When I started working in Nokia's global social marketing team in the beginning of this year, I wasn't active on Twitter. Actually, I found Twitter relatively useless and I didn't quite realize why I needed to have another social media presence on top of everything else. Thanks to peer pressure, I finally caved in, and here's what I've discovered 2,050 tweets and 284 followers later:
1. I've made new friends
I guess you could say Twitter is good for networking, but the truth is, you can only ever really network with people you like and who like you back. I've made several new friends this past year who continue to enrich my life with their insightful posts and friendly responses. I can't wait for our paths to cross in the real world.
2. It makes brand communication more human
In the past, I saw social media conversations between a brand and its followers as one-to-many communication - now I see it as one-to-one. You have a real person tweeting and individuals who respond. When you look at followers' Twitter bios and tweets, you feel more connected to them. On Facebook, a brand doesn't get to learn much about its followers so it's harder to know who your audience is.
3. I've connected with the Nokia community
I've always known there are bloggers with blogs dedicated to Nokia and individuals talking about us online. But I didn't really know where to find them, if they'd want to talk to me, or if we'd have anything to talk about. Now that I follow many of them on Twitter and have even met some of them in person, I have to say it's been a real pleasure! They're genuinely nice, welcoming people from all kinds of backgrounds.
4. It helps me do a better job
Following conversations about our products and industry means I get to hear about potential leaks, new services, competitor news and emerging issues as they arise. You can also get a good sense of what people are talking about and the tone of the conversation, and all that helps me gain a better understanding of where we are as a brand.
5. I receive excellent service.
Besides being a marketer, I'm also a consumer just like everyone else, and I've been delighted to discover the great customer service available on Twitter. For example, Hilton Hotels has been extremely responsive to my messages and they solved my issue within hours. I was impressed.
6. Fake Twitter accounts make me smile.
I follow a few tribute profiles dedicated to our CEO as it's pretty fascinating to have someone joke about things that relate to your work. Our social media team has also set up a fake account for a team member who's not active on Twitter to have him step up his game in social. This little private joke of ours has been a great bonding experience.
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