10 Brands to Tweet Home About
Social media+ is quickly emerging as this year's hottest trend in marketing. Nearly 60 percent of top-performing brands say they plan allocate more dollars to social media outreach this year* - all while ad spend on other channels continues to shrink.
One social network+ that has felt the social surge is Twitter+. Companies are harnessing the powerful microblogging tool to drive sales, evangelize potential customers, connect with brand loyalists and improve customer service. Here are ten brands whose sweet tweets are worth checking out:
1. Dunkin Donuts
# Followers: 12,477
In 140 characters: The @dunkindonuts Twitter stream is friendly and helpful. They sure kin do it.
Sample Tweet: "This Iced Coffee has been helping me through current meeting & it's almost gone... http://twitpic.com/2gvf8"
2. Whole Foods
# Followers: 392,292
In 140 characters: Customer service is paramount for @wholefoods. Want to know how their biz affects small farmers - or when rhubarb season begins? Find out here.
Sample Tweet: "@adeiboldt You can send a msg to @WholeFoodsNYC with your suggestion for more small bags at Union Sq! Thanks. :)"
3. Jet Blue
# Followers: 256,517
In 140 characters: @Jetblue soars above the rest by tweeting contests and promotions, flight status updates and personal responses to customer inquiries.
Sample Tweet: "@PunditMom you can have all the extra snacks you want onboard. Just ask."
4. H&R Block+
# Followers: 2,337
In 140 characters: Props to @hrblock for making tax season somewhat less painful - tweets are personal and infectiously bubbly.
Sample Tweet: "@jawooten3 Congrats on completing your taxes! Here's a fun tool to track the status of your refund: http://tinyurl.com/bbglh8"
5. Ford
# Followers: 15,899
In 140 characters: @Scottmonty is Head of Social Media at Ford Motors. His posts blend business and pleasure, bringing a human face to business like only social media can.
Sample Tweet: "@rickmurray @Armano i keep thinking of Ricky's mother in Better Off Dead: Fronch bread, Fronch fries, Fronch dressing & to drink, Peru!"
6. Chicago Bulls
# Followers: 3,137
In 140 characters: Fans looking for tweet-by-tweet commentary and news on their favorite NBA team can look no further than @chicagobulls, just one of the many pro sports teams using Twitter.
Sample Tweet: "I can't wait for DRose to start getting calls. How many times does he get bumped on his drives with no call?"
7. ComCast
# Followers: 13,727
In 140 characters: CRM is the name of the game for @comcastcares. Director of Digital Care Frank Eliason's tweets are helpful, straightforward and honest.
Sample Tweet: "@blackjackjoe Sounds like someone is not flipping the switch. I will mention to leaders in CA"
8. Home Depot
# Followers: 5,564
In 140 characters: Sarah of HD Corp Comm manages @homedepot - just one more example of how traditional PR, marketing and ad professionals are migrating to the social sphere.
Sample Tweet: "Flood tip: If you must evacuate, turn off electricity at the main fuse or breaker, water at the main valve, and plug floor drains. #flood09"
9. Dell
# Followers: 248,220
In 140 characters: @Delloutlet has driven more than $1 million in sales revenue so far this year. Behold the power of Twitter.
Sample Tweet: "Awesome price - Dell Outlet StudioTM Hybrid desktop PCs starting at $399 - http://is.gd/oLYD"
10. TVGuide
# Followers: 5,953
In 140 characters: With breaking news from Tinsletown, @tvguide is a couch potato's dream - with a marketing plan to boot. Most tweets link directly back to TVGuide.com.
Sample Tweet: "Heroes' rebel is revealed! Find out his (or her) identity and share your thoughts: http://tinyurl.com/cyv6dn"
Do as these brands say - and as they tweet - and you too will reap the rewards of social media marketing. For a complete list of businesses on Twitter, check out www.twibs.com.
*Forrester, March 2009
