It started with my friend @TedCoine. Ted decided to experiment with his Twitter presence one day before buying a pair of running shoes. In early November, Ted decided to tweet shoe companies to see who would respond. Kicking tires, he called it.

I watched with curiosity; I’ve tried similar experiments and been disappointed at the response (lack of response) I’ve seen. 

Topo Athletic, a shoe company headquartered in Newton Mass, won the battle for Ted’s business.

I eavesdropped on the conversation. I joined in. I talked to @topoathletic about my plan for a half marathon in a few days. The day of my race, I got this tweet from Topo Athletic:

 

Impressive! This exchanged showed me the excellence with which Topo Athletic is listening and responding to customers (and potential customers) on Twitter.

So, while writing a news release about effective social media use during the holidays, I referenced the exchange with Topo Athletic. When the piece got picked up by Fox Small Business, I sent more tweets to the company.

Their response?

 

Just six days later, an awe-inspiring package arrived at my door.

Suffice it to say that I can’t imagine buying any other running shoes, ever. I’m going to go lace on my Topos and go for a run.