This week I asked people on Facebook and on Twitter for examples of small businesses using Twitter really well. It is hard to define what using Twitter really well means and as I trawled through many accounts I found myself confused about what I meant by the term. There are lots of Social Media agencies similar to myself with good accounts but I wanted to steer away from those. I wanted to find real businesses that were doing something creative.
What I discovered was probably what I already knew. Twitter isn’t neccesarily the place to be creative, the accounts I picked are all very much personality based. People who seem passionate about what they are doing. People you would trust if you needed to buy their product or service.
Here is my top three choices from the suggestions I got and why I think they work:
@CuriousWines
What I like
They have a chatty tone, all the tweets are written in their own tone of voice, this adds legitimacy to their account, there can be no doubt you are dealing with real people.
They are chatty! Aside from the chatty tone of voice they are chatty, you can tell instantly by the amount of @replies when you look at their profile. This noted they are always on topic, there is hardly a tweet to be found that isn’t about wine although there is the odd bit of banter with customers. The key to the two brothers keeping this account so on topic is that each has a personal account @curiousmike @curiousmatt giving us the opportunity to get to know them better if we wish.
Passionate – When you read through their timeline it becomes clear that they don’t just sell wine, they enjoy it.
Customer service – Curious wines deal with customer queries through their Twitter account making customers feeling valued.
@MoneyAdviserie
What I like
Great info – Bob Quinn, the man behind Money Advisor posts great info about finances targeted at those of us who may not understand the financial landscape. Some links go to his blog but he shares content from across the Internet relating to finance.
Personal – Although the tone isn’t as chatty as that of curious wines we wouldn’t expect it to be. Bob is a money advisor so his more serious tone fits perfectly. It is still personal however, there is a personality to the tweets and even the odd non money related post. This gives us the impression that Bob is trustworthy.
Conversation / expertise – Lots of @replies when you browse his stream, a lot of these seem to be conversations with other professionals and showcase his knowledge proving him to be an expert in his field.
@ChaptersBooks
What I liked
Completely on message – there is no tweet on their timeline that isn’t about books or writers. This has to be a must follow account for any avid reader or book lover in Ireland.
Selling – There is no doubt that Chapters want to sell more books and sell them via Twitter, however it isn’t heavy handed, announcements of the latest arrivals and links to book reviews don’t overpower the Twitter account and serve as good information for anyone waiting for a release or looking for the next book to read.
Personality – Although we can’t tell if it’s just one or many person tweeting for Chapters there is some personality injected into tweets. They all adopt the same tone of voice (chatty) although not as distinct as curious wines. Some tweets are amusing commentary on book related topics.
Customer care – Chapters are able to respond to customer queries and make recommendations via their Twitter account
These three examples have two things in common, personality and conversation, however Twitter accounts don’t have to be interactive to work. The Irish Times, RTE News, and Social Media Ireland don’t interact but simply provide people with information and news. The advantage of interaction is that we are often told that people like to buy from people they know, so being conversational and connecting with your customer via Twitter can be hugely effective.
Do you agree or disagree? What do you think makes a great tweeter? Is there someone doing it better than any of these? I’d love to hear your thoughts so do leave a comment below.
