If you follow me on Twitter (and you should), you know that I am quite fond of the Webster's Dictionary account. Doesn't it sound like there should be a joke in there somewhere? There isn't.
Photo from merriam-webster.com
Merriam-Webster consistently nails it. They are interesting, fun, funny, topical, and always manage to strike the right tone. It can be hard to keep it apolitical on Twitter while still keeping yourself relevant these days, but Webster's is consistently on it. Their social team seems to work 24/7 in order to stay on top of things, and they never miss a beat. Who'd have thought following the dictionary would help me feel cool and with it? One way they do this is by talking about what words are trending, and why. Like so:
📈 "Satire" has been the top lookup all day after @realDonaldTrump criticized SNL in a tweet. https://t.co/jx0ik9eA2a
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) October 16, 2016
Their winning strategy also includes links to their fantastic blog (in addition to a snappy, dynamic Twitter feed, they are cranking out interesting, current content like nobody's business):
Regarding pwnage. https://t.co/CmqW1VJ5eP
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) October 15, 2016
And general language discussion, which I thoroughly enjoy:
Language evolves. That's okay. https://t.co/JbjtyQUu0k
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) October 16, 2016
Regular features include Word of the Day tweets:
Good morning! The #WordOfTheDay is lavation. https://t.co/Sgj5bBimgM
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) October 16, 2016
And they are quite good at engaging with followers and are quick on their feet with interactions:
Fame. Pride in a job well done. The chance to feel good about yourself, Halloween, and the English language itself. And something else TBA. https://t.co/ZqYjR08tkf
— Merriam-Webster (@MerriamWebster) October 14, 2016
And RTs:
It's LIT. Literally. 🎃 https://t.co/SsvA68frzU
— Raychelle Burks (@DrRubidium) October 14, 2016
They're informative and current without taking themselves too seriously. As a result, they've got quite a following. Let's be honest: would you expect the dictionary to have well over 100k+ Twitter followers? Me either. Merriam-Webster is the perfect example of how to adapt and stay relevant. Bonus: check out their profile header photo. Fun! Topical! Appropriate to the platform!
One more thing before I go. Remember when I discussed my love for Grammarly here on Marketing Monday? MW and Grammarly recently partnered up for a multi-part blog series about words.
Was there ever a more perfect union? Part one discusses how words get into the dictionary, part two talks about slang's place in the dictionary, and part three takes on internet slang in the dictionary. There's an accompanying infographic here.
"There's one type of slang that seems to be the exact opposite of what you'd expect to see in your dictionary, and that is slang that is associated with the Internet. But we regret to inform you that Internet slang is fair game for the dictionary. OMG WTF?"
With gems like that, reading (about) the dictionary has never been so exciting.