The goal for the Denny's brand Twitter account has always been simple: don't sound like a brand Twitter account. By straightforwardly using the platform as a user would (i.e., with natural language, awareness of current and relevant events and pop culture, a brisk and off-the-cuff style and response time, not pandering with outdated advertisements or promotions), we planned to separate ourselves from the deluge of corporate try-hardness flooding the landscape. In short? Be a part of the community, not an intrusion; to connect with our fans in an organic way.
The Denny's Twitter strategy simply hinges upon timeliness, relevance, and community. We built a loyal fan base by treating them as equals, not talking down to them or operating our account as some faceless corporate entity, but as another user who cares about the same things they do—whether it be breakfast, Taylor Swift, Monday Night Raw, or an intellectual discussion of current memes. We stay up to date with the current of internet pop culture because we ourselves are lovers of internet pop culture. We're timely, with a solid strategy and streamlined approval process, we react in real time just as our fellow Twitter users do. Our key feature is that we feel like a friend online, we just happen to be using the Denny's moniker and mentioning our other true love: diner food. But, you know, in a fun way.
Sometimes the results of our campaign can be hard to quantify. Have we steadily increased followers? Have we consistently earned some of the highest engagement for brand tweets without paid promotion? Yes, and doubly yes. But the metric that matters most to us is nearly unmeasurable—and that's a "street cred" of sorts, if you will. A street cred online. Users looks to Denny's for our opinions, for our take on the newest pop culture surprise, for our commentary on Apple live events, et al. Our strategy is successful because Twitter users eagerly include us in their community, and they see us separately from the other brands. Almost as if…we weren't a brand at all.
