Only a few spots left to join us for the Digiday Publishing Summit

Join us Sept. 14-16 in Miami to connect with top publishing leaders

SECURE YOUR SEAT

Apple opens a Twitter account to handle customer support

Notoriously wary of social media, Apple is starting to interact with people on Twitter.

Today, the brand quietly opened a support-focused account (@AppleSupport) to assist confused people with questions and concerns about its products and software. In the first few hours, the Twitter account is fielding questions about iOS troubles, feature requests and iPhone or iPad issues.

The handle has collected 50,000 followers with the average response rate clocking in at 15 seconds according to one observer. Brandwatch told Digiday that @AppleSupport has been used 2,000 times this morning for more than 28 million impressions. Men account for 78 percent of its mentions.

Apple maintains a scattershotapproach social media: Apple Music is on Facebook and Twitter, Beats 1 is active on Twitter, Tumblr and Snapchat and iTunes is on Twitter and Facebook, but hasn’t tweeted since November. Apple itself is not on Twitter or Facebook and the @apple handle remains dormant.

Perhaps Apple is realizing that offering live help on Twitter could help its brand: Research has shown that companies that are active on the service create stronger brand loyalty and increase sales, a fact not lost on Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey.

Perhaps an Apple account on Peach is on the horizon.

More in Marketing

Carhartt aligns with the NFL through the tradespeople building Highmark Stadium

Carhartt is finding a way to tap into football season that goes beyond partnering with the athletes themselves.

Future of Marketing Briefing: Soccer’s World Cup buzz isn’t moving needle on Premier League ad spend

The World Cup was a success for broadcasters, but marketers looking to capitalize on rising interest in soccer must navigate a diffuse landscape of sporting properties and fan identities.

Three years after Kokai, The Trade Desk is betting on refinement with Zuma

The Trade Desk wants Zuma — the next version of its programmatic platform, Kokai — to be easier to use, and even harder to leave.