In 34 tweets between 9:44am Mar 28th and 9:30am March 29th, @BronxZoosCobra gained more than 35,000 Twitter followers and become a national news sensation. By 1pm on March 30th, that number had jumped to an amazing 142,961 followers. A Google search for “Bronx” that same afternoon turned up “cobra” as the second suggested search term and “twitter” as the fourth.

While zoo officials are confident this 20-inch female Egyptian cobra, not seen since Friday, March 25th, has not left the reptile house, America is fascinated by tweets of the snake’s adventures as she slithers around Manhattan. Major news outlets like NPR and ABC have featured the twitter account story on their morning programs. A check of the Bronx Zoo’s Twitter page reveals only 8,100 or so followers and one tweet from Mar 28th noting, “Right now, it's the snake's game” and a link to the zoo’s formal statement about the reptile house closure. The zoo’s Facebook page has virtually the same information and 52 comments from followers. Among the comments, Bronx Zoo’s Cobra has posted several times in response to comments made by followers. But the zoo thus far has neglected to join the conversation.

While all of this is amusing, serious business people may wonder why we’re talking about a silly snake making funny comments about Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen and Rebecca Black. In point of fact, this is a perfect example of the power of social media and the ability to connect with thousands of potential customers around the globe. Serious reporters have used the snake’s gmail account, listed on her Twitter page, to interview the snake. A Google search for “Bronx Zoo Cobra” returns 691,000 results. You simply can’t buy that kind of positive exposure within a 48-hour period. The Bronx Zoo has been handed a golden opportunity to engage the public and to build on the momentum. But, so far, they haven't attempted to engage this potential audience.

A good sense of humor, a willingness to engage in conversation with the snake’s followers and a comfort with social media tools could put the Bronx Zoo way ahead of the game. At the very least, a representative from zoo should tweet the snake, urging her to come home! Our advice to the zoo is to get in the game, get engaged with social media and use that engagement to turn a potential disaster into gold.

The recent drunken Red Cross tweet and response is a great example of using social media proactively and creating a golden opportunity for Dogfish Brewery in the process. But integrating social media into your business strategy involves more than setting up a Twitter account or a page on Facebook. It is an opportunity to tell your story and engage people directly, and it can be time-consuming, even challenging. And, yes, you’ll probably have to deal with clients who aren’t always happy. But it presents a huge opportunity to educate people - in this case, about the difference between poisonous and venomous - in a way that sticks and makes folks curious about the zoo’s reptile house and other exhibits.

When social engagement is well done, the rewards are many, but you need to be proactive and involved. Ask us more about the power of connecting one-on-one and how we can help you tell your story to your customers. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to check in with @BronxZoosCobra to see how she’s doing this afternoon!

- Kathleen Gossman
EVG Editor