the Twitter environment. The other fine example was a coffee shop that does community events, I think this kind of social tie in can lead to savy when it comes to twitter or other social outlets.
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
I would say that the news broadcasting stations especially World News programming stations, radio station, writers business researchers, technology buffs and most people who like to hear themselves talk, or don't mind reading other peoples' stuff have gotten a great handle on the reason behind twitter.
ANY technical company would/should do well on twitter if they are providing server space for customers. Then they could always let people know when the system is having problems and send out reminders or updates accordingly!
It is great for people who Love Gossip, Love To Gossip, People who want to be heard, people who like a little extra knowledge, or whatever. Not as many false advertisements from Google anymore so
Politital Groups, musicians, artists, travelers, Sports Teams, Fans, Non-profit organizations, etc. Potenially everyone who wants information quickly or spead it quickly.
The big problems with more people getting involved is because they are worried that other people will get their "precious" great ideas, comments or thoughts then plagerize them all over the internet. Also, many people, including myself, have been scammed out of moneyHowever, there is a connection point through all of this mess.
On the other hand, many people don't care what other people are doing so they don't need to hear other people's s**t either." Some decide to stop using Twitter-type applications because other people can respond to them and don't take the chance of social embarassment due to other people's misinterrpretations. Some could have a social anxiety, then half of those people, use it (comments disabled... oc) to tell the world about their life because they have to tell "someone." The other half of those same socially anxcious people, could be using it just to watch the feed roll by and get new words to use with their friends (the ones who "understand" them).
...maybe if more websites made a big sign that says:
SHARE THIS INFO WITH FRIENDS or SHARE YOUR OPINION HERE? idk?
What if, what if, what else...?
It's a funny thing, really. I just found this site, http://digg.com/d310H85, in my twitter feed... called - "28 Reasons Why The CEO is Afraid of Socal Media."
Funny (but true) Stuff !!!
I may do a little Reprise of Reasons WHY they can't use those reasons. RofL.
Here are a few, that I think, got clue already:
(no specific order; and, I MEAN that... lol)
http://twitter.com/newsvine; MSNBC Nightly News
http://twitter.com/NatGeoChannel; National Geographic Channel
http://twitter.com/cnnbrk; CNN World Breaking News
COMEDIANS & WRITERS can Love it for LIFE!!! So many people so many thoughts... spiratically. Lol!
Follow Me: http://twitter.com/twizztedtiffi
My Site: http://mylife.tooreal.org
Peace. I'm Out.
ANY technical company would/should do well on twitter if they are providing server space for customers. Then they could always let people know when the system is having problems and send out reminders or updates accordingly!
It is great for people who Love Gossip, Love To Gossip, People who want to be heard, people who like a little extra knowledge, or whatever. Not as many false advertisements from Google anymore so
Politital Groups, musicians, artists, travelers, Sports Teams, Fans, Non-profit organizations, etc. Potenially everyone who wants information quickly or spead it quickly.
The big problems with more people getting involved is because they are worried that other people will get their "precious" great ideas, comments or thoughts then plagerize them all over the internet. Also, many people, including myself, have been scammed out of moneyHowever, there is a connection point through all of this mess.
On the other hand, many people don't care what other people are doing so they don't need to hear other people's s**t either." Some decide to stop using Twitter-type applications because other people can respond to them and don't take the chance of social embarassment due to other people's misinterrpretations. Some could have a social anxiety, then half of those people, use it (comments disabled... oc) to tell the world about their life because they have to tell "someone." The other half of those same socially anxcious people, could be using it just to watch the feed roll by and get new words to use with their friends (the ones who "understand" them).
...maybe if more websites made a big sign that says:
SHARE THIS INFO WITH FRIENDS or SHARE YOUR OPINION HERE? idk?
What if, what if, what else...?
It's a funny thing, really. I just found this site, http://digg.com/d310H85, in my twitter feed... called - "28 Reasons Why The CEO is Afraid of Socal Media."
Funny (but true) Stuff !!!
I may do a little Reprise of Reasons WHY they can't use those reasons. RofL.
Here are a few, that I think, got clue already:
(no specific order; and, I MEAN that... lol)
http://twitter.com/newsvine; MSNBC Nightly News
http://twitter.com/NatGeoChannel; National Geographic Channel
http://twitter.com/cnnbrk; CNN World Breaking News
COMEDIANS & WRITERS can Love it for LIFE!!! So many people so many thoughts... spiratically. Lol!
Follow Me: http://twitter.com/twizztedtiffi
My Site: http://mylife.tooreal.org
Peace. I'm Out.
source(s):
Life
Life
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
Thanks for your thoughtful answer. I actually wanted to find out because I had an experience of fanatical service from Zappos that was mainly on Twitter. They did not auto register my Wii with Nintendo (meaning i had no warranty) so they ordered me a new Wii, bought me a ton of games, gave me Zappos.com credit and threw in some Blu-Rays. Really awesome of them.