Carvill Creative Marketing blog » twitter

Using Twitter as customer service resource – Don’t just apologise, make your presence count!

admin — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 22:38:41 +0000

For those of you that follow me on Twitter, then you may have been alerted to the fact that I was not too happy with the service levels at Symantec last week.

To provide a bit of context – I had a very simple query. I received a notification advising me that I needed to renew my Norton 360 license with them – simple – and I did that no problem.

However, the license I have is for 3 machines, and I wanted to switch one of the licenses and see whether Linux platforms were supported in that license. A quick call – or live chat query, or even email support would have sufficed. The query could have been resolved in, say, 2 minutes.

I searched on their website for answers to my queries – but nothing was evident, and so I hunted down a number to call and eventually found an office in Reading. I called them and having completed at least 4 rounds of call selection – I was then put into a queue.

It was interesting, because in the queue, I wasn’t notified that it was going to take me an hour and a half to get through – instead, I was repeatedly advised to hold on the phone, as if I hung up, I would lose my place in the queue and have to start again.

I waited, and waited – after 40 minutes, I started to get really fed up – but the, by now, terrifying mantra came at me again – hang up and I’ll lose my place!

Of course, I wasn’t just sitting there winding myself up during the long wait – oh no, I tried to be as productive as possible. I visited their site again, hunted down the FAQs, hunted down a search facility, inserted the keywords relating to my query etc etc.

Pages upon pages of results returned – totally off the mark – and now I’m getting more and more frustrated.

After 90 minutes on hold – I was now uber twitchy – of course, my Twitter app was open, so I posted; ‘Can’t believe I’ve been waiting on hold at Symantec for an hour and a half, disgusting.’

Fortunately, or unfortunately for the poor chap I did eventually get put through to, they answered the call shortly after, (1 hour and 38 minutes on hold. That’s got to be a record!) Flabbergasted, I wanted an explanation, why, what… however, the very nice chap I was now through to in the Philippines had no answers. Sorry – we’re busy, that’s all I can say. He answered my query and worked through what I needed to do – and all was fixed. However, I was still finding the whole waiting on hold for that amount of time, incredulous.

Interestingly, just 10 minutes after I’d posted on Twitter – I received a message on Twitter from NortonOnline asking how they could help me. Had my problem been resolved – sorry to hear I wasn’t happy?

I’d also received a few Direct Messages from others advising me that they too thought Symantec were terrible. Poor service levels – not responsive. One chap had been trying to cancel a standing order with them for months!

I tried to Direct Message NortonOnline, but because they weren’t following me, had to post to all, advising that yes it had been fixed – but did they really think that 90 mins on hold was acceptable?

I also queried, the point as to why they hadn’t they promoted their Twitter support on their website? Had I seen that, then I’d have been on them like a shot. And why no live chat – particularly as they clearly don’t have the mechanisms to handle calls responsively?

They thanked me for my suggestions and my great feedback! Hmmmm.

What’s clear, however, is that Twitter and no doubt Facebook, are being closely watched by the corps. Brand reputation is clearly being managed very closely online – with the remit to capture any negativity before it spirals out of control – and turns into a Dell Hell.

Let’s hope that more and more businesses start to utilise Twitter as a means of responding to customer queries – but actually adding real value. I’d much rather be dealing with a 10 minute response than a 90 minute one. That would speak volumes for a brand – the fact that they are actually servicing customers, rather than simply looking at preserving their brand reputation – the two are interlinked. The fact that NortonOnline came back to me quickly online via Twitter, didn’t temper the negative vibes that had manifested whilst waiting on hold for 90 minutes.

Being responsive in the social media arena can’t just be about apologies – it’s got to be about servicing the consumer. So take heed all you corps that are jumping on the Twitter bandwagon. Don’t just pay lip service and make your presence all about managing your brand reputation, but get real service running via Twitter and really make your presence count!

For more marketing news, views, rants, tips and advice – why not subscribe to my blog or follow me on Twitter.

Best wishes

Michelle Carvill

Michelle Carvill is owner and Marketing Director at Carvill Creative – a graphic design and marketing services agency based in Maidenhead, Berkshire. The agency covers all aspects of graphic design and marketing – covering social media marketing and website planning and website design.

Get Targeted with your Social Media Audience

admin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:03:14 +0000

As a marketer with a mantra of ‘be targeted’ – then I always raise an eyebrow when I receive messages from Twitter followers advising me how to get 1000 new followers in 48 hours! And, I certainly don’t follow back those on Twitter who clearly only have the goal of creating a huge number of followers (but to what end!).

I find Twitter a really useful resource – but that’s because I am following – and largely being followed, in a targeted way.

I’ve conversed with my followers to bounce ideas around and get feedback from – and given that I am talking to a relatively targeted audience – then it’s all highly relevant.

