Twitter rolled out the latest version
of its mobile app this month, and it’s
been generating a lot of buzz. In
addition to new search features that
enable users to navigate to specific
people or tweets, Twitter added the
option to filter tweets by media type,
such as photos or videos.
Perhaps the quietest change rolled up
into this update is a conspicuous
prompt for users to tag a location as
part of their tweets. This update has
compelling implications for any brand
monitoring and engaging consumers
through social media.
In the previous version of the app,
users had to choose to tag their
location through a two-step process
that was not widely used. (From 1 to 3
percent of all tweets are tagged with
location, according to recent studies.)
One reason why tagging a location on
Twitter has been less popular than on
other networks is that it didn’t
change the impact of the message. In
other words, a tweet authored from a
person’s living room would carry the
same meaning to its followers as it
would if it had been originated from a
shopping mall. Now that photos have
become a more prominent part of the
Twitter feed and as location carries
new status, location tags can provide
valuable context and eligibility to the
content.
With Twitter’s new feature, users are
now asked the question directly: “Are
you in Chicago, IL?” Simply tapping on
this question affirms a “yes” and
instantly tags the tweet with
location. This action also changes the
user’s default setting to
automatically share location for
future tweets until the function is
disabled. The result: more tweets with
location embedded in the content.
So, how can brands benefit?
Brand reps can use this location data
to more intelligently engage
customers or potential customers who
now have new status based on their
proximity to the business. Instead of
relying solely on keywords and brand
mentions, marketers can use location
data to initiate relevant
conversations with users who didn’t
tweet directly at them. Brand reps can
also harness this tagging feature and
promote usage to drive real-time
rewards, “surprise and delight”
campaigns, and new forms of priority
status for those at or near their
locations.
At Earshot, we recently conducted a
study that found more than 90 percent
of all tweets and Instagram posts
authored within a one-block radius of
a major retailer did not contain the
appropriate Twitter handle, hashtag,
or even the name of the brand. These
posts represented missed
opportunities to drive in-store traffic
and revenue for that particular
retailer, as many of them included
words like “shopping,” “shoes,” and
“sale.”
The question then became whether
consumers would be open to these
types of interactions with brands. Do
they find it intrusive when a brand
initiates a conversation even when
they weren’t directing their original
tweet at the brand? How could the
brand connect with them in a way that
generates a positive response?
We recently ran a test with one of our
clients to find out. Out of 175 unique
engagements between brand and
consumer over a 12-hour span, not a
single consumer response was
negative. Conversely, the
engagements actually drove positive
responses from consumers 18 percent
of the time as they were re-tweeted,
favorited, or led to a positive
conversation with that user. These
proactive engagements based on
proximity yielded invaluable earned
media and lift for the brand that
would have been previously missed.
The key is to keep it relevant, and for
brands armed with location data,
relevancy becomes much more
attainable.
There is untapped opportunity to
engage prospective customers who are
in a position to transact but often go
undiscovered. These are valuable
consumers who can wield their social
influence in a positive way while they
are in the midst of an experience with
the brand. In contrast to noisy,
unwelcome location-based ads, clever
conversations on social media can lead
to a deeper, more personal connection
and instantly create a stronger
relationship between brand and
consumer.
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]
With users bound to tag location more
frequently on Twitter, there is a new
frontier of possibilities to engage
users in relevant ways to win new
customers.
David Rush is the CEO and co-founder
of Earshot , a proximity-based social
media engagement platform for brands
and agencies. Say hello on Twitter @
davidmrush and @earshotinc .
posted from Bloggeroid
