Like many other people, real life examples help me learn. Concepts that may seem complicated or confusing on paper become much more clear when coupled with examples of those concepts in action. The use of Twitter as an effective marketing tool is no different. The Internet is stuffed full of blog posts and articles talking, in great detail, about how you should be using Twitter. You will find lists, tips, tricks, premium services, consulting services, charts, and diagrams. All of that is very good information, but I think analyzing some examples of real people and businesses already using Twitter effectively will go a long way to helping others do the same. For the first installment in a series that I am calling, “Twitter Role Models”, I would like to take a look Warren Ellis.
Mr. Ellis (of whom I am a HUGE fan) is an English author. Warren is best known for being one of the premier comicbook writers in the industry. In addition, Ellis has written several screenplays, magazine articles, and is a best selling novelist. Warren Ellis’s work is, in my opinion and in the opinion of millions of other people, great. Mr. Ellis’s writing style is strikingly unique and, without hesitation, people like myself will gladly trade our hard earned money in exchange for a copy of his latest work. In addition to being a wickedly talented writer, Warren Ellis has also proven to be very effective in using Twitter as a marketing tool.
To date, Warren Ellis (@WarrenEllis) has 37,064 followers on Twitter. And, on an almost daily basis, Mr. Ellis uses Twitter to entertain, poll, and converse with those followers. Ellis’s Twitter posts, if examined individually, can seem insignificant (as most Twitter posts do), but collectively, something much more subtle comes into clarity. Unlike many (most?) other Twitter users, Ellis has found a way to connect with his audience. As a result, Warren has been able to use Twitter to grow and strengthen the brand that is Warren Ellis and, to a lesser degree, market some of his work. There are several large corporations and even some self-professed marketing experts who would be well served to seriously examine Warren Ellis’s Twitter strategy.
Mr. Ellis recently attended the San Diego Comic Con and sent out a series of tweets during his time there. Here’s a sampling of what he tweeted…
I has a limo10:06 AM Jul 24th from UberTwitter
I have now been filmed12:07 PM Jul 24th from UberTwitter
As you can see, these aren’t traditional brand marketing tweets. But that’s the point. Anyone can send out mindless marketing tweets containing all they typical and expected things that one would expect to see in a sales pitch. Mr. Ellis, however, takes a different approach. He almost dares you to follow his Twitter feed. He doesn’t specifically mention any of his work, or his appearance schedule at the Comic Con, or even talk about any of the publishing companies that sponsored his trip to the event. Well, actually I take that back. At a few points, Mr. Ellis does mention Joe Quesada, the editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics (one of Ellis’s employers)…
See what I mean? Ellis doesn’t communicate with his audience like someone who is sitting on a stage, pitching a product. He talks to them like he’s sitting at the bar with them, making small talk and jokes about the day that he just had. Making small talk with over 37 thousand followers. I know several people who have Ellis’s tweets sent to their cellphones, because they enjoy receiving his updates throughout the day. Additionally, when talking to others about Twitter, these same people often explain that Warren Ellis is one of the people you HAVE to follow, because, you know, he’s funny. And perhaps a little disturbed. But mostly funny. (And yes, I am one of those people who receive tweets from Warren Ellis on my phone)
Ellis uses Twitter to speak directly to his fan base. He doesn’t try to sell them things. He doesn’t spam them with link after link. He doesn’t beg people to buy his work or to come see him when he makes appearances. He does, however, strengthen his brand. He does this by incorporating the same dark-humor that permiates his writing style into his tweets. If you follow Warren Ellis on Twitter for a week, by the end of the week, you will have a pretty good idea of who he is. You will get a clear sense of his writing style. You will know that he is a writer, he has a website, and that he also frequently writes for other websites and magazines, in addition to his comic gigs. You will hear his honest opinions on all sorts of things (especially music and alcohol). And he will, at times, make you laugh out loud. How many businesses and organizations would pay good money to be able to accomplish something like that? Probably a lot of them.
Warren Ellis is an example, and a good one, I think, of someone who understands how to use the service to build and strengthen his brand. Through Twitter, Ellis is able to interact with his existing fan base, introduce himself to potential fans, and make daily connections with his followers. And while snobby marketing experts and social media bloggers may scoff at the idea of learning how to use Twitter from, of all things, a comic book writer, I think we would all be well served if we did just that. Perhaps it is only fitting to end this post with one of Ellis’s own tweets, explaining his Twitter marketing strategy…
Have a great day, all.
-Dan Cheek
www.LaserBurnMedia.com
dan@laserburnmedia.com
