photo credit: David Jacobs
Twitter is a social platform and tool, not a solution for a brand’s struggling customer service model. It’s an entity, not the entirety. Call center volume, awareness studies, impressions, communication strategy and much more also play into that model. It’s a strategy component (and very important) that enhances the traditional way a brand can communicate with customers and effectively get the message out.
So why all the case studies on the wonders of Twitter? ‘Here’s how such and such brand used Twitter’ does not go as much in-depth as it should. Many position it as the one hit wonder of the customer service model. Guess what? Even crap products need multiple components for customer service relations.
We all know we need to use additional platforms to communicate and engage. It’s a no brainer. Can it be a part of the case study? Absolutely. Do we need to back it up with research and strategic components (with qualitative and quantitative goals – how/if they were achieved, etc.?) You bet.
Here’s what you need to show:
1.) Measurable objectives with 2-4 strategy points behind it
No plan is executable if you don’t have benchmarks to monitor it. Every approach needs a process, and you also need to be able to re-evaluate if it isn’t been met or it doesn’t work. Create objectives that have proof points behind it, backed up by research. If a person can’t prove why it’s viable, you’ll never have buy-in and the project fails before it starts.
2.) How you planned to measure
Are you using a social media monitoring tool? Do you have a statistical approach to measuring percentage growth, percentage to goal and hard/soft metrics? Those are all questions that need to be asked and addressed. If you don’t understand basic statistics? Start learning now – or refresh.
3.) The creative process (including consumer immersion and brainstorming techniques)
Try new things. Ever heard of bodystorming? (hat tip to Len Kendall for that gem) Detail out how the process occurred – big picture to nitty gritty details/strategy – and how the team came to that conclusion. Was it an integrated approach? What specific steps did advertising handle, what did PR handle, and what was a team approach? Another part of this component is consumer immersion and how the target demographic will react to the approach.
4.) Execution process
Great. You made a plan, with strategy, measurable objectives and goals. Now what? Is it practical? How did the consumer react? How was it received? The number 5 point will detail out how the execution process met the benchmarks you set before starting.
5.) Awareness, Volume, Impressions
Excel will probably be your best friend. Decide if you want a weekly report, bi-weekly or monthly. Decide how information will be presented, if formulas are needed and what type of information needs to be presented to C-level. The more, the better at first – you can always scale back as the brand requests. Track awareness (brand reports, focus groups, consumer polls) what type of volume is received on each platform and the quantity of impressions.
5.) Crisis Communications and Contingency
Guess what? Crisis can happen. Your great idea can be perceived poorly by the consumer, and you need to be prepared. Outline a crisis communications plan and be prepared to execute as needed. Why does it need to be in the case study? It’s a pertinent part of any brand plan.
6.) Results and Learnings
If you can’t prove that you achieved results, the case study isn’t worth anything. It could be negative or positive results, but you need to demonstrate an astute understanding of what happened and how you reached those results. What did you learn? What were the takeaways? What can be improved on next time – and what worked?
So, what would you add?
