All That Is Gold May Possibly Twitter

(Ta-weet)

Launched in 2006, Twitter is the newly popular web service that allows users to connect through short messages.

Users can sign up for accounts at Twitter to keep a record of their own ideas and actions.

Users can also choose to ‘follow’ other users and will automatically be updated whenever those individuals update their Twitter status.

Twitter makes it easy for users to follow multiple accounts by sending all updates to their personal dashboard.

Twitter can be synched up with various services such as RSS, SMS (cell phone TXTs), Facebook, and blog sites.

Twitter allows companies to release information about upcoming products or services.

People interested can follow these companies to get the latest news or release information for the products they love.

Companies can also communicate directly with their customers to ensure the highest level of quality.

Additionally, users can send messages directly to companies to let them know of any problems they see.

Let’s look at any example now.

Here is the actual dialogue between a customer and major airline, Jet Blue.

Timestamps precede the comments to let you know the rate of the conversation.

“Twitter User” has been used to replace the actual name of the customer.
____________________

Twitter User:
1:42P > NIGHTMARE FLIGHT last night. Thank you for the 5 hour delay ; the additional 1&1/2 hour delay on the tarmac; and
1:44P > & the return trip to the gate because you allowed passengers to board that weren't suppose to be on the plane & the broken TV
1:45P > NIGHTMARE ; Finally, all my love was lost for you when your WIFI absolutly suks in the T5 terminal. :(

From Jet Blue:
1:56 > We try to keep everyone comfortable, and informed during weather delays. Sorry for the inconvenience. WiFi at T5 is fixed.

Twitter User:
1:57 > NIGHTMARE "All Mighty "Sugar-Coater " of an ugly experience.
2:02 > It seriously is NOT a weather delay when you load passengers going to Ft. Lauderdale on a Phoenix flight & taxi around for an hour
2:04 > &then return 2the gate and then return to that tarmac. How could that even happen w/yr barcode system? It was an incompetence delay
2:14 > T5 WIFI was overloaded by the amount of people delayed in the terminal.. NOT broken. &never works near any of the gates. Planning?

JetBlue:
2:25 > T5 WiFi degradation was caused partially by load (681 high water mark) partially by tech issues we addressed overnight.

Twitter User:
2:36 > Thank you for your honesty in regards to the WIFI situation
____________________

As you can see, the customer was upset about the service they received from the airliner.

However, by the end of the dialogue, the customer understood the situation and thanked the airliner for their honesty.

Quick and efficient communication was made possible by Twitter.

Kudos to Jet Blue for providing speedy and useful information.

Don’t you wish all company communications could be this humanistic?

(PS: I kinda wish the message limit was more than just 140 characters per post ;-)

IMC: Greenhome.com Consistency

Integrated Marketing Communications (IMC) is the concept for a company or organization to send a consistent message to the masses. Sounds simple. I mean, you just make sure all your ads match your product and website, right? Well, kinda… but technically, that’s not even the half of it…

In order to truly utilize the concept of IMC – an organization must pay attention to the messages sent by ALL divisions of the company (even those which may not be specifically geared at sending messages - I’m looking at you transportation and logistics). You see, it works like this: let’s say you’re working with a food company that claims to have ‘the most authentic southwestern flavor’ of something – be it chips, dips, drinks – doesn’t matter – but let’s also assume that the company is based out of Toronto, Ontario. Okay, totally inconsistent, right? So, this company claims to have ‘the most authentic southwestern flavor’ of food – and maybe it even tastes good – but the fact is that it’s not even based in the American Southwest. Nothing against Canada (I love you) but the location of the company inherently becomes a message which remains inconsistent with the rest (assuming the ads, promos, website, and PR messages all work in juncture) of the organization.

Too theoretical? Okay, let’s take a look at Greenhome.com – a website which offers environmentally friendly products ranging from clothes to office supplies (including an awesome staple-less stapler – go figure). Anyway, the website offers a full range of eco-friendly products and they take this message across the board. Not only do they sell eco-friendly - they do business eco-friendly. What do I mean by that? For starters, the company doesn’t ship to anywhere except the continental 48. Why? Because shipping anywhere else (Alaska, Hawaii, Canada, Canary Islands, etc…) would create too large of an impact on the environment due to the energy to transport goods. So, even if Greenhome.com receives an order from Santo Domingo, in the Dominican Republic – it’s a no go. And not that Greenhome.com doesn’t appreciate the efforts to go green… it’s just contradictory to ship eco-friendly product when it’s eco-harmful to do so.

In fact, looking around the website – it’s obvious that Greenhome.com does a great job at sending a consistent message. For example, check out their press release page for information about the company and suggestions on green shopping lists (See 2005’s 'Top 12 List of Greenest Holiday Gifts') or their support for the ‘Biodegradable Bay Campaign’ which urges the restaurants of San Francisco metro to ditch all Styrofoam products. Not that Greenhome.com had to do that, but rather, it just seemed to fit.

Greenhome.com: May I say, that from one bloggers’ point of view, I’m totally on the same page with you.