Twitter Customer Service: It's Personal | Business 2 Community

?A colleague recently shared an integrated direct mail and email marketing campaign for which she was targeted by a company I respect. We were both surprised by the overly kitschy message and lack of integration with the brand positioning or with the brand name at all. I wondered if this was a rogue campaign that had slipped by without the proper approvals.

I know (and by ?know? I mean follow on Twitter) a guy who works for said company. I had interacted with him a few times before via Twitter and their company blog, so I contacted him over Direct Message to see what he knew about this campaign.

The ensuing conversation was, I think, a perfect example of how interactions via your social network can positively impact your marketing strategy?and I think he would agree (though he shall remain nameless). The conversation went something like this:

ME: Hey, do you know what?s up with Campaign X? Doesn?t seem to live up to expectations for Brand Y.

HIM: I think the idea was (insert neutral statement). But I wasn?t personally involved. Is there something I can find out about it for you?

ME: Thanks. My issue was a, b, c. I really respect Brand Y and hope this is taken as constructive criticism.

HIM: This is valuable feedback. Do you mind if I share with others? If so, should I exclude your name? (For political reasons, I need to keep my opinions to myself).

ME: I hear you. Feel free to share my feedback and contact info. Like I said, I really like what you guys have been doing.

HIM: (Insert light-hearted personal reference).

We?ve all heard the social media success stories before (as well as the social media horror stories), but what makes this success story different is that it truly takes it down to the personal level.

What made this experience personal?

I reached out to a person, not a brand
If you reach out to @ComcastCares or @ATT, you?ll likely get a reply from an individual. Here, I started on the individual level from the beginning.

I was able to keep the conversation private because he already followed me on Twitter
I didn?t have to air any dirty laundry by sending a message to the entire Twittersphere. Since we follow one another, I was able to keep the conversation private via Direct Message.

We established a relationship
This isn?t a ?your ticket is closed? scenario. Two people who kind of knew each other before have now established a more substantial connection which can continue to develop.

How can you encourage your Twitter followers to engage with you personally when they have a problem?

Be visible
Include your company name in your Twitter bio. Tweet about your company, industry and topics your customers and influencers care about.

Be sociable
No, you don?t have to follow back every single one of your Twitter followers. But if a follower isn?t a spammer, bot, or tweeting every five seconds, why not follow them back? You never know when they will have something insightful to share.

Be honest
Did you catch my Twitter friend?s comment about not being able to share his personal opinion? Did you get the feeling that he agreed with me but just couldn?t quite say it? If someone reaches out to you personally, don?t communicate as if you are reading off a script. Show some personality.

Have you had a customer service conversation on Twitter? How did it go, and what did you learn?

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Source: http://www.business2community.com/social-media/twitter-customer-service-it%E2%80%99s-personal-037120

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