Twitter is perfect. Unlike other social media platforms, very few interactions involve attacks on your character or questions about your sanity. Instead you get to follow the people and the brands that you love and everything is always short, sweet and to the point. It’s refreshing.
But one of the most enjoyable things about Twitter are parody accounts. These are quite often some of the most entertaining and interesting examples of why the Internet needs to exist [other than Grumpy Cat, of course].
Parody accounts take many forms. Some are glorious mash-ups of historical or fictitious characters that defy reason, like @VeryLonelyLuke, a Twitter feed from Luke Skywalker who is all alone on that island at the end of “The Force Awakens” which provides gems like:
“I didn’t actually abandon R2-D2
I invited him to come with me
He looked me in the eye & said, “Boop beep beep boop.”
That one still stings”
One of the most strange and bizarre parody accounts ever was the surreal genius of @NotTildaSwinton which was, of course, not Tilda Swinton, the actress, but it certainly was insanely funny. With Tweets that sound like the fever-dream ramblings of someone who has lost their grip on reality, unsuspecting followers were treated to poetic ramblings such as:
“Do you not have a favorite blood platelet? I do. I call him Terry. I always know where Terry resides. Right now he is in my liver.”
“Porcupines must feel so lonely. Pluck the spines from their back while they slumber so they awake soft, and more able to be loved.”
Yes.
Other great parody accounts include:
- Pharrell’s Hat [@Pharrellhat]
- Not Mark Zuckerberg [@NotZuckerberg]
- Chuck Norris [@Chuck_facts]
- Bored Elon Musk [@BoredElonMusk]
But can Twitter personalities be used to promote your business? [This is a business blog, after all, as my editors constantly remind me].
The answer is “Yes”!
Several national brands have created Twitter accounts for their mascots with terrific results, like:
- The Energizer Bunny [@EnergizerBunny]
- The Geico Gecko [@GeicoGecko]
- Mr. Clean [@RealMrClean]
- Smokey the Bear [@Smokey_Bear]
How do they make these accounts work for their business?
It’s easy:
*They have a sense of humor: It’s got to provide some amount of entertainment or no one will care. So, if you’re willing to get a little silly, the parody account/brand mascot account can work wonders for you.
*They share user-generated content: Let your brand ambassadors lead the way with photos, videos and comments that entertain and showcase the love they have for what you do and how it makes them feel.
*They interact with followers: Like all social media, Twitter is a conversation, not a monologue. So make sure your parody account takes time to reply to questions and respond to comments made by your followers for best results.
*They concentrate on what customers love about them: What sets your brand apart? Is it your ease of use? Or is it all about simplifying complexity? Whatever it is, let that be the theme of your posts. Look for ways to work that angle into your everything, or let it set the tone for the voice of your account.
What did we miss? Do you have any favorite parody accounts on Twitter?
Would you ever consider creating your own parody account to promote your business or blog?
Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Post contributed by Keith Giles, copywriter for Agency Ingram Micro.
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