For those tasked with giving voice on behalf of an organization or business, getting into character should be mandatory before joining the conversation.

Most professional tweeters recognize that a significant amount of research needs to be done in order to understand a client’s business. But how many investigate the culture, personality and character of the brand for whom they will be tweeting?

You might ask, “Can a company be personified in a tweet?” 

I suggest that by simply thinking of an organization as a living entity, one has already begun to breathe life into that character.

Actors look at all the ‘givens’ in a script as they slowly build a character, while asking endless questions in that pursuit.  Where does the story take place? What is the background /history of the character? Who are the other characters in the play and what is their relationship to them? What does the character they’re playing want, i.e. what is the intention at any given point in the story?

Most importantly, an actor takes nothing for granted when investigating a role. And neither should the individual(s) engaging social media on behalf of a client.

It may be useful to shift from thinking about a company brand and think a little about the company character.

That way, one might discover a company’s sense of humor or sense of compassion and begin to connect in a more human way.

 Don’t fret.  After investigating by asking some of these questions a character will emerge.

And in the words of the late and great Jose Ferrer when referring to acting, “If it was that difficult, no one would have done it in the first place.”