Should Companies Follow Back on Twitter?
TweetI was listening to a very good Beancast episode last night discussing whether or not companies should follow back on Twitter. The guests raised some good points about why people follow brands, primarily for coupons and product information–not engagement. The guests also suggested that companies can monitor their brand an engage when needed through Twitter sear h or Tweetdeck. And, that interation may be more likely to come from a brand evangelist or community manager than the corporate Twitter account.
All I could think while listening to these arguments was — who cares? What is so hard about following back? No one is suggesting a brand read all the tweets of those they are following. In fact, do you know any individuals who are? Just follow back. If someone cared enough to follow your brand, the least you can do is follow back (note: I am not saying this applies to individuals, just corporate accounts.) I find it a huge turnoff to go to a brands’ page and see they are only following a handful of people.
Think of it this way, following back is like having a mini-focus group constantly going on. If you want insight into what is interesting, important, and exciting to your fans, just tune into the stream for a while. You may learn more than you think.
blog comments powered by Disqus
