Twitter Unzipped: Is Their Strategy Showing?

It used to be I was excited when i got that email from Twitter that I have a new follower. Being the consummate narcissist I am, knowing that another human is interested in my concise moments of enunciation was a real boost. Reaching people is what I strive to do.

And these days, my inbox is getting routinely splashed with emails from Twitter informing me of new followers….and so timely, too….like IMMEDIATELY after I tweet out a new blog post.

But wait….when my post mentions marketing I get a marketing strategy business follower. When it mentions booze, i get a liquor store follower. When it mentions travel, I get a hotel follower. What I am saying is, their new back-end advertising monetization strategy is hanging out like a pecker in the wind. And me no likely.

In general, I think it’s a bad idea for marketers and brands to underestimate the intelligence and engagement requirements of their perceived consumers and potential customers.
What brands seem to forget is that they are not in charge of how consumers view their brand…the consumer is. And for a brand to be relevant they can’t just show up in our lives…they have to make a conscious effort to be part of our lives in a way that adds value and has meaning.
It’s what I preach and teach on a day-to-day basis for my profession. And so many brands get it….but many don’t.

I think perhaps the team at twitter is getting a little too cocky about their brand cache and ought to take a closer look at how they engage both users and advertisers to create win/ win situations for everyone…before twitter users end up skipping the platform entirely to avoid yet another source of marketing over-exposure.