10 - Tapping the Groundswell with Twitter

The face of a company can be portrayed in a number of ways, whether through visual ads, commercials, events, or even the use of social media. In Chapter 10, the authors give the spotlight to Twitter. The reading begins with the experience of a woman by the name of Fadra Nally, who is a well-known blogger and tweeter. Fadra had taken her son to McDonald s one afternoon, later to find her son in tears due to receiving a girl's happy meal toy. Fadra then complained directly to McDonald's official Twitter page, explaining the situation. Eventually, McDonald's directly responds to Fadra and even offers her the option to send her son's desired toy to her house. This event leads Fadra to later post a blog about the situation, therefore creating a positive outcome for both her blog and for McDonald's public relations. This is a key example of the power of Twitter when it comes to company relations.

The chapter continues its focus on Twitter by outlining its major elements found within the Groundswell. The elements can be split into listening, talking, energizing, supporting, and embracing. The authors dive into the effects of each factor through a number of case studies, real-life examples, failures, and successes. The authors continue to emphasize the belief that the creation of a Twitter is useless unless the user has something to offer. However, one cannot offer the correct strategy if they do not listen to their user feedback. Companies like Southwest Airlines, Zappos, AT&T, and Dell have all become Groundswell masters in the past four years through the use of strategic listening and answering. For example, AT&T had noticed its name trending on Twitter a few years back, however, AT&T was not part of Twitter at this time. Their name was trending due to broken phones, wireless errors, and a number of user issues. Following a few months of listening and creating audience profiles, the company had eventually acquired a handle and began directly responding to the users with problems, questions, and praise. This action had eventually led the company to more sales and a better relationship with its online users. Talking is crucial in building a user relationship. Dell regularly posts asking for response from its users by offering deals, sales, and temporary promotions. They also have a team of regulars, who primarily respond to issues. Dell continues to listen, talk, energize, and support its users through use of Twitter. As technology advances, it has become crucial for companies to begin creating a presence through Twitter, as it has become the new face for companies in most instances.