Twitter Served Fresh, Never Frozen

Let us provide you with a scenario that is all too common for many communication and marketing professionals. (Yes, we’re talking to you!): After your supervisor has completed a meeting, you and your colleagues are given a task to research and identify audiences that will best be able to receive the products your company so that your clients are marketing in a way that is efficient and effective. Your client is trying to get to these new audiences because they believe they will benefit from them in a multitude of ways. Perhaps your company/client wants to be seen in a different light, or maybe they are trying to expand into a certain market and reaching certain audiences is the key. You and your colleagues take every step to achieving your goal of strategically tapping into target audiences very seriously. The risk is great and it is no task that should be taken lightly.

From a novice professional up to an established one, identifying target audiences in order to fulfill a company’s goal of effectively marketing products and services can sometimes become a daunting task. As we mentioned before, it is a task that should not be taken lightly. We all know what may occur if we don’t reach intended audiences. For starters, the hours, days, and months of manpower that will be given to a project will be pointless. Also, the budget placed for a project will be impacted in a significant way. You have to target the desired audience with great precision. You should target the audience with strategies and tactics that will have a profound effect, not only for the benefit for your company/client, but to make sure those audience feel as though they are being listened too and being understood. Let’s face it, many companies fail to achieve of creating a connection. With all things said, taking things step by step in a focused manner, will help you tackle the great task that is reaching intended audiences.

Twitter, meet fast-casual

One of the best examples of how a company reached its intended audience effectively is brought to you by the fast-food giant, Wendy’s. In 2014, there was a series of articles that stated that Wendy’s was trying to reach out to potential customers, and those customers, are the very talked about generation referred to as Millennials. Wendy’s strategy involved obtaining this sought after group through a series of mechanisms that included improving their menus with more diverse foods. But the one strategy that truly worked in their favor, and we believe made the difference, was reaching their intended audience in the digital landscape. They knew that in order to reach their audience, millennials, they had to reach them in an arena that is dominated by them. Basically, they had to step into their world.

#NuggsforCarter

Social media outlets are one of the most reliable ways of tapping into the millennial crowd, especially Twitter. Twitter is an arena that is filled with fun, creative, and innovative individuals that come from this generation. According to the Pew Research Center, their 2016 report on social media usage stated that people within the age groups of 18-29 tended to use Twitter more often than their older counterparts. This social media outlet is very popular and Wendy’s saw a great opportunity here. We are certain that the strategy and process into tapping into this group took time, and their hard work certainly paid off. They way they were able to connect to their intended audience was nothing short of phenomenal. Wendy’s twitter account had the sassiest and wittiest interactions with followers  that included twitter users asking the Wendy’s account to “roast” them, or basically taunt them in a playful manner. The most significant interaction that Wendy’s had with a twitter use was when Twitter user, Carter Wilkerson asked the company how many retweets should he need to get in order to get free chicken nuggets for a year . The company responded that he should get 18 million retweets.

Well, sadly the Twitter user did not reach that number, but he reached a high enough number of retweets that broke a Guinness world record for the most retweeted tweet. An impressive feat. We believe because of that record breaking tweet, the company was gracious enough to give the twitter user free chicken nuggets for a year.

It is incredible how Wendy’s was able to successfully reach their intended audience. They connected with their audience by being able to speak like them. They most likely studied how millennial twitter users communicated with each other. Many twitter users use this social media outlet as a form of expression and as a way to communicate and connect with strangers in diverse ways. Some of the ways include using a lot of wit. Not only do twitter users communicate with each other, but also they tend to give their opinions on many subjects, including politics and entertainment, and behind their opinions, there is a lot of wit through the use of memes, slang, gifs, and many other forms of expression. Wendy’s took notice and used the way twitter users communicated with each other to fully become engaged with their target audiences.

“Beef” IRL

Because Wendy’s was able to speak like them, think like them, in our opinion, users embraced them and the company was able to reach to them in a way that did not seem forced.
The other fascinating aspect of their engagement with their intended groups, was that they were able to inspire employees. A war of words was being taken place between a Texas Wendy’s and a tea shop. They wanted to get the attention of a prominent college football coach, but they actually got the attention of many social media users, including media. The way these businesses interacted was entertaining to many, but if you look carefully, employees of Wendy’s were involved in the process of engagement.

While staying true to their brand

Wendy’s was able to stay to true to its message and their brand. They were selling fast food items, and they were able to do so in a manner that was engaging, while feeling natural. It did not seem as though a company was making individuals buy something because they had to. Engagement can go very far. Whether you are trying to reach millennials, or any other audience, the key to successfully reaching individuals is to connect with them in a way that is human. In a way that is organic. As mentioned before, the process in trying to tap into an audience can be daunting, but with determination, patience, and great strategy, creating that human connection, that emotional connection with your audience, can take your company’s or client’s business to desired success.