After reading this blog post on “Twitter as a Customer Service Channel” and the benefits of using it (speedy customer service, building a community etc.), I naively asked myself “Why don’t all businesses use it?”   After further reading, I learned that there are several cases where the use of Twitter is a flop because companies were not committed to Twitter by not responding to tweets within 24 hours.

Here are some of my key questions for businesses deciding whether or not to use Twitter:

Are you going to be committed?
One of today’s cultural trends is that people are time-poor and the customers on Twitter value how quickly they get a reply.  Twitter is still customer service, and it is crucial to respond to customers in a timely manner.

Do a significant number of your customers use Twitter?
I have never understood why Realtors use Twitter and tweet about listings.  Do their potential customers even use Twitter for that purpose?  In order to use Twitter effectively, a company must know if/how their consumers use Twitter.

Can you grow your community through Twitter?
One of the main benefits of using social media is the ability to create a community.  Community can put a company into a consumer’s evoked set and influence purchasing behaviour.  According to the CMA blog post, Twitter “is a great, easy way to create online brand advocates out of your fans” and attract new customers.

Is your content going to align with your values as well as your corporate partners?
While engaging customers with tweets, it is important to always keep your identity in mind and know who you are aligned with; failing to do so can lead to disaster.

Being in Canada, we (fortunately or unfortunately) miss out on some Super Bowl ads.  This year, we missed out on an ad (it was only aired in a few cities nationwide) by Old Milwaukee starring:  Will Ferrell!  The commercial features the “Anchorman” star necking with a middle-aged Asian woman on public transit while, after a disturbing moment or two, the camera zooms out to a 6-pack of Old Milwaukee and then back to the couple.

Personally when I first watched the ad, I was disturbed by this commercial (although that may have had something to do with Ferrell’s moustache).  However, I started laughing a couple seconds in because Will Ferrell’s basketball uniform reminded me of his stupidly funny movie “Semi-Pro”.  Eventually though, I started to feel sick and physically cringed.

Consequently, this commercial is now a psychological factor in my attitude towards Old Milwaukee, the discount lager (which I’ve never had before).  The ad didn’t leave me with the greatest impression of the product.  Furthermore, if the social reference group the ad depicts is that “obnoxiously affectionate couple” then I would probably try to dissociate myself from Old Milwaukee as quickly as possible.

But then again, it is just a Will Ferrell ad, and the product itself isn’t necessarily aimed at me.  It’s aimed at people who want to buy beer at a lower price.

If I ever find myself wanting cheap beer though, I’ll probably pick Old Milwaukee because even though I won’t be able to get that disgusting image of those two anytime soon, I’ll still laugh every single time I imagine Will Ferrell.  It’s unfortunate that more people didn’t see the ad.

http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/will-ferrell-smooches-his-way-through-another-old-milwaukee-super-bowl-ad-147019