Twitter & E-Commerce

http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/1136-Ecommerce-Know-How-Use-Twitter-to-Build-a-Community-of-Loyal-Customers

In the article above, Armando Roggio (contributing editor of Practical eCommerce) details a step-by-step approach for e-commerce sites interested in leveraging Twitter as a marketing tool. Many of his ideas are based on the framework introduced by Mike Volpe, Vice President of Marketing at HubSpot. Where Volpe focuses on Twitter as a Marketing tool in general, Roggio highlights Twitter opportunities for e-commerce.

I found this article (and Volpe/Roggio's ideas) particularly interesting and effective. First, Roggio begins with a focus on customer engagement - how to gain followers. As with any other marketing strategy technique, Twitter strategy begins by identifying the target audience and their unique characteristics/interests. In his "five steps to get followers," Roggio considers customer/follower engagement from many perspectives - educating the customer on who you are/what you do, providing easy linked access to the company site, sharing what other customers think, and creating a community of followers. In this way, Roggio sets up a well-rounded approach to customer/follower engagement.

Second, he shifts to specific tactics e-commerce companies might employ to attract and sustain this target market. Here, he takes traditional customer retention strategies and applies them to the microblogging world. For instance, traditional retail operations retain customers with effective product instructions and coupon incentives; e-commerce sites, through Twitter, can provide "how to" posts related to featured products and offer coupons for followers who re-tweet about the brand.

Third, he encourages e-commerce companies to use Twitter to take customer engagement beyond the capacity of traditional retail operations, by supporting their followers tweets and posts. In this way, by staying on top of customer activities and supporting their work, companies can create a true dialogue and community, adding a personal touch to the retail process.

Last, aside from the excellent content of the article, I appreciate the article and webpage's format. Practical eCommerce itself practices what it preaches. After viewing this article, I as reader had the opportunity to share it, view other related sites, follow Volpe on Twitter, sign up for a newletter, and read other readers' comments.