Learning Twitter? Don't Take Cues from These Agencies

Thinking of Tweeting?  There's no silver bullet when it comes to Twitter, but here is some common-sense logic agencies should apply to their strategies.

Don't over-promote. Of course you want to use Twitter to build your agency's brand, but don't hit people over the head with a litany of press releases. Be human. Attach a personality -- a name, a photo -- to your Twitter feed and balance promoting your brand with some personal updates so followers can get a sense of your company culture. Remember, Twitter is public! A client probably won't appreciate your tweeting "Ouch, got a nasty hangover" when you're late to the meeting. Keep clients looped. Be sure to share your agency's Twitter strategy with your clients. Get permission if you want to mention one by name, and don't forget that a lot of your work is proprietary. Don't let a careless misstep to cost you the relationship. Listen. Know what people are saying about you on Twitter. Use search.twitter.com or an application such as TweetDeck to monitor the chatter. Respond. The point of being on Twitter is to engage with people who know your agency, as well as those who don't and want to learn more about you. If followers comment on your feed or send you direct messages, get back to them promptly. Remember, it's a conversation. Keep expectations in check. A Twitter strategy does not make your agency "social." Try out tools internally to share knowledge, exchange ideas and -- best yet -- encourage learning that you can pass along to clients. Identify impersonators. Accounts purporting to be someone or something they're not violate Twitter's terms of service. So if someone's got their paws on yours,let Twitter know . -- Rupal Parekh

Some tweet deftly, while others lag clients.  As Twitter moves into the business mainstream, it's increasingly clear that one community has yet to fully embrace the social-networking tool du jour: agencies.

The irony is that the same people clients hire to erect communications and social-media strategies often appear uncomfortable using Twitter themselves. 

Other users are misrepresenting their usernames (often corporations) publishing tweets that have nothing to do with the company's business or image. Whatever the case may be, save for a few shining examples of shops that "get it," agencies need to catch up with their clients, and fast.

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(via @BURNadvertising)