To start of this beautiful Monday morning we asked tweeters the question:
What do you think if a brand starts following you on Twitter? #UTSQ7
Do tweeters see being followed by a brand as a positive thing? Or rather as a negative? It seems that being followed by a brand is perceived as positive because this way brands are monitoring tweeters. And, that the polite thing to do is thank them (@Coolz0r If it’s not a brand I like, it’s just ‘thanks for the follow’. Otherwise I would have added them already. #UTSQ7)
When tweeters decide to ‘return the kindness’ and also follow brands they expect a few things:
- No autoDM thanking them. You’ve got to make it (feel) personal!
- Open communication lines, by answering Q&A’s, sharing experiences,…
- Trust is fragile on twitter. Consumers are hyper-sensitive to twitterspam!
Yet, some tweeters view being followed not always as a good thing. The question they ask themselves is: why are brands following me? Is it for control – maybe even a sort of ‘big brother is watching you’ – or just to gather more followers? (@philipferdinand #UTSQ7 Depends: if i started tweeting about it or not. Can be control, proactive commercials or gathering followers.) Consumers have the reflex to think that they will be ‘controled’ by a brand. Adding a personal touch and openness to your communication is very important for brands on Twitter.
So, being followed by a brand is considered a nice form of monitoring but some tweeters have a more pessimistic view…
Conclusion? Follow and interact with you followers so that they feel unique. Show them that you care. And, even give them a little bit of love <3