Be  The  Consumer  Twitter  Experience  

Ravina  Jangra  

     

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013       Twitter has revolutionized the social media world since co-founders Jack Dorsey and Biz Stone launched this free micro-blogging application in 2006. Based upon relatively simple logistics, it is no surprise Twitter has spread like wildfire among athletes, politicians, journalists, businesspeople, students, and many more individuals. To be a part of this world of tweets, mentions, retweets, direct messages, favorites, and hash-tags, one does not have to be a famous personality or even have particularly exciting news for that matter. The only challenge that comes with Twitter is limiting your “tweet” (a clever and cute term to describe posts on Twitter) to 140 characters. And even this challenge is child’s play for the enthusiastic Tweeters who set out to conquer Twitter feeds. As a Twitter consumer for over a year, I can earnestly say Twitter has risen to the forefront in my list of top-three social media applications. I especially enjoy the diversity that is rampant in my Twitter feed. I check my feed at least once a day to catch up with the latest news from the entities I follow on Twitter whether they be the countless friends I follow on Twitter, professors from the Isenberg School of Management, journalists from BBC News, potential employers, interns from Mass Electronic Dance Music Community, world-renowned DJs, witty horoscope bloggers, and many others. Figure 1. Ravina Jangra’s Twitter Feed

Another asset of Twitter I appreciate is being able to mention the Twitter accounts I am following within my own tweets. This allows me to engage in direct conversations with a vast array of accounts, which is particularly useful when I am trying to capture the attention of an influential audience. I recall exactly how excited I felt when James Coletta, a notable nightlife and culture photographer, replied to one of my tweets about a concert at UMass Amherst’s Mullin Center featuring famous performers such as Quintino, Tommy Trash, and Tiësto. Coletta is a famous name in the Mass Electronic Dance Music Community (Mass EDMC). As an avid fan and follower of Mass EDMC and Coletta’s photography, this was a milestone in my Twitter career. The next best thing would be if my favorite artist Kaskade responded to one of my tweets by either “retweeting” or “favoriting” it.

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013    Figure 2. James Coletta “favorites” Ravina Jangra’s tweet

Being part of a dialogue is something that I cherish as a zealous consumer of social media. I recognize Twitter as being a perfect avenue for partaking in meaningful conversations with familiar and unfamiliar accounts. When I first created a Twitter, I was very skeptical because I perceived it to be a string of mindless status updates that had to be carefully constructed so as not to violate the 140-character limit. My friends urged me that Twitter was something that would slowly but surely be a key player in my social media realm. Formerly abysmal status updates, now translated into substantial interactions. I realized I was more aware of what was occurring in my friends’ lives as well as the lives of the numerous famous personas I follow on Twitter. Figure 3. Daily Conversation on Twitter

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013     Furthermore, more people reached out to me as a result of what they read and interpreted of my tweets, in comparison to my other social media outlets, namely Facebook and Tumblr. It was refreshing to have my friends send me a text asking about occurrences in my everyday life based upon my tweets. Unlike other social media platforms, I keep my Twitter follow-base quite exclusive- limiting it to trusted individuals. Albeit my profile is now public, I am sure to follow-up with notifications of new followers. If I do not trust new followers, I automatically block them from my Twitter profile. I am a fan of Twitter’s straightforward privacy settings as well. I actually feel safer on Twitter in comparison to Facebook because Facebook has privacy settings that are difficult to understand. For me, the added sense of security from Twitter is also attributable to the fact not many people are not a part of the Twitter realm. Whereas I have over 1,000 Facebook friends, I have roughly over 100 Twitter followers. As I have become more exposed to the features and advantages of Twitter, I realize just how lucrative it is to have a Twitter account. In an age where profiles on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr can potentially be catalysts to one’s success, it is important to be knowledgeable of these applications and the various features they offer. In my experience with using Twitter for business purposes, I can attest that I have had much success. Upon reviewing my Twitter profile and the frequency with which I utilize my account, MRY Marketing offered me a Brand Ambassador position. For an individual who initially was uncertain about the uses of Twitter, I was appalled that my Twitter activity could assist me in building a career. As a graduating senior in college, minor advantages such as positive social media presences make a significant difference during the dreaded job-hunt. Recently, I was researching fun post-graduate opportunities in the marketing field and stumbled upon a Marketing Associate position with Kumbuya, an online community transaction system. During my exploration of the company, I decided to dig deeper into its social media presence. It turns out Kumbuya has a stronger follower-base on Twitter than it does fans on its Facebook page. As part of the application for the Marketing Associate position, I was to create a profile on Kumbuya and provide a link of my Kumbuya page to Adam Johnson, the Kumbuya Director of Operations. To draw more attention to my Kumbuya page, I decided to share the URL link of my page in a tweet. Days after I submitted my resume and Kumbuya profile link, Adam Johnson sent me an e-mail expressing interest in my resume. This wasn’t the only shocking part; he also “favorited” and “retweeted” my tweet which included the link to my Kumbuya profile. Imagine: the Director of Operations of a firm for which you want to work interacting with you on Twitter. This is one of many assets that make Twitter a great application. Figure 4. Adam Johnson “retweets” and “favorites” Ravina Jangra’s post

