Brand enthusiasm – turning customers into “fans”; we want people who use our products or who know of our products to talk to us — give us feedback, ideas and and a rallying point in the market.

Customer service – improving customer knowledge of what we’re doing. There’s obviously a lot being discussed around DC, but we can’t forget our core products (grains, energy, interest rates, FX, equity indexes, metals, livestock) and our role in the global economy. Pointing out trends and what we’re doing to help customers manage risk provides an immediate benefit.

Advocacy – building and maintaining support behind us in today’s volatile marketplace will be important as regulators look to better manage financial markets. Getting an understanding of our what drives our customers’ thoughts and opinions via Twitter helps add to the conversation and showcase what we’re doing.

I hope that gives you some further insight. Let me know if you have any questions.
Allan
@allanschoenberg

Alan Wolk’s recommendations and analogies are very good. My own angle to Wolk’s “local malt shop” analogy would be that Twitter is like walking into a massive cocktail party with millions of conversations and personalities just waiting for you to join in and contribute.

Leah, I look forward to future conversations with you!

Matt

Creative strategist Alan Wolk says that consumers view social media space as a place that has all the unspoken social boundaries of a casual gathering at a local malt shop.

It would be intrusive for a salesperson (other than a waiter) to approach your table and try to sell cars, insurance, what have you. Wolk advises that brands need to keep that in mind. Consumers are put off by brands that try to be their “friends.” Instead, Wolk suggests that brands identify a problem, and be the solution to that problem. (Following the Comcast model.)

Another insight: Wolk says that Twitter and Facebook are not the places to try to capture user info. It’s okay to drive them to a home site, where a user might fill out a registration form. But don’t try to do it in the quick-moving social spaces.

Another example of a company effectively using social media: Whole Foods

For more info on Alan Wolk: http://tangerinetoad.blogspot.com/2009/02/minneapolis-on-monday.html

For more info on the TC Interactive Community: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=6078590807&ref=ts

I may want to connect with you off-line to discuss what qualities you like/dislike about businesses using Twitter. OR perhaps you could do a post on your blog about it and we could both benefit from your detailed feedback:). Do you personally advise companies on how to use Twitter and SM in general?

Thanks again,

Matt

@pgatour (I’m a huge golf rube–love the real-time updates)
@umnews (This is @ryanmathre’s news source at the U)
@redcross (although it varies by crisis)
@pdxtrailblazers (fave sports Twitter account)
@HenryFordNews (health care org that gets it)
@radian6 (not sure if they “count”)
@hrblock (used to work for HRB)
@southwestair
@sleepnumbersara (Select Comfort–my friend Sarah Ryder working things out at SC)