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Are You Tweeting Your Customers?
Driving to work this morning, I had the opportunity to listen to a segment on The Current about how the social networking web site Twitter is affecting politics. The show's host, Anna Maria Tremonti, interviewed experts who acclaimed--or declaimed--the use of a medium that gives people 140 characters to express their opinions. Regardless of how they viewed its efficacy in the political realm (U.S. President Barack Obama used it to good effect in his campaign for the White House; members of Canada's Parliament have been prohibited from "twittering" when the House is in session), all the experts acknowledged that it is a technology that has been embraced by the younger generations.
I am not a native to the Internet. I am part of the generation(s) regarded as immigrants to technology. However, when I am visited by my nieces and nephews, who range in age from seven to 19, I am struck by their tech fluency. Text messaging, Facebook, MSN Messenger, and using functions like Twitter are as normal to them as breathing. They have grown up with instant access to information. And it used to be that they would have to sit down at a computer and surf the web. Now, the information is available on their phones, wherever they may be.
I have noticed the same ease and facility with all things tech and web related in my under-35 colleagues. As a result, I've been wondering how retailers are--and will be--reaching this new breed of consumer. Has anybody offered their customers the option of being "tweeted" about upcoming sales, special promotions, or new products? Does social media have a place in your marketing plan?
One last note: The March 23rd, 2009 edition of Maclean's has a feature article on the economy called "The Case for Optimism." I hope you read it. Its authors make a good argument in favor of being cautiously hopeful.
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Lori Smith, , Editor-in-Chief
Lori Smith is the editor of Gifts and Tablewares, Canada's premiere gifts and tablewares magazine. Written for retailers of gifts, tablewares, housewares, stationery and home furnishing accessories, its objective is to help readers increase their sales and run their businesses more profitably by providing information on new products, merchandising, small business management, customer service, consumer behavior and industry news. The magazine is published six times a year by BIG Magazines, LP, a leading Canadian information company.
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This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on March 16, 2009 11:33 AM.
The previous post in this blog was Open Less to Sell More?.
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