Should you use BufferApp and Tweet Old Post?

Posted on by Mark

Should you use BufferApp and Tweet Old Post

Finally I have decided to write a blog post on BufferApp and Tweet Old Post. So that everyone is on the same page, Buffer App is a tweet scheduler service and to be fair it is very good. On their website they say….Add Tweets and facebook posts to your Buffer from anywhere and we automatically share them for you through the day.. 

Tweet Old Post is a wordpress Plugin that tweets your old posts to get more hits for them and keep them alive. Tweet Old Posts randomly picks your older post based on the interval specified by you. The primary function of this plugin is to promote older blog posts by tweeting about them and getting more traffic – again this service / plug in on the whole seems to work reasonably well, although I did see someone that had 6 or 7 old posts all go out at once.

So, what is my issue? As most of you will know I am a massive fan on good old fashioned tweeting, replying, listening and then engaging with people. I do use Twitter to share my own website links, and others. I do not believe in automation or auto following  / unfollowing etc… I like to get to know people before I start to follow them and you will certainly never get an auto welcome direct message from me.

Now before you shout Mark your a hypocrite, yes, I have occasionally scheduled a message if I knew that I was out of action for a day or so but it really is a very rare occasion. I tweet from my phone and pc so never really feel the need to schedule or automate my tweets. I like to send things out and then more importantly be around to answer the replies.

The issue I have with those using BufferApp and Tweet Old Post is that it makes them lazy as it seems to be all they do. They seem to lose all sense of balance. Their accounts no longer have much of any original content, no or hardly any replies or engagement with others, as they get a feeling that why ‘be in the room’ when I can just pump out content, old posts all day every day which will get me followers.

It may well get you followers but its the engagement with those followers that turns them into listeners, and then over time possible brand advocates. I am actually thinking of unfollowing a few of the people that I follow as quite frankly I keep seeing the same old posts and links. I am not blaming the tools ie BufferApp and Tweet Old Post and I am not saying stop using them.

What I am saying though is use them sparingly. Keep creating new interesting content, reply and engage with people and above all keep that balance to your account. Over the next few years, good content will take you so far. The magic ingredient will be some form of context. So that means building those relationships with people and you cant do that with any form of automation. You do that by good old fashioned hard work.

I have already pretty much started to ignore some people’s stream as it has quite frankly become boring, mundane, and just consists of all the old stuff just going out at different times of the day…

Let me know what you think….comment below…

A missed opportunity – Carrying on the Twitter conversation

Posted on by Mark

A missed opportunity – Carrying on the Twitter conversation

I am beginning to see and hear at the end of a lot of shows and adverts on tv now… follow us on twitter etc… Indeed Cathy Newman – aka @cathynewman who is one of the anchors on the channel 4 news programme with John Snow – aka @jonsnowc4 is now pretty much saying at the end of every channel 4 news programme… and don’t forget to follow me and Jon on Twitter….

Whilst I accept that this is a good start, to me it is well short of what they could and should be doing. Instead of merely saying follow me and Jon etc…Its all in the language.. I would be asking people to join in the conversation with us…Now a small difference I know but it would make people feel that they were actually part of the show rather than just bystanders waiting for the broadcast style messages from Cathy or Jon…

I would also be encouraging people to live tweet into the show whilst they are on air, to get live views, opinions, ideas, polls etc… All this is really possible as so many people now watch tv and at the same time are on their laptops, ipads, or smart phones. Some even have both open at the same time. So to me that represents an excellent opportunity for a conversation to be carried on.

The same applies to adverts on the TV. You know the things that you fast forward to get back to the programme. They are more and more saying follow us etc… but they could and should have an immediate call to action.. Again follow the conversation and tweet us etc.. Twitter is real time and people I am sure would love the opportunity to carry things on after an advert or the news has finished.

Interestingly Cathy Newman from Channel4 news after I tweeted her with some of my ideas did tweet me back with this..”we are working on some innovative stuff along those lines so watch this space”  be great to see what they come up with..

What are your thoughts.. Please feel free to comment in the box below. Have I got it wrong?

Twitter the new customer service Tool

Posted on by Mark

Twitter the new customer service Tool

Good customer service is not just about quality of product/sale or after sale but also about listening to the needs of your market share, their ideas, their concerns, their opinions, being accessible to them and talking to them.

I have always argued that Twitter is about engagement and chitchat is important but as a business this chitchat should combine a customer service element. Thus for example a twitter user who was standing on the train platform waiting for her train to take her to her interview tweeted out just that, “waiting for… train to take me to my interview site” the train company picked up on this tweet and tweeted her a message “no delays expected with your train, we will get you to your destination on time” and “ good luck with your interview you will be fine” this is chit chat with a Customer service element.

Engaging with your customers is good customer service, whether it is offering your expertise, solving their problems or addressing their concerns, it is all engagement and in line with good twitter usage more importantly it is good customer service that adds value to your business.

Twitter is real time, most consumers love the idea of tweeting a concern, or rant or idea or complaint or call for help, to their bank, or their supplier or retailer or professional service provider, it is better than speaking to or spending huge amounts of valuable time on listening to automated recordings, getting lost in finding the right department or being passed to the call centre operator who doesn’t know how to deal with their concerns. Twitter users are not unreasonable people and understand that 140 characters does not always allow for ‘problem solving’ but it does allow for recognition of their problems and a means of their concern and details being forwarded to the right person who can later contact them and address their concern, complaint etc.

Making Twitter your customer focus/service tool is very permissible and indeed I would argue welcome. It is better than utilizing twitter to just broadcast or promote or sell your brand.While utilizing it for /as a customer service tool You will be engaging with your existing customers thus building a COMMUNITY of real ADVOCATES who will MARKET you and REFER/RECOMMEND your company increasing your MARKET SHARE thus aiding your company GROWTH and BRAND!

A common mistake(s) of many businesses in their use of twitter is to just broadcast, to just brazenly promote or sell or going to the opposite extreme of company community manager building a community on personal chitchat, consisting of personal views, opinions, actions etc etc, so whilst he /she builds a community it is not necessarily of any value to your business other than, the followers noting the community manager works in such & such industry for such & such an employer but says nothing of your offering or customer service as it does as of the individual who runs the twitter account.

Customer service is a concept all business owners/managers can understand and value but it is also one that in return the consumer appreciates the benefit of. Indeed the consumer although considering ‘cost’ will often set aside this consideration for the benefit of an excellent Customer service point, whether this is for the individual means, quality assurance of product/service, aftersales, guarantees, accessibility to engage/problem solve/address concerns/ideas.

The customer service point for the consumer will often rest on the ‘here & now’ element for them and twitter is a real time tool. The here & now principle should not be interpreted to mean ‘immediate problem solving’ and nor are the users of twitter so ignorant or expecting to assume it is the problem solver, but the here & now principle should be more interpreted to mean someone is listening, has accepted, is dealing with my concern right now and will pass it to the right person/dept! As a real time tool it is the perfect tool to aid customer service, delivering satisfaction, recognition, listening, accessibility, support and in consequence build you a community of supporters, advocates, referrers who will by word of mouth and the speed of virality aid your growth in return.