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013     From the standpoint of a marketer, I am confident Twitter can be an effective marketing tool. In fact, I know of leading firms in the marketing industry from the Boston area that have a strong Twitter presence. I personally follow HubSpot and Tip Tap Lab on my Twitter account so I can stay informed about internal company developments as well as career opportunities. Because I follow a limited number of accounts on Twitter, it is easier for me to filter through tweets that emerge on my Twitter feed. Unlike Facebook where I face an onslaught of posts from thousands of Facebook friends, fan pages, and other miscellaneous accounts, Twitter for me is more personal and user-friendly. Initially it was difficult to make sense of the Twitter terminology, but I quickly became accustomed to it through greater usage of the application. Because Twitter is easier to use for me, I am more apt to follow companies on Twitter as opposed to liking them on Facebook. Figure 5. HubSpot on Twitter

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013    Figure 6. Tip Tap Lab on Twitter

Twitter is also an effective marketing tool because it allows marketers to reach a broader audience. As part of my internship with MRY Marketing, I created a Twitter contest where the tweet-post with the most retweets would receive a prize. A retweet is analogous to the “share” feature on Facebook. The posts could include words, pictures, or a combination. Since many of my friends have a relatively modest number of accounts they follow (allowing for greater and more personal accessibility to followers), the contest was highly successful. The winner’s twitter post was essentially viral within 24 hours as her followers retweeted her post. Through my Twitter usage, I have also realized that Twitter is a great application for self-branding. This is particularly helpful for me since I am a marketing major, but it is also applicable to personas in acting, politics, music, fashion, and a host of other industries. Individuals in this field create a Twitter brand-image that acts as somewhat of an extension of themselves. They focus on themselves and create an online beat that attracts a large follower-base. In turn, followers share this Twitter brand-image with other followers through retweets, mentions, and hash-tags. If I can sum up Twitter in one word, I would describe it as unique. Twitter is one application that encompasses many key features that cannot be found in other applications. It has its own unique culture full of retweets, favorites, hash-tags, and mentions. Twitter is one of the few social media platforms where a fan can directly communicate with a favorite actor, performer, politician, or fashionista. The emotions that are dispersed through Twitter feeds are also very widespread, ranging from extreme happiness to the lowest depths of sadness and despair. The users of Twitter are also diverse not only in terms of their backgrounds but also with regard to their motivations behind having a Twitter account. Some individuals create parody accounts such as Ted or Condescending Wonka to share snide and witty remarks with their followers. Other users such as Tip Tap Lab and HubSpot use Twitter as a platform to share information about their firms as well as spreading knowledge about their respective fields. Another category of Twitter consumers such as OneGreekStore uses the application to share special promotions and deals with their followers. Based on its distinctive nature, there is no doubt that Twitter is here to stay and it is growing larger day by day!

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013    Figure 7. Ravina Jangra’s Twitter portfolio

Ravina  Jangra   Be  The  Consumer-­‐  Twitter  Experience   March  29,  2013    Figure 8. Tweets by Ravina Jangra