To assist me in my targeted strategy – I’ve been using TweetBeep (http://www.tweetbeep.com) – I am aware that there are other alert apps out there – but this is the one I started with – and it’s doing the job marvellously.

Effectively, I use the alert process for a number of things:

I set my alerts on certain keywords that are relevant to my interests, eg: user experience, social media marketing, usability and online psychology.
I get alerted via a TweetBeep email each time these keywords are triggered.
This allows me to read through the messages –check out who the people are – and decide whether to follow them or not. If relevant, I do.
It’s also been really useful in identifying areas where I can assist and share information. For example – when I saw messages from people looking for a social media strategy outline – I was able to send across a document I had put together. Without the TweetBeep, I wouldn’t have been able to help. I add value to them, they then start following me – subscribe into my blog etc – they’ve found a ‘relevant’ contact.
Likewise – I’ve found relevant contacts in the same way – and have found some really useful people to follow.
It also enables me to monitor my own ‘reach’. I often come across my own tweets – being shared across the network by people who are not necessarily following me. And of course, if you set an alert in your own name/twitter handle – then you’ll get alerted on these too.

Of course, when I do follow a new user – then I always check out who they are following – this enables me to grow the people I follow in a targeted way. Like often attracts like – and I am finding that many of the people I am connecting with – are also following in a targeted way – so hence – in their followers, I am finding a great pool of relevant contacts for me to explore.

You can set the alerts on anything which is relevant to you – and so if you too have a targeted strategy, rather than a ‘follow anyone in the hope they too have a follow all strategy and have autofollow set ‘ one – you can watch the relevant conversations that are taking place – and then decide how and whether to participate.

The TweetBeep alerts are pretty instantaneous – and so not only relevant but timely. As I said – there are other alerts out there – and I am told that Tweetdeck has this facility within it.

So, whichever, alert you go for – my advice is cut through the noise and ‘get targeted’.

For more marketing news, views, strategies and advice – then why not subscribe to my blog

Or follow me on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/michellecarvill

How I am using Twitter – by a relatively experienced Twitterer…

admin — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:24:09 +0000

There’s a plethora of information about how to refine your Twittering skills – simply type How to use Twitter in Google – and you’ll be inundated with some good stuff – some quite complex and others pretty basic.

We find ourselves explaining to family, friends and clients so often what exactly Twitter is. So, I thought it may be useful to share with others: how I got started, my tactics to remain targeted in my Twitter use – and what I think of Tweeting so far…

Firstly (oh Grasshopper), what is Twitter?

Please remember that the views shared in this article, are mine and mine alone – so this is my definition of Twitter.

Social Networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Linked-In, Bebo, Bizzbug – are effectively ‘online social spaces’ where people can share their profiles, news, photos, ideas, work projects etc. Then we have Blogs – online ‘diary style’ platforms where people can share their views, news, ideas and advice about something they are passionate about. Businesses have blogs, people have blogs – it’s a way to communicate what’s happening, how you feel about things, provide advice and share. The objective is to get people interested and engaged by providing authentic, transparent and relevant information. And hopefully, those that engage with what you are talking about – will tell others – and so they will ‘follow’ your musings, subscribe to your blog – growing brand awareness, positive word of mouth – and share of mind. Similarly, you may participate in ‘online forums’ – here you share your views and advice with others – and ask for help too. Again, the forum is not a place to directly ‘sell’ – it’s a place to build your reputation and share opinion.

Of course, people do try to use these platforms for direct sales purposes – but that tends to ‘turn off’ the ‘social audience’. So that can’t be your main objective.

Twitter, in my opinion, is the perfect ‘communication’ channel for your ‘social media’ activity. It’s the ‘connecting’ element that’s necessary for linking likeminded a vast amount of people in a in a targeted and purposeful way.

So how does it work?

Well joining is really simple – visit www.twitter.com and register. But pause a while before you dive in…

Decide your objectives: Think about how you want to use Twitter – as once you’ve started, it may be difficult to change tactics! Are you wanting to use Twitter for general social interaction, or for business purposes. What image do you want to portray? Are you an expert in cat grooming – or interested in meeting people who enjoy cooking and sharing recipes? Perhaps you are using it for business purposes and want to share relevant advice and news on your specific business. Do you have a blog? How is the blog positioned – are you an ‘expert’ in something – will you be sharing information on that specific competence. Considering what you are looking to achieve from ‘connecting’ on Twitter is vital to how you position yourself before you start.

