American Express and Twitter: Why AmEx Sync Will Be a Hit

Below is an article I recently contributed to Digital Marketer. See the piece here and enjoy!

American Express and Twitter announced their brand new partnership this week that will allow tweeters to make purchases simply by doing what they do best... tweeting. At first glance it seems like a pretty painless process. You start by syncing your American Express card to your Twitter account. Once this is done you can purchase "special offers" by sending a tweet to your followers regarding the product that includes specific hashtags. AmEx then sends you a confirmation tweet. Once you respond your order is processed. Pretty painless (and pretty dangerous for impulse shoppers like yours truly).

While the program's features are incredibly striking, I'm actually more interested in the marketing strategy behind this. And this has digital marketing brilliance written all over it.

American Express seems to consistently be ahead of the social marketing curve as they have actively sought to engage social consumers. Just last March they launched AmEx Sync, originally a promotion that allowed buyers to receive discounts on items by tweeting certain hashtags. And they've continued to innovate ways to reach the social customer. I believe there are important and unique aspects to this program that we could all take a note from...

It taps into the consumer's desire to share their experience with others

AmEx knows we like to talk, share, and maybe even brag a little. Many people turn to Twitter out of habit to share exciting news or new information with their followers. I think most people will be happy to use Twitter to show off their snappy new purchases.

It socially markets itself

It requires the buyer to spread the word. And since these consumers will, for the most part, be excited about their new purchase- the tweets will be very positive ones. Adding validity to the program and positively marketing the products.

It uses the concept of  "special offers" and "trends" to make sales

AmEx knows that for many people it's hard to pass up on a deal (think on the success of Groupon, Living Social, and Facebook Deals). It's also difficult to pass up on a deal you see your close group of friends and influencers taking (let's be honest, we all like to keep up with Jones').

All in all, this is an incredibly innovative program and impressively shows off the companies ability to understand it's customer and adjust their marketing and product accordingly. I, for one, am impressed.

What do you think of AmEx Sync? Will you buy in?