Twitter recognizes the benefits it contributes both to businesses and consumers when it comes to sharing deals. So much, in fact, that they have partnered with Groupon and Gilt as well as advertisers and created a specific twitter handle, @earlybird, to share deals, sneak peaks, and events of major brands. @earlybird will promote deals that are exclusive to Twitter.
Spokesman Matt Graves is quoted in a Read Write Web article saying that Twitter has received “a lot of interest from advertisers participating in the @earlybird program, which gives us the luxury of picking & choosing the types of deals we offer to@earlybird followers.”
@earlybird’s first advertising campaign, for a little brand called Walt Disney Pictures, promoted a two for one deal on tickets for Disney’s new film, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. With only 9 tweets so far, the account already has over 50,000 followers and has been listed almost 2,000 times.
@earlybird provides an incredible opportunity for dialogue between brands and their customers. Twitter gives businesses total control over the terms of the offers, including amount, availability, and price. On the other end, consumers can influence what types of deals are shared by sending @earlybird an @reply.
Additionally, the nature of following on Twitter means that users must opt-in to hearing about these specials by following @earlybird. This means that users actually choose to see these promotions in their feed, instead of being bombarded by pop ups and sponsored ads. This non-intrusive advertising is likely to be very effective at generating business and encouraging customer loyalty.
Twitter has some more plans for @earlybird. For the time being, @earlybird promotions will be international deals or nation-wide specials in the US, however the FAQ page says that they will explore location specific offers in the future. Also, there is talk of @earlybird being a parent account, and hatching category-specific eggs (@earlybirdFashion, @earlybirdMusic, @earlybirdFood, @earlybirdTech, etc.). Such specialization could appeal to a higher volume of tweeters who enjoy content directed specifically to them, and provide exceptional value to the brands who promote via Twitter.
The goal of social media is to deliver consumer driven content in a timely, relevant fashion. @earlybird, easy for either brands or consumers to communicate with, is the newest face in the advertising crowd. The more interactive the medium, the more loyal customers will become, and the more successful a brand’s campaign will be.
By Rachel Nieman
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