• Search Engine Land
  • Sections
    • SEO
    • SEM
    • Local
    • Retail
    • Google
    • Bing
    • Social
    • Resources
    • More
    • Home
  • Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • Live
  • More
  • Events
  • SUBSCRIBE

Search Engine Land

Search Engine Land
  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social
  • Resources
  • More
  • Newsletters
  • Home
Social

7 Ways To Act Like An Animal On Twitter

One of the most interesting aspects of social media is the fact that there really aren’t any rules, anyone can use the platform however they want. When it comes to Twitter, a lot of organizations that aren’t associated with cutting edge marketing tactics are using some creative, outside of the box thinking. In fact, some […]

Michael Gray on July 14, 2009 at 7:00 am
  • More

One of the most interesting aspects of social media is the fact that there really aren’t any rules, anyone can use the platform however they want. When it comes to Twitter, a lot of organizations that aren’t associated with cutting edge marketing tactics are using some creative, outside of the box thinking. In fact, some of them are acting like animals … literally.

First up is the Whale in the Natural History Museum of New York. If you’ve never been to the Natural History Museum, there actually is a large whale hanging from the ceiling there.

The whale tweets about a lot of things from children underneath, things going on at the museum, whale facts, even having a little fun with the night watchman. The Natural History Museum isn’t the only famous whale on twitter, you can also find Shamu the mascot of Seaworld. Killer whales aren’t as docile, and looking at this account, you can see it’s quite a bit more snarky in tone.

This account tweets lots of pictures, such as rescue efforts, funny animal pictures, contests, and a bit of killer whale humor. Museums, aquariums and zoos aren’t traditionally organizations that embrace this type of bleeding edge marketing efforts, but there are lots of other zoos and aquariums who using Twitter effectively:

  • Monterey Aquarium
  • National Aquarium in Baltimore
  • Mall of America Aquarium
  • Georgia Aquarium
  • Florida Aquarium
  • Tennessee Aquarium
  • La Jolla Aquarium
  • New England Aquarium
  • Shedd Aquarium
  • Aquarium of the Pacific
  • San Francisco Aquarium
  • Newport Aquarium
  • Oklahoma Aquarium
  • Gatorland
  • Sealife Aquarium
  • San Diego Zoo
  • Houston Zoo
  • San Francisco Zoo
  • Maryland Zoo
  • National Zoo Washington DC
  • Nashville Zoo
  • Cincinnati Zoo
  • Woodland Park Zoo Seattle
  • Phoenix Zoo
  • Sacramento Zoo
  • Columbus Zoo
  • Los Angeles Zoo
  • Memphis Zoo
  • Minnesota Zoo
  • Cleavland Zoo

Fictional characters on Twitter aren’t limited just to animals, the Mars Rover and Mars Phoenix landers gave personalities to robots in 2008. You can also find Darth Vader and The Joker on Twitter as well.

While smaller and mid-sized business may not have the luxury of well known characters or mascots, they can replicate and adapt some of the tactics and strategies used by these accounts. Here are a few suggestions to help you put your plan into action:

  1. Be transparent. If you are going to pretend to be an animal, people can figure out there is a human behind the keyboard without you telling them. The closer you come to pretending to be an actual person, the clearer you need to be about who you really are.
  2. Role Accounts. Use role accounts like “HardwareHelper” or “MrAccounting” instead of accounts with actual names in them.
  3. Be an Actor. Portraying a fictional character like “TechLepruchaun” you’ll be able to get away with a little bit more than “BobFromTech”.
  4. Multiple Authors. Using multiple authors is a smart strategy for many companies, it keeps any single employee or subcontractor from feeling they own the account.
  5. Keep a Consistent Voice. If you do use multiple people, try to use the same voice or tone as much as possible.
  6. Engage Your Audience. Don’t use Twitter strictly as a broadcast medium, find ways to interact with the people who follow you.
  7. Use Humor and Current Events. Look for opportunities to inject a bit of humor into the account whenever possible. Current events are another opportunity, for example: the Natural History Whale used Sarah Palin’s stance on whale hunting to promote whale conservation links.

Opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.



About The Author

Michael Gray

Related Topics

Channel: SocialSocial Media Marketing

We're listening.

Have something to say about this article? Share it with us on Facebook, Twitter or our LinkedIn Group.

Get the daily newsletter search marketers rely on.

Processing...Please wait.

See terms.

ATTEND OUR EVENTS

Lorem ipsum doler this is promo text about SMX events.

Available On-Demand: SMX Create

May 18-19, 2021: SMX London

June 8-9, 2021: SMX Paris

June 15-16, 2021: SMX Advanced

June 21-22, 2021: SMX Advanced Europe

August 17, 2021: SMX Convert

November 9-10, 2021: SMX Next

December 14, 2021: SMX Code

Available On-Demand: SMX

Available On-Demand: SMX Report

×


Learn More About Our SMX Events

Discover actionable tactics that can help you overcome crucial marketing challenges. Our next conference will be held:

Next Event: Sept. 14-15, 2021

Available On-Demand: March 2021

Available On-Demand: October 2020

×

Attend MarTech - Click Here


Learn More About Our MarTech Events

White Papers

  • Gartner Magic Quadrant for Digital Experience Platforms
  • Selecting a Customer Data Platform For Your Organization: The 2020 Gartner Market Guide
  • The Complete Guide to Web Core Vitals
  • The New Era of Automation in SEO
  • Nielsen Annual Marketing Report: Era of Adaptation
See More Whitepapers

Webinars

  • Drive Customer Engagement with the Power of Personalization
  • 7 Use Cases That Prove Why You Should Implement DAM
  • Accelerate Your SEO & Content Marketing Program with 4 Key Milestones
See More Webinars

Research Reports

  • Local Marketing Solutions for Multi-Location Businesses
  • Enterprise Digital Asset Management Platforms
  • Identity Resolution Platforms
  • Customer Data Platforms
  • B2B Marketing Automation Platforms
  • Call Analytics Platforms
See More Research

Attend SMX For Only $199

h
Receive daily search news and analysis.

Channels

  • SEO
  • SEM
  • Local
  • Retail
  • Google
  • Bing
  • Social

Our Events

  • SMX
  • MarTech

Resources

  • White Papers
  • Research
  • Webinars

About

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Marketing Opportunities
  • Staff

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Newsletters
  • RSS
  • Youtube

© 2021 Third Door Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Your privacy means the world to us. We share your personal information only when you give us explicit permission to do so, and confirm we have your permission each time. Learn more by viewing our privacy policy.Ok