When I first joined Twitter I tweeted the obligatory, "hello this is my first tweet" then I sat back and waited and watched. I observed what others said and how they used Twitter and I learned a lot. The thing I discovered about Twitter is that it's not all about tweeting. Twitter is a fantastic place to "listen" and we don't always listen enough in marketing.I consider Twitter work. It's the place I go to find new ideas, hook up with experts, or find up-to-date thinking and case studies. I've been known to disappear down the rabbit hole for hours looking for interesting conversations or articles, and clicking on link after link after link. It's where I go to learn about the language that people use to describe their relationship with a certain brand or issue.
Sure you might loose five minutes here or there being sucked into the Katy Price and cat videos tractor beam that is of course part of the Twitter experience, but it pales in comparison with what you'll learn.
Twitter is a great tool for tapping into to the myriad of conversations that are going on everyday about any given brand or category. If, like me, you're fascinated by people and their motivations the opportunities for Twitter seem endless. People are people first here - not consumers. If you're trying to recruit people who genuinely care about an issue or a brand you can do a lot worse than scouring Twitter.
Brands that succeed on Twitter are good listeners. They understand that Twitter isn't about public relations it's about social relations. It's a place for entertainment and a place for dialogue. On Twitter we crave humanity - even from our brands.Brands must think and behave as if they are people who want to have a relationship with other people. If brands behaved this way they'd start doing things differently. They'd stop talking and start listening.
If you, or I were joining a new conversation we'd listen to each other for a while first before contributing - hopefully in a way that was welcomed. Imagine we were having a discussion about the Arab Spring and a complete stranger butted in and started talking about their clothes. We’d probably think "go away you vacuous stranger". But that’s what Habitat and Kenneth Cole did on Twitter. They used hashtags such as #Cairo to join in such conversations uninvited and used it as an opportunity to promote their sale.
By 'listening' to real conversations on Twitter we can pick up useful tidbits about peoples' lives, and their relationship with brands. It becomes obvious where their enthusiasm lies, and what's captured their imagination. You can also understand what makes a difference to people service wise. As a brand owner you'll be made aware of problems before they become big issues, and you might even learn about new needs that you weren't aware of. People are only interested in what you're doing as a business if it addresses their needs/problems/objectives/fears. How will you do this if you don't know what they are? And once you've listened you can move on to talking and really engaging with the people who love your brand.
Ask yourself a few questions: Is your brand a good listener? Does your brand have a good social media presence? Are you keeping up with your consumers on those channels or simply using it as a mechanic for press releases? Are you even using the right channels?
Relationships are fragile and the best way to secure a long-term ongoing relationship with people, because consumers are people too, is to start listening rather than talking. All good things begin with listening.
