Tank News and Blog

Posts Tagged ‘twitter’

No publicity is bad publicity….question mark

08-08-2011 | Helen | Tank PR News

A misguided tweet regarding Amy Winehouse’s death from the offices at Microsoft saw bad publicity come their way. Promoting one of their products, the tweet urged followers to download popular Amy Winehouse song ‘Back to Black’ using their online store. This outraged not only fans but the general public who saw this as crass and vile.

Many would argue that the tweet, gaining coverage in the national press and featuring in multiple articles mentioning their product, was actually a back handed promotional success. However in the long run, this has actually come across as an incredibly greedy and unprofessional mistake, a mistake that a global company such as Microsoft would not want to be identified with.

As a Nottingham PR agency we recognise the vast importance of social networking sites and that messages as innocent as tweets can blow up from being micro-blogs to potentially damaging news stories.

Helen

No Comments [0]

2011: The year of the tweet

05-01-2011 | TankPR | Social Media

I’ve spent quite a lot of time on Twitter over the Christmas break. Admittedly, it’s mainly been about catching up with friends that I haven’t had chance to see in person and commenting on the festive goings-on over the past few weeks, but it’s also helped to reinforce the importance of Twitter for businesses.

Many have been using their allotted 140 characters to reinforce their post Christmas sale offerings and festive branding messages. This has an obvious benefit for B2C companies, providing an instant, and free form of direct marketing, but Twitter’s advantages for B2B organisations shouldn’t be overlooked either.

It’s the perfect way to engage with potential new leads on a more informal basis, injecting some personality into your corporate image. It sits nicely alongside the likes of Linkedin as a network-building tool, allowing you to engage directly with some of the country’s biggest brands.

Twitter also has the ability of driving web traffic, either directly to your own site or to articles relating to your field of expertise. And, of course, the PR value of Twitter is ever increasing. Not only have I seen it establish individuals as thought-leaders, but I’ve also seen some of our most impressive pieces of national and trade coverage come from a single tweet – you should never forget how many leading journalists are active Twitter users.

In terms of the economy, it’s safe to say that the country will hardly be back on an even keel in 2011, and the next 12 months are bound to be spent by many clawing their way back to stability, so businesses will be looking at the best and most cost-effective ways of publicising themselves. This is why I believe that Twitter will continue to expand in terms of business use, presenting new opportunities without impacting on the all-important budgets.

For those of you venturing into the world of Twitter, one word of warning – remember that it should be considered as an important part of your marketing campaign. Be an active user, follow the right people, engage with them and take time to plan tweets. Although it’s important to present a degree of personality, always keep at the forefront of your mind that you’re representing your company and your brand image.

So, if you’re looking to make a New Year’s resolution for your business, you could do a lot worse than Twitter.

Happy tweeting in 2011!

Martin

No Comments [0]

Converting through Social Media, how I became a coveted statistic

08-09-2010 | TankPR | Tank PR News

Social media is a relatively new phenomenon, with savvy established brands and new businesses all trying to use social networking channels to their full effect. The principles are simple – approach potential customers in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable, where they feel in control and basically on their own territory.

Social networking can be hugely valuable to companies that get it right. If you know who your customers are, you can target your other marketing and PR campaigns more effectively. It becomes even more valuable when friends of the customer see that they like your brand and may possibly become customers themselves. It is even better if the customer interacts with you on these social networking sites and provides valuable feedback for free… whether it is good or bad.

Working in digital PR and SEO, you may think that someone like me is immune to such campaigns. After all, I know virtually every trick in the book right? Well yes, but I’m still a shopper! I need to purchase goods and services too, which is why I want to share with you how a company found my Twitter profile and encouraged me to become a customer.

I won’t be revealing the company that caught my attention, I am a shopper not their PR department!

1. This company followed me on Twitter first. When I get an email saying I have a new follower, I take a look at this person’s profile. If they appear to be spammy (no picture, lots of links or a username with lots of letter that don’t make sense) then I don’t follow back. This company checked all my ‘genuine Twitter user’ boxes.

2. They didn’t unfollow me once I followed them. There are tools out there that allow you to see exactly who has unfollowed you and when. There is nothing more annoying than people who follow you and then unfollow once you have reciprocated just so they can look popular.

3. This company reached out and spoke to me and replied when I spoke to them. When it seems as though there is a personality behind the screen, it makes the Twitter user more inclined for follow and chat to them.

4. They identified their target market well. As a woman in my mid twenties who uses Twitter frequently I fit perfectly to their ideal customer demographic.

5. Ultimately, the quality and relevance of their products to me was the dealbreaker. Do not take the attitude that if you sell and item and get enough website traffic the sales will roll in. Take responsibility for the product and be prepared to adapt.

Sales made directly through social media can be easily traced through Google Analytics, however, if social media has put the idea of buying in to a customer’s mind this is somewhat harder to track. ROI is then harder to gauge but still and excellent support tool for traditional public relations and marketing. Tank is well placed PR Agency to maximise your social media campaigns.

No Comments [0]