I’ve used this post helping both @meritrustcu and @kshumanesociety. It says exactly what I always say…but I can email it! Source: adelamaide…about your local* store/cafe/project (s/c/p) on twitter?
Here are my** thoughts.
1. I prefer separate personal and s/c/p accounts. I want to know when your cafe is serving chili, not when you are going to Sam’s Club. (Unless you are funny, then I’m amused.)
Also, I want to point people to a professional-looking account when I say something like, “I could really kill for a chai from @meadscorner.” Plus, if you are doing something that has nothing to do with your s/c/p, you don’t have to worry (as much…) about ruining your brand or reputation.
I think these folks do this well:
@meadscorner (managed and staffed by @kurioskurion and @wuzupbecky and others)
@franknmargaret (@e_christensen and @dfwinict)
@heartspring (@katie_grover did a great job of using twitter to promote and gather resources for Lights on the Lake, their annual C’mas lights tour/fundraiser)
A local donut shop (@thedonutwhole, run by @michaelcarmody) uses their account pretty well for updates and info, but I can’t point you to the owner because his updates are protected and I don’t follow him.
I stopped following @zoomdweebie (my favorite local tea shop) even though I am a tea fan because Frank’s (the owner) personal tweets got to be too often, I didn’t know him that well and I just wasn’t interested
An exception to this for me is @caffeposto, where the owner tweets under her cafe’s name. I can’t figure out why Kay’s (the owner) tweets don’t bother me like @zoomdweebie’s did and I think it’s because of the Most Important Thing (see below). I met Kay at a tweetup and I liked her. So I stopped by the store when I was in the neighborhood, got a cup of soup and a panini and tweeted about it.
Personally, I’d like to see a little more separation between person and project for the guy (@jbrickman) behind @rokict, but I still follow both anyway because it’s a cool thing and Jared is great. I’d be a lot more interested in the @atwichita project if I’d met (one of?) the creator(s) at a tweetup first.
2. Avoid using the s/c/p account ONLY to send me links promoting your product. I don’t care and will stop following you. The s/c/p account should be written in a personable, professional voice with information that makes me curious about what goes on at your s/c/p. (I don’t have any good examples of accounts which only send links because I don’t follow any s/c/p that does this.)
3. Use the s/c/p account to point people towards your (or your employees’) personal account and vice versa.
4. Finally, the most important thing I have to say about marketing on twitter—because I think it can be done and should be done well—is this:
Be my friend first. Go to a tweetup, go to a party, do what it takes to meet the people who are following you. If we are friends, you will not have to market your store, cafe, or project because I WILL DO IT FOR YOU. I will talk about your chai, your chili, your soup, or your project. I will get my friends to come to your events. And I will get them to talk about you too.
THAT is the secret to marketing on twitter. And these are my thoughts. My perspective is limited and biased. I don’t follow everyone in Wichita. If you have a different opinion on this, blog it and @reply me the link. I’m interested in what you think.*I focus on building a local brand on twitter because that is what I know about. I cannot speak to building a nationally recognized brand. I am also going to assume that you are finding and following people in your area because if you’re not, what’s the point?
**About me: I have never studied marketing and I was not the first on my block to twitter, but I am involved in a community of people in Wichita who met each other on twitter and I know what I find interesting to read.***I really should also say: I think you all are great and I mean this post in the most kind and “observing social interaction without getting personal” way. If I made you mad or hurt your feelings, you probably aren’t reading this anyway, but I still wanted to say I like you. Really, I do.
