All Aboard The Twittertrain

with Open Jaw

What can happen in 140 characters or less? Apparently a lot. That was the message on board Open Jaw’s recent Twittertrain where Twitter’s Canadian Managing Director, Kirstine Stewart, spoke to an eager travel crowd about how to harness the tweet.

With over 500 million registered users worldwide posting 340 million micro messages per day, content ranges from the mundane, ‘I’m hungry’, to ground-breaking news – witness the Arab spring. According to Ms. Stewart, how travel businesses can leverage the breakneck networking is by inserting themselves into relevant conversations.

This discussion took place in an unusually non cyber location – a chartered VIA rail car. Open Jaw and VIA Rail hosted this Twitter training session for 50 travel guests last Wednesday. The day began with coffee and baked yummies in VIA’s Business Class Lounge at Union Station. The “#Twittertrain” procession was then led to the private Glen Fraser car. Next stop, Cobourg.

During the 40 minute ride, Stewart gave examples of questions that companies should ask themselves when they get started with Twitter, such as, “What is the purpose?” and, “Who am I talking to?” The same questions any marketing professional asks themselves before embarking on a communications program.

If a retailer is looking to build culinary groups, getting involved in foodie conversations is a natural fit. Providing advice and sharing expertise is also an easy ‘organic’ way to build connections. Stewart compared the experience to that of being at a cocktail party with the world where you have the possibility of chatting with thousands of people with similar interests.

The tone should be conversational, as conversation creates trust. Users want to engage with businesses that might offer what they want. "Content is the driver, and you have to work Twitter when you first start," Stewart advises. And now, advanced content creators have the opportunity to explore additional methods such as Twitter Amplify, Twitter Commerce and Social Currency, which really takes the interaction with users and customers to the next level.

Twitter also offers many non-organic ‘paid’ options for targeting users based on key words such as ‘vacation’ or ‘hungry’!

Many companies have fully immersed themselves in the use of Twitter, such as Disney Canada, who, according to Marlie Morrison, is a frequent host of "Twitter Parties". These virtual parties allow guests to take part in discussions without having to be at a particular physical location.

There is no doubt that Twitter requires time, resources and commitment to take full advantage of its potential and properly engage users. Balancing the investment vs. the return is an issue that many companies grapple with. Questions regarding ROI and adequate customer service need to be addressed when including Twitter in the marketing mix. Stewart tells us that the FOMO adage (fear of missing out) holds true for Twitter. “When people are talking about your brand, you have to be there.”

Although Canadians are highly invested online users, Twitter still poses hurdles for many business. "We have a lot of work to do," said Philip Rose of the Jamaica Tourist Board. "Canadians are ready, and the [travel] industry needs to catch up." And as Lindsay Pearlman reminded many of us “there are billions of dollars of travel revenue sitting on this train, but FOMO is not the reason I will invest in Twitter. I hope I can find a better business rationale.”

On arrival at Cobourg, the Twittetrain entourage had a chance to mingle, network, and try some tasty bites courtesy of Trattoria Gusto and Black Beans Steakhouse from neighbouring Port Hope. 

Read the tweets and see more photos of the event by searching Twitter #twittertrain.

 

Kirstine Stewart discusses Twitter in the Glean Fraser car

Mingling and networking at Cobourg station

Open Jaw's Nina Slawek, Suzanne Christie & Stuart Morcombe

with Marlie Morrison, Disney Canada & Tracey Nurmi, VIA Rail