Targeted Profile: Once you’ve decided on your position – then set up your profile (See Profile next to Home on your Twitter home page.) If you are an Expert Cat Groomer then say that – be specific, be targeted in your profile, insert relevant urls for your website or blog. There are ways via Twitter Search and WeFollow and Twollow that users can search based on keywords in profiles and in posts. So if people search cats – then you may get picked up. Also – when I am deciding on whether to follow someone who ‘follows me’ (get to that later) – then I always read their profile to see if they are the type of people that I want to follow. If they mention stuff that I’m interested in such as: internet marketing, marketing, SEO, social media, blogging, branding, userbility – then I will check out their latest ‘tweets’ and if all relevant – then I will follow them back. I also pay attention to profile pictures – so be sure to select something ‘on brand’ and representative of you. You can change your picture at any time – in Settings – (as well as your background design and account info). However, I recommend that you find a pic that fits – and stick with it, so that people can instantly recognise you.

Tweeting: So now you are ready to start ‘posting’ or ‘tweeting’ on Twitter. Remember two things: 1) you only have 140 characters to get your point across and 2) remember your objective of joining twitter. People who post ‘la la la’ stuff (by that I mean stuff that’s just not relevant to anyone such as ‘having a cheese sandwich right now’) I tend NOT to follow. My objective for using Twitter is to connect with likeminded individuals, learn stuff, share information and advice and connect people – and so I set out to find people who were doing similar things to me - but perhaps for longer, with different experiences, and with a different reach – ie: based in different parts of the world. So make a post – say hello. Go to Twitter Search and search keywords that are relevant to your world. Find people who look interesting to follow. Often those with a great number of followers are a good starting point.

Follow in a Targeted Way: Grow the number of people you follow in a targeted way. Following the same tactic – search on keywords and you will have a group of people you can decide whether to follow or not. Once you start following someone that has the ‘right fit’ for you (which you will find out pretty quickly by whether or not the stuff they are tweeting is right for you) – a good tactic is to then check out who they are following – often you’ll find that these people also have the ‘right fit’ for you – so you can start to follow them too.

Tactical Retweets: Now then – it’s great to be following in a targeted way – but remember, that unless someone is following you – they can’t see your tweets. So, a good tactic for getting people interested in you is to Retweet their message. Effectively, if things they are saying are interesting – then ‘RETWEET’ their message (effectively this is like a forward to all function). Those that you are following, whilst unable to see your Tweets until they follow you – will be alerted that you have ‘Retweeted’ their message. If you keep doing this, they may be alerted to check out who you are – and if you are of interest to them – they may follow you. And of course, if you have chosen to follow people they are following – then they too may ‘retweet’ what you are saying, and they’ll be alerted to you that way too.

Get Followed: Getting people to follow you is good news, particularly if they have a strong fit with your objectives. Once they follow you then your ‘tweets’ are seen by them. And if they like what you are tweeting about and they ‘retweet’ what you have to say, then all of their followers see your ‘tweet’. (This is particularly good if they have thousands of followers – as it may have been that you have written a blog post the link to which has very quickly been sent to thousands of people who may never have found your blog before…). Another thing to do is register in the WeFollow directory – again, under specific keywords. That way, you’ll get picked up when people search on specific keywords.

Get Followed 2 - Promote your Twitter @ handle: There are various places you can be promoting the fact that people can follow you on Twitter. Your email signature, your blog, your website, if you write articles and submit them to article marketing sites – then your signature link can include your Twitter handle, your business card, your letterhead – t-shirts, bags, point of sale – dependent upon your objective, you can post it wherever relevant. I created some Twitter Icons to help your Twitter handle stand out. So feel free to utilise these if you wish. The key is to get it out there so that people can start following you.

Replying to Tweets: Once you’re ‘tweeting’ and seeing ‘tweets’ coming onto your home page from those you are following, then you may want to reply to them. There are two ways to do this 1) publically, by using @handlename. For example: If you wanted to reply to something I had sent you would say @michellecarvill - and then type your message. This way, I get this as a direct message, but all can see your reply. Or if you want to reply to me, so that only I can see it, you can send me a direct message. You do this by typing D michellecarvill (that’s D space twitter handle)HOWEVER, you can only send direct messages to those that are following you.

I use Twhirl (see www.Twhirl.org) – which is a really great little application. Very simple to use – which enables you to manage your tweets in a quick and efficient way. Rather than having to remember how to reply or direct message or retweet – it has simple little icons on the users image which when you hover over come up and enable you to do as you wish. Lots of people prefer an application called TweetDeck for managing all your ‘tweets’ and followings / followers. But I personally prefer Twhirl – but do check out both.

Unfollowing: In Twitter.com you’ll see your followers and following numbers on your home page. If you click Following – you’ll see them listed. If you find that someone you thought you wanted to follow is providing irrelevant tweets or is too salesy or just plain spam – then you can simply click ‘remove’ down the right hand side and you’ll see a message stating ‘you are no longer following’. From this control panel you can also see those that are following you (because you can direct message them).

