BLOG: To tweet or not to tweet?…

…That is the question. But what’s the answer? The Twitter phenomenon is everywhere; news, TV, blogs and even on the radio, everyone is talking about it.

But there still seems to be confusion amongst brands about what it means for them and how, if at all, it should factor in their communication strategy with customers. Whether brands want to embrace what has become the latest social networking phenomenon or not, it is clear that consumers have placed Twitter close to their hearts. Many are turning to the site to vent their frustrations at the short comings of brands at an alarming rate.

This alone shows that organisations must treat Twitter in the same way they would any other customer touch point. And this includes not only monitoring what its being said, but actually listening to consumers and acting on their feedback. Take Pepsi. Following criticism of their latest advertising campaign on Pepsi on Twitter, Pepsi replied directly to those angry consumers and confirmed they were removing the offending work.

A great example of how a brand can interact with customers, ensuring they remain brand advocates. Whatever your view, Twitter has proved itself (some might say with the help of Stephen Fry) to be a fantastic communication tool. For brands it is another customer touch point that must feed into the overall strategy for brands. Those that ignore it will do so at their peril.

by Neville Upton, Mar 02 2009, 06:08 PM