
It seems like everyone has a twitter account these days, I know I do, and Mike Putnam, CEO of Zeer, does too. We like to keep our finger on the pulse of the social world and get the word out about everything that is going on with Zeer.
Since people can opt in to following us, it’s a great alternative to traditional marketing – we can have a conversation, site users can choose to talk back, follow or unfollow us if we become boring or outdated (hopefully we’re not) and it’s a great repository for finding new blog content.
However, recently, I’ve been using twitter not only to communicate what is going on with Zeer, but I use it as a tool to find out what’s going on with my favorite blogs, news sources, and heck, even brands.
Twitter Empowers Consumers
As the USA Today reported in July, Twitter has become a powerful tool for brands to reach out to their customers. Big companies like Comcast, Whole Foods, and Zappos are tweeting and tweeting well.
There are already tons of fantastic food bloggers sharing their juicy recipes and blog posts online, but now that brands are invading the twitter space, the birth of a new kind of “tweet” has been born. Consumers can actually talk to a brand (as long as it’s within twitters limited 140 characters) and that brand can well… talk back.
So far, I’ve seen it all. I’ve seen brands promote contests, new products, and publicly show off their customer service skills. I’ve seen them respond to the public conversation about their product (a task made easier with tools like Summize or Tweet Beep) And, I’ve seen them be friendly, helpful, and informative when Twitter users have questions or concerns. If a brand you’ve used is on twitter and you want to reach someone who cares, Twitter is a great way to put pressure on a brand publicly to fix it fast.
And the best part is: You can follow or unfollow whoever you’d like. As long as their tweets are public, there is no need to “join in” on the conversation unless you want to. I can go days without saying anything on twitter, but when a brand things they have something newsworthy or interesting to say, you better believe they’ll be tweeting it.
If you’re following only people you care about (and not following just anyone who comes along) you usually can stay informed on issues you like and care about without having to read extra long blog posts.
Twittering About Food
So what food companies are on twitter? There are a lot of lists out there, like this great one called Social Brand Index but I’m making one here that’s food-centric. If you want to follow food throughout your day, then this is the blog post to reference.
Food/Specialty Products
Dewmocracy http://twitter.com/Dewmocracy
Elanas Pantry http://twitter.com/elanaspantry
M&Ms http://twitter.com/msgreen
The Organic Dish: http://twitter.com/theorganicdish
Pangaea Organica http://twitter.com/PangaeaOrganica
Popeyes Chicken http://twitter.com/PopeyesChicken
QinoOneVodka http://twitter.com/QinoOneVodka
Templeton Rye http://twitter.com/templetonrye
Vinquire Wine Search http://twitter.com/vinquire
Whole Foods http://twitter.com/wholefoods
zSweet Sugar Substitute http://twitter.com/brianazsweet
Brewing
21st Amendment http://twitter.com/21stAmendment
BridgePort Brewery http://twitter.com/bridgeportbrew
Flying Dog Ales http://twitter.com/flyingdog
Magic Hat http://twitter.com/magichat
Open Source Beer http://twitter.com/opensourcebeer
Scmaltz Brewing http://twitter.com/ShmaltzBrewingW
Lift Bridge Brewing http://twitter.com/LiftBridge
Deschutes Beer http://twitter.com/DeschutesBeer
Marin Brewing Co http://twitter.com/MarinBrewingCo
Moylans Brewery http://twitter.com/MoylansBrewery
Hooker Beer http://twitter.com/hookerbeer
Wine/Wineries
Wine Enthusiast http://twitter.com/WineEnthusiast
Cult Vines Winery http://twitter.com/cultvines
American Winery http://twitter.com/americanwinery
Don Giovanni Winery http://twitter.com/DonGiovanniWine
Am I missing a brand that twitters? Comment below with your best food brand bets!