How am I getting on with Twitter?:

So far, so good… I am slowly building a targeted network of likeminded individuals – providing me with relevant news and material (like I said earlier, I don’t just follow anyone who follows me – I check out relevancy and only follow if I think they fit with who I am). I’ve subscribed to a few great and very useful blogs, which I would never have found without Twitter – and am connected and regularly converse via email with social media marketers around the globe. I’ve posted queries and received answers – increased the readership of by blog by posting links in my tweets. Driven traffic to my blog by promoting Twitter Icons I created. And have connected people where I think there is natural synergy and relevance – and have promoted some of my clients’ services for them, again where relevant.

Twitter could be all consuming – so I dedicate an hour a day to Tweet – reading, retweeting, and commenting. And then whenever the need arises, I post too. I like Twitter. It’s simple to engage with, useful however, as to measuring its effectiveness – well that’s probably too soon to say. And is measuring its effectiveness necessary? After all – I never used to measure the effectiveness of reading The Times every day…and now that I’ve connected with likeminded people, I find Twitter a far more targeted resource.

For more marketing news, views, advice and tips, why not subscribe to my blog:

. Oh, and Follow Me on Twitter @michellecarvill - thanks in advance for the follow!

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Social Media – Add it to your mix 5 things to do right now

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Social media – add it to your mix! 5 things to do right now…

admin — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:11:15 +0000

It’s likely that you are familiar with most of the ‘traditional’ marketing practices; direct mail, email marketing, advertising, telesales, pr etc – however, for a few years now, given the opportunities the internet provides, the term ‘new marketing’ has been bandied around. If we think of traditional marketing as ‘push’ marketing – mediums we use to push our messages onto others ‘interupting’ them, then the new marketing relates to ‘pull’ marketing – marketing activities we do which ‘attract’, as a magnet would, interested parties, at their own accord, to view our wares.

Pull activities include; blogging, social media networks (think Twitter, Facebook, Linked-In, Bizzbug, Ning, Xing, My Space) actively participating in forums; (http://www.UKbusinessforum.co.uk, socialmediatoday, ukbusinesslabs, womensmarketingforum), making your information more widely available via resources such as Digg, Blogburst and others – effectively, sharing your knowledge, know-how, experiences, advice, contacts, news, views and opinions to build interest in who you are, what your business is about, what you do – with the hope that users grow to follow what you say and are encouraged to buy and refer – effectively, building ‘positive share of mind’ – in an online and hopefully viral way!

Social Media activity is not a direct sell – it’s a bit of a slow burner – and in just the same way as we practice traditional marketing, it’s not something that you do in isolation. For maximum impact, it’s wise to work the social media mediums in an integrated way.

Here’s our my 5 tips for getting started and integrating just some of what’s available: (Believe me, if you stretch yourself too far, it becomes a full time job just trying to keep on top of it all).

Create a blog. A blog is a great way to share what you do and what you provide with others – and it’s an opportunity to build your brand by being open and getting your ‘business’s personality’ across. With blogging you have to keep at it – posting articles ideally 2 or 3 times a week. Attach your blog to your website – and it’s a great way to constantly refresh your site. Positive for users and search engines. WordPress www.wordpress.com is a user friendly blog resource and you can get started pretty quickly. See my 20 tips for successful blog writing post for more info on blogging!
Join Twitter. Yes we agree, initially it seems strange – but once you get into it, you’ll start to connect with likeminded people. Again, it takes a while. Set up an account, share news about your business and your life (a delicate balance as you don’t want to come across as a hard sell) – and see what happens. www.twitter.com – why not also promote links to your latest blog posts via this media too.
Digg. If you are creating articles for your blog on a regular basis – you can register with Digg and post your articles there too. You only post a link to your article – and so there’s no duplicate content issue – and who knows, dependent upon what you’re reporting on, you may hit the jackpot and get to their front page where millions of users will see it! www.digg.com
Forums. Get involved with relevant forums. The www.UKbusinessforums.co.uk covers a range of topics and is well subscribed. People often post requests for help on business projects, printers, designers etc – and so as well as getting and giving advice, you may also pick up some new business. Why not also promote links to your latest blog post here too.
Social Networks. More and more businesses are using Facebook and YouTube to promote their businesses – and there are other useful online resources such as LinkedIn (helping to find business contacts, projects and seek referral) and www.bizzbug.com – a useful and powerful ‘intranet’ style collaboration resource. Take a look at what other businesses are doing on these sites – and consider what would work for you.

So get started and become a social ‘media’ ite today!

For more marketing news, views, tips and advice – why not subscribe to my marketing blog – – it’s easy…

Best wishes

Michelle