A lot of people with whom I speak ask me if this whole Twitter thing is working for companies and brands, and if so, how are businesses using it. Let me share a quick personal story.
I am writing this from Naples, FL where I served on a panel the other day at the Shopper Marketing Fusion conference. Prior to my trip to Florida, as I tend to do, I Tweeted about my upcoming trip, and the fact that I would be staying near Naples. About 3 hours after my Tweet, I received a reply from Naples Tomato, an upscale italian restaurant. In a very conversational manner, they wished me a safe and successful trip, and suggested that I might want to try their restaurant if I had the time.
We exchanged a few Tweets, they shared their website with me, and also suggested that I mention Twitter to get a special gift if I did choose to eat at their restaurant. Which I did. One of my clients who happens to live in Sarasota, and owns a company named TUNG, drove over to Naples and joined me for a meal at Naples Tomato.
Let me share the experience. Upon entering, we spoke to the manager, and mentioned that we came in due to Twitter. His face lit up, said that it was not he that was tweeting, but Tanya, and they had just started the program. When asked how it was going, he proceeded that he was surprised as to how many people had mentioned Twitter when making their reservations, and he was really pleased with the early responses. After being seated, we must have had 4-5 restaurant staff members stop by our table and thank us for coming in. And they provided us with 2 glasses of wine at no charge, and offered us more if we wished. And the food was great.
Bottom line is this. This is one restaurant located in a slightly worn strip mall along Highway 41 in Naples. There is not a chance that I ever would have sought out this restaurant on my own. But because of Twitter, and because this local business had its ears on, and picked up the fact that I was coming to Naples, they reached out, they made the connection with me, and I became a customer. As well, I was treated better than I normally would have if I had just come in off the street, I felt as if I had a personal connection to the restaurant, I would recommend the establishment to anyone who asked, and I'm writing about it here.
So you tell me. Does this whole Twitter thing work? If I had a local business, I would certainly be using it to grow my business, and Tomato is a perfect example as to how to use Twitter correctly. Nice job! Great dinner!
One last thing, which is the best part of it all. Tom, my client and friend, paid the bill. The night could not have worked out better.
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