The Old Lookout's Twitter

The next aspect of The Old Lookout's online presence that I want to discuss is the use of Twitter. This is probably the site on which we have the most followers, and therefore can be used to the greatest effect for engaging current visitors or fans of The Old Lookout. Although it might not be the right tool in terms of trying to attract new visitors, it provides a great opportunity to show the personality behind the gallery and communicate with other local businesses and artists.
In an online article, Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey describes the website as "a great medium for word of mouth". He also suggests that "The more you show the humanness behind the brand and behind the small business, the more people will actually develop a fondness for it." (full article can be found here: http://www.stylist.co.uk/stylist-network/how-to-use-twitter-for-small-businesses) Ultimately, people want to interact with people, which is why I feel it is so important to use the right tone in tweets, and update the feed regularly. I feel that this is not the place to be doing lots of hard advertising, more making connections to people who are fans of the gallery and posting information to them.
I personally feel that the gallery's use of twitter at the moment is very good, and actually a lot better than some of the galleries I have been looking into. We aren't the only people doing good things on Twitter however, the relatively new UpDown Gallery in Margate also seems to be making very good use of this social media tool.
The first thing I notice is that everything on the page is consistent - from the colours of the links in the tweets, to the banner photo and background design. It really enhances the brand they are trying to portray to their potential visitors. The page seems to be updated regularly with relevant information about exhibitions and artists that are going to be showing at the gallery. They also post images of the exhibits, which is a really good way to engage with someone browsing on the internet - it's much quicker and easier to look at a photo than read a description of the exhibition. It is also clear that they often re-tweet posts from contributors saying good things about the gallery, which not only provides a sort of customer testimonial, but shows that the gallery is wanting to make a connection with the online community. For me, it is always important to see that the page has been regularly posted on, and if anything I feel there might be slightly too many tweets in one day here. However this is much better than having too few in my opinion!

Having read several articles about the best way to use twitter for small businesses, there are a few common suggestions that are important for making a connection with followers. In an article for PC Mag.com, Jill Duffy suggests: "it's very important on twitter to respond to people who at-message your account". This can enhance the aforementioned "humanness" of the business. She goes on to note that posting pictures and videos is one of the best ways to engage with viewers, and highlights "As a twitter user, I highly prefer images that are posted through Twitter's own photo features rather than those posted through another service that forces me to open a new window to view the images (Instagram being the prime example)." (Full article here: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2383408,00.asp)I have to admit that this is also a pet hate of mine when on Twitter, having to open up a new tab just to see a photo which I might not be interested in.
Several other articles stress the importance of adding some personality to tweets, and keeping the posts relevant, entertaining and informative. (See: http://www.bluecloudsolutions.com/blog/5-ways-small-businesses-twitter-effectively/ and http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/how-a-small-business-can-use-twitter-1140704)

As I mentioned, I actually think that The Old Lookout's use of twitter is very good, but, nevertheless, here are what I consider to be the strengths and weaknesses:

Strengths:

• Good tone in the tweets - not too serious and formal, but not inappropriate either. A bit of humour.
• Tone is also consistent throughout.
• Link to main website is clear and right at the top of the page.
• Artists who are conducting residencies are linked in to tweets - advertises the artists themselves as well as the exhibition.
• Good use of re-tweeting local information/events and artists in residence, keeping a connection with the community.
• 'Behind-the-scenes' type photos are nice to see, and also videos from both this season and last year.
• Tweets seem personal and have one voice - doesn't seem like a business that is trying to sell anything.
• Connections with SEAS and other CCCU projects acknowledged - encouraged to share audiences.

Weaknesses:

• Twitter standard background - not much of an injection of visual personality which is a bit of a missed opportunity.
  
• Posting of exhibition photos is not all that consistent - it is done for some artists but not others. Could have regular weekly updates with pic of poster at the start of the week and a snapshot of the show later on.
• Not many questions/opportunities for suggestions thrown out to general users.

As will be quite obvious, I don't think there are too many flaws in the way that The Old Lookout currently uses Twitter. I feel that the number of updates and how regular they are is good, and the important information that a potential visitor would need to know, although not on the page, is easily accessible on the website. A lot of articles, both online and in the NESTA 'Launch Your Own Successful Creative Business' series, suggest that it is a good idea to ask questions to the business's twitter followers in order to stimulate discussions and encourage people to voice their opinions. In theory, this would be a nice idea, but only if it was felt that it would really enhance the connection with visitors. For a business that is looking to get ideas for new products, for example, I can see that this would certainly be of benefit. In the case of The Old Lookout however, I wouldn't say it's a high priority.
One thing on the twitter page that I feel could be easily improved is its general look. It would be nice to have a background that reflected the personality of the gallery, with either images of the building, past exhibitions, or even just a logo of some sort. I don't feel that it's hugely detrimental to how the page would be perceived by viewers as it is, but the background is a very simple thing to change.
In my opinion, The Old Lookout's Twitter page is one of the strongest aspects of the gallery's online presence. It's nice to hear a personal voice, which can help make a very real connection to potential visitors. The fact that artists' personal Twitter accounts are linked in to the gallery's updates is great, and can help to drive traffic towards them and their own websites. I feel that the whole page represents the gallery very well, without being either too formal and boring, or inappropriate and unprofessional. It strikes a good balance.