Eighteen months ago, few could have predicted that Twitter would become the social media phenomena that it is now. By its own estimation, Twitter is now worth around $1 billion. It recently announced that it had passed the 10 billion tweet mark. Sceptics argue that they can’t understand the worth of this (so far) free to use, ad-free platform, yet none can deny that Twitter is now one of the most talked about Internet trends. Its popularity has divided marketers into two camps – those hailing it as the best bandwagon they ever jumped on, and others scratching their heads in confusion as to how it all works.
In the B2B space, there is a general sense that Twitter is coming of age. Plenty of B2B brands are already using it to good effect – and it’s not just the playground of the tech-savvy companies either. “A wide variety of companies have adopted Twitter from many backgrounds”, says George Ioannou, head of creative and strategy at Maginus. “Sectors include automotive, financial services, healthcare, media and entertainment, travel and hospitality and retail.”
Users say that Twitter is about creating brand awareness, listening, extending networks and generally interacting to add something of value – over and above generating leads.
This might sound great, but with millions of individuals and companies posting billions of tweets, getting started feels a bit like entering a bees’ nest and being drowned out by the hum. Third-party websites such as Listorious can provide one relatively quick and easy way to find relevant followers. Listorious allows you to search for top ‘Twitter lists’. This feature was launched late last year, and allows users to bunch together other users into relevant groups. Type, for example, ‘B2B’ into Listorious and you’re presented with lists such as ‘B2B trade groups’ and ‘B2B biz owners’.
Positioning your brand as expert
For Andy Pearce, CEO of conference calling company Powwownow, the key is to use a topical hook, with the objective of positioning your brand as a thought leader. Powwownow’s tweets do not centre solely around conference calling-related issues. The company has set up three accounts, each focusing on a specific area of interest: green issues, business efficiency issues, and an account directly related to its service and offerings. “Just tweeting about your business and what you’re doing is quite narrow-minded,” explains Pearce.
The trick, he adds, is to follow people that you, in turn, would like to follow you. Pearce makes a point of following journalists, for example, who write about B2B and entrepreneurialism “It’s a good PR tool. We follow correspondents on all kinds of publications and offer comment on things they are working on,” he says.
Retweeting, according to many experts, is the lifeblood of running a successful Twitter account. Users who like your content are more likely to ‘retweet’ it to their own followers – thus instantly broadening the reach of your message.
B2B specialist Base One has been helping Powwownow to add followers and assisting with posted content. Explains John Bottom, head of content marketing, “With Powwownow we’re trying to differentiate it from other conference calling companies by showing it is active in caring about green issues – it gives them a personality.”
Making connections
It is this element of adding personality to your brand, and using that personality to connect with peers, which sets out the Twitter winners and losers, according to Rob Smith, director at Blueleaf Digital. “Tweeting goes wrong when people mistake Twitter as a broadcast channel and not a connection tool,” he warns. “A lot of B2B relationships project a professional exterior. For that reason their tweets will be professional, often to the point of boredom.”
It’s important to be clear from the start who will be tweeting and what kinds of things they will be tweeting about. Using Twitter to plug products doesn’t generally work – successful tweeting is about starting a conversation, and in order to hold a conversation, you’ve got to hold the interest of your audience.
Opinion is divided with regards to who is best placed to do this within an organisation. Smith argues that to let your PR agency handle your tweets poses a danger because they are not you, and therefore don’t write like you. “In a way you’re adding a middle man between you and your Twitter account which can just add to the confusion and time involved,” he says.
Moreover, a successful approach on Twitter will necessitate commitment in terms of time and – and resourced by a team that understands how Twitter works and appreciates brand communication,” adds Mark Blaylock, creative director at Flipside Group.
It is important to consider precisely how democratic and open you want your brand to be. “The marcomms department could play no more than a co-coordinating role – developing the ‘frame’ – the context to which colleagues using Twitter can refer to the brand and products,” explains Paul Squires, head of digital at Summersault Communications. “Many larger businesses, particularly in the US, understand that companies employing tens of thousands of people can’t have just one Twitter account – it doesn’t reflect the scale and diversity of the business.”
Integration is key
It should go without saying that, as with most marketing activity, you’re unlikely to want your Twitter stuff to be standalone, particularly given the ease with which it can be married to other digital channels. The opportunities appear limitless – RSS feeds can be pumped through Twitter, blog posts and websites promoted, and now tweets can be shared with users on LinkedIn (thanks to a recent partnership between the two). Again, it might all seem a bit confusing to the Twitter novice, but as Jon White, PR and marketing manager at Webcredible points out, it is possible to think broadly, in terms of linking everything back to your website, which is your ‘hub’.
“Integration of Twitter into the overall marketing strategy is key to the success of B2B organisations which use this tool. We are constantly monitoring Twitter to respond to any queries and get involved in conversations,” he explains. Articles, reports, press releases and blog content is all fed through Webcredible’s Twitter account, with the majority of it automated through Twitterfeed. “Our Twitter account subsequently links back to various areas of our website and blog and our Facebook page is integrated in much the same way. Our presence on LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr are also linked back to our website which serves as the hub,” he adds.
It’s also worth considering how Twitter activity can be integrated with offline marketing tactics. One simple way of doing this is to add Twitter names to business cards.
The use of Twitter in business still has a way to go – a recent Virgin Media Business study revealed that just 16 of the country’s FTSE 100 companies use it to engage with customers. But the evidence suggests that 2010 could be the year it takes off. Twitter is soon expected to launch business accounts, allowing users the opportunity to pay for access to a new layer of features including statistics and user feedback – although details at this stage are sketchy.
Blaylock also believes that Twitter will grow in popularity through the increasing arrival of new apps to support its use. Already a plethora of applications exist to make general tweeting and tracking easier, such as Tweetdeck and Twitterfeed, but an increasing number of business-friendly apps are also emerging – such as TwitterHawk, a marketing app which helps businesses connect with people geographically and related to chosen keywords. “TwitterHawk sends other Twitter users your custom response when they tweet your keyword in locations that you specify,” says Blaylock. “For instance, if you offer IT support and you are looking to reach anyone with a 15 mile radius, when someone nearby Tweets about looking for IT support, your response can be automatically sent to that person.
“The reason Twitter’s ascendency hasn’t happened so far is due to a lack of understanding and experience, nonetheless the rise of Twitter as a B2B marketing tool is coming, and as the apps appear that will help define its role as a tool, those who are first to embrace it properly will see huge gains,” he says.