Social media in business: Twitter beta testing...

A lot of businesses are now using Twitter as a major part of their social media marketing strategy. This helps build a relationship with customers on a more interactive, personal level. A brand has more direct voice and personality through platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and other social media. Often, however, a brand's Twitter handle will actually represent several people. The tweet feeds of companies like @starbucks, @cocacola, and @intel are likely not just one person but several contributing their own personal slant when tweeting information or interacting with followers. While everyone is (or should be) "on brand," nevertheless everyone has his own distinct personality which can come through, and should be allowed to develop.

Twitter has introduced a beta test for a new contributor feature, which will identify the contributing user within the tweet under the company's handle. Check out this post by Anamitra, a member of the product team at Twitter, for more details on the contributor feature.

Having a group of contributors that followers know about - "Ah, this tweet from @starbucks is from @starbucksmike" - allows you to add another layer of personality for the brand and leads to further engagement with followers.

This could have negative affects. What if one of these contributors misrepresents your brand? Well, that same argument applies whether it's one or one hundred people tweeting, blogging, and sharing branded content. A brand delivers a certain message but it can be delivered in a variety of voices.

If beta testing is successful Twitter will roll this out to the whole network.

What do you think about the new beta contributor feature for Twitter? Are there any other downsides?

Social media in business: Twitter beta testing contributor feature

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