The Questions

Version 2 of a questions list for organizations that we interview for the book:

1. Situation Analysis – Background questions/motivations for using Twitter.

How did you learn about Twitter?
When did your organization set up its (first) Twitter account? How many accounts do you have?
Why did your organization choose to engage with the Twitter community? How have your goals changed over time?
Describe any resistance you had to overcome to get that first account going.
What other social media networks do you engage with?
What is the organization’s history and policy on blogging? (@jayrosen_nyu)
Why should people follow you? In your opinion, why might they unfollow you?

2. Planning – Strategy behind Twitter adoption.

How did you pick the person who manages your Twitter account?
How do you integrate Twitter with your overall marketing/communications plan?
How have you promoted products/services/events on Twitter?
How do you promote your Twitter account (such as email signatures, links from website, etc)?
How do you manage, or not manage, the approval process by legal, pr & marketing? (@halfnelson)
What is your policy on following? Replies? Directs?
What is your organization’s social media policy for employees?

3. Implementation – How Twitter was implemented/applications used.

Who tweets for your organization and how are they chosen? Is their identity made public on your Twitter profile? If not, why not.
How do you let your customers/constituents know who is tweeting for your organization (eg, web site directory)?
How often do you tweet and what types of content do you tweet?
How are you planning your Twitter content?
How did you develop your Twitter voice?
How do you balance mission-focused tweets vs. a more casual ‘conversation’?
How do you use hashtags?
About how much time each day is devoted to your Twitter account?
What tools do you use to Tweet? And do you tweet from computer/phone/both?
What auto-Tweet services do you use (eg, TweetLater, TwitterFeed) and why?
Which link shortener do you use and why?
What are your favorite tools (and why)?

4. Goals and measurement – How was success defined and measured.

What are your success measures?
How do you measure ROI?
What demographics are you targeting on Twitter? Have you found a ‘generation gap’?
How do you see Twitter fitting into your long term communications strategy?

5. Lessons learned – Reflections on Twitter/Best Practices/Role models.

What is something you wish you had known before you started your Twitter account?
Who are your role models in the Twitter community?
Have you made a mistake on Twitter? If so, how did you address it?