I was browsing my Twitter feeds this morning when I saw a link to a Austin American Statesman Article that stated Dell made $6.5 million via Twitter, primarily through the Dell Outlet [ @DellOutlet ]. Never wanting to miss a deal, I looked up their Twitter ID. And it was not Deals that surprised me - and it was not the $6.5 million dollars in sales. (Let's face it - when you are as big as Dell or HP, you could get $6 million in sales from an ad on the side of a milk carton. It might cost them $6 million to market/advertise...) It was some thing totally different.
My wife recently took a class offered through her work called some thing like, Buzz Media Strategies. And it was Social Media 101 for Business, with a Governmental Spin. The presenters had worked primarily for Technologies, but had tweaked their presentation to interest local agencies. She brought home a lot of information which we then spent hours discussing how she could use the principles for her agency, versus how I could/do use them for The Stage Coach.
One of the slides from the show I was able to review was a Google Search for "Problem with Dell Laptop". Dell Support pays for the #1 Sponsored Position - but guess what position the first Organic result is for any Dell web site? Give up? It was #17 on this Day - Page 2! The other 16 Organic results were all Blogs about Crappy Customer Service and Support in response to Problems with Dell Laptops.
A major element in the presentation was that consumers no longer trust large companies. They no longer believe the mantras, because the see the falsehood of repeating some thing that does not jive with the actions of the company.
So, this is where I'm going with this... I was not surprised by any Deals - I was surprised to see @DellOutlet actively engaging in Customer Service. Responding. Telling customers their order shipped. Asking for more information via DM.
As a Home Stager, I do not have the capacity to obtain $6+ million in Sales via Twitter - and I am not sure how I can apply this to my business practice. But it is an interesting look at how one large company is embracing this Fad. If I can call it a Fad - every thing is a Fad until it becomes ingrained in our day to day lives - then it's a necessity (Internet? Cell Phones? Laptops?).
Not sure I need to mention this - but in the interest of full disclosure, I live around the corner from Dell's Round Rock Campus. And as a result, our city receives Sales Tax Revenue from the sale of Dell Computers in Texas. And many neighbors are employed their - so yes, I do want to see them succeed in making money. I want all companies to make money - just never at the expense of their employees.
Here's a link to Dell's website where you can view their various Twitter accounts: http://www.dell.com/twitter
Thanks for stopping by! And don't forget to look for me on Twitter: @TheStageCoach
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