For Twitter to work effectively, there has to be in-depth analysis of the social media landscape and it must be linked to business goals, with audiences considered in the wider context of marketing. This research also needs to be an ongoing activity, as audience preferences and views can change daily in social media.
When the decision is made on what the feed is going to be used for, it's then important to work out what effectiveness looks like - If you are using it as a platform for customer service, will you be linking measurement into call centre volumes? If you are using it for company news, will click-throughs to the company website or conversions be the barometer for success?
After all, if its effectiveness can't be measured, what's the motivation for doing it in the first place?
Pete Hendrick, MD, Rocket Communications
