I want to present a suburb marketing campaign to you: Tesco Mobile on Twitter.
Engaging, lively and, most importantly, successful. They are an an example of what all brands, I predict, will follow. This is the future.
In this industry, we talk a lot about what successful social media should or could look like. This article considers a real example. If you want to know how it’s done, read on.
I was reading an article on AdWeek a few days ago, and I, of course, tweeted about it:
@tescomobile twitter account is hilarious! This is what corporate accounts should do: http://t.co/0Z01nZTtbu
— Alexander Novicov (@alexnovicov) October 30, 2013
I was surprised to find that Tesco Mobile replied to me:
@alexnovicov Why thank you kind sir 😉
— Tesco Mobile (@tescomobile) October 30, 2013
You can understand my surprise. People just don’t expect big brands and corporations on Twitter (or, rather, any social media site) to respond. Especially when the nature of the comment is derogatory or slanderous.
What Tesco Mobile is doing is the pinnacle of successful social media. They reply to each and every tweet, even if the users don’t mention them (@TescoMobile) directly. If anybody on Twitter just mentions their name, they will reply. Of course, they have social media listening tools that allow them to do this.
But their replies are not cookie cutter, oh no. The replies they provide are spiffy and playful, and usually in response to nasty tweets. In a stroke of marketing genius, Tesco Mobile are using negative comments to their advantage.
Their TV adverts are marvellous as well, #noJoke:
Hilarious!
Have a look at some of their tweets and responses:
@tescomobile if you’re going on a long car journey and there’s not enough space, you could just fold someone up and put them in the boot
— Eloise (@WalfyWalford) October 29, 2013
Here is a proper conversation:
This should be a lesson to all of us in the digital marketing field. This is engagement. Having real conversations with your audience.
Some Twitter users request Tesco Mobile to follow them back. What does Tesco Mobile do? In the spirit of being unconventional, they created #TmFollowChallenge. They come up with funny and often bizarre challenges that people must complete, and prove, to earn a follow. Check it out!
The other strategy that they employ is not mentioning their competitors. They maintain this policy when their audience plainly mentions their competitors by name. Smart move: Tesco Mobile projects itself as good-humoured and amiable, and not petty.
Some of you might be asking what the ROI of this activity is. Well, to put it plainly, what’s the ROI of a simple hello?
What Tesco Mobile does is rare. They build relationships. That is what it’s all about. Building relationships and trust. Who do you think Jessica will think of when her contract expires? I think @TescoMobile will be the first name that pops into her head (or her Twitter newsfeed).
A couple of months ago, I wrote an article admiring 02’s ad campaign Be More Dog, and how that engaged with me. What 02 did was awesome, but what @TescoMobile does is much more creative, inventive and, ultimately, productive. It is more out of the box; the box that so many companies fall into.
Here is a Twitter battle between Tesco Mobile and 02:
I would absolutely love to have a Google Hangout with @TescoMobile’s Social Media Manager. Learning details and information about the development and implementation of the operation would be fantastic. Hopefully they will agree, and I can share them with all of you. I will keep you posted!
Brands must take a lesson from Tesco Mobile. They must start communicating with their audiences immediately, if not yesterday.
Well done Tesco Mobile, and keep up the exceptional work!
You can find a lot of tweets on their timeline, so if you want to read more just head to their Twitter account.
What’s your view? Share your comments below or tweet them to me.