If your business is venturing onto Twitter, it’s worth taking note of a few interesting personalities you may encounter along the way…
Gratuitous back-slapper
Someone in an industry that seems totally unrelated to yours who retweets and favourites almost everything you do. Don’t disregard them – it could be someone closer to the business than you realise, as people often don’t use their real names on Twitter.
‘Wind-up merchants’
You will always get people with too much time on their hands and who like to find inane things to complain about. Always respond politely, professionally and in a timely manner. It’s surprising how quickly that can put them off.
Campaigners
Twitter can attract some real activists, including animal rights campaigners who target large food businesses. Avoid engaging them unless you are addressed directly. Thank them for getting in touch and pass their details to your customer services department.
Tertiary manufacturers
Wholesalers attract many tertiary brands keen to be listed in their businesses. Once you’ve opened up a new communication line, be prepared for contact. You can usually forward these types of queries to your buying department.
Complainers
Unfortunately, most of the customer engagement you get on Twitter will be product queries or complaints. Whether you are a leading UK wholesaler or a much smaller business, customers use Twitter to complain in real-time. Make sure you are ready to respond.
Genuine sales leads
Hurrah! There is a commercial benefit to being on Twitter and many wholesalers have found that new customers will often approach them using this channel. Be interesting, engaging, relevant and visual, and the new business leads will keep flowing.
