Tweet, Tweet, Tweet – Practice Makes Perfect

Social media allows marketers to get their messages out in real-time. This can be either a blessing or a curse, depending on what is happening in the moment. Real-time marketing should be focused not just on an individual moment (such as the power-outage at last year’s Super Bowl), but be part of a broader marketing plan. This will require a shift in the way marketers think and act. Above all, marketers need to be cognizant of why consumers should care about the message, and what will inspire consumers to share. A formula for success in real-time and tweets can be boiled to three Ps: planning, process, and practice.

  • Planning: Even though there are examples of real-time moments (again, think Super Bowl power outage), the best brands and marketers have their strategic plans already firmly in place and they have a tone ready for all the social media.

  • Process: Organization with clear rules and escalation form the foundation, but flexibility allows for rapid execution to take advantage of opportunities.

  • Practice: There is no substitute for practice. It may take a few tries to work out the formula for your brand, but the more you practice, the better the results will be.

 Group Activities and Discussion Questions:

  1. Divide students into teams.  Have each team select a product that has used social media and Twitter to aid in marketing and promotion.

  2. What does the brand do well in social media?

  3. What changes should the brand consider making?

  1. Have students develop a Twitter campaign for a product of their choice.

  1. What are the main messages? What time frame will be used? What could go right, or go wrong?

 Source:  Ad Age Daily, 10/14/13

 

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