Meet The Tweeters: The Faces Behind Brands' Social Media Accounts, In Their Natural Habitats

1. MAC cosmetics, by Jessie Tettemer

Facebook fans (on July 1): 3.5 million
Twitter followers (in July): 51,000
"Our followers always ask, 'What one thing from MAC do I need?' That's like asking me to pick a favorite child. But if I open it up to the crowd, responses come in from around the world."

Mac Cosmetics on Twitter
Mac Cosmetics on Facebook
Jessie Tettemer on Twitter

 

2. Ring Pop, by Wendi Leggitt and Dana Wickrowski

Facebook fans: 271,000
Wickrowski: "We've got this huge fan base of young and enthusiastic girls, so we keep it age appropriate by asking silly stuff like, What's your secret talent?"

Ring Pop on Facebook
Wendi Leggitt on Twitter
Dana Wickrowski on Twitter

 

3. American Express, by Matthew Burton and Amy Tokarski

Facebook fans: 2.5 million
Twitter followers: 535,000
Burton: "You wonder what makes people want to interact with businesses. For us, it's membership. People tweet that they're excited about getting their card."

American Express on Facebook
American Express on Twitter
Matthew Burton on Twitter
Amy Tokarski on Twitter

 

4. Starwood Preferred Guest, by Carrie Houston and Rebecca McCullough

Facebook fans: 115,000
Twitter followers: 22,000
McCullough: "A guest tweeted that he took the coffee from his room because he loved it so much. So for his next stay, we covered his room in coffee packets.He tweeted back, 'What would you do if I said I wanted an iPad?'"

Starwood Preferred Guest on Facebook
Starwood Preferred Guest on Twitter
Carrie Houston on Twitter

 

5. Hornitos, by Chris Black

Facebook fans: 270,000
"Our page is about the tequila, but it's also about events and exploring cities. Right now, I'm headed to San Diego for the world championship for dog surfing. Hopefully, we'll get some great photos of dogs in wet suits." (The company is in Illinois, but Black operates from his Brooklyn, New York, apartment.)

Hornitos on Facebook

 

6. Goldman Sachs, by Jake Siewert

Facebook fans: 20,000
Twitter followers: 16,000
"Even the Federal Reserve, a staid organization, is using Twitter to communicate and find utility. We just couldn't not be in the space."

Goldman Sachs on Twitter

 

7. HBO, by Lindsey Pearl and Jim Marsh

Facebook fans: 7.8 million
Twitter followers: 374,000
Pearl: "When Denis O'Hare's character on True Blood, Russell Edgington, rips out the newscaster's spine on live TV, that was the gift that keeps on giving."

HBO on Facebook
HBO on Twitter
Lindsey Pearl on Facebook
Jim Marsh on Twitter

 

8. Brooklyn Nets, by Kristen Baier and Jayne Bussman-Wise

Facebook fans: 278,000
Twitter followers: 119,000
Bussman-Wise: "I grew up in New Jersey following the Nets and have lived in Brooklyn for eight years. So for me it's a perfect fit. I'll think of where I'm from. A lot of our messaging is about transportation, so people know how to get here from tunnel."

Brooklyn Nets on Facebook
Brooklyn Nets on Twitter
Jayne Bussman-Wise on Twitter

 

9. Yahoo Finance, by Stacy Curtin, Kensey Lamb, Caroline Kim, and Ross Tucker

Facebook fans: 236,000
Twitter followers: 115,000
Curtin: "The Facebook IPO was a watershed moment for both us and our social media users because they were so addicted to real-time information. It's a huge rush."

Yahoo Finance on Facebook
Yahoo Finance on Twitter
Stacy Curtin on Twitter
Caroline Kim on Twitter
Ross Tucker on Twitter

 

10. Pfizer, by Jennifer Kokell

Facebook fans: 56,000
Twitter followers: 30,000
"When we created our page, we had to tweet that we were the official Pfizer, because we got push back from bloggers who didn't believe we were the real thing. Finally, we called bloggers directly saying, 'This is us, we're for real.'"

Pfizer on Facebook
Pfizer on Twitter

 

11. Etsy, by Laura Chin

Facebook fans: 844,000
Twitter followers: 1.7 million
"During wedding season, we had one buyer who tweeted that she was looking for a vintage wedding dress just like her grandmother's. We saw it and were able to help her find the right dress."

Etsy on Facebook
Etsy on Twitter
Lauren Chin on Twitter

 

12. Museum of Modern Art, New York, by Victor Samra

Facebook fans: 1.1 million
Twitter followers: 1.1 million
"I think of talking to our fans as if I'm meeting a friend's relative who may not know much about art but wants to learn something about it."

Museum of Modern art on Facebook
Museum of Modern Art on Twitter
Victor Samra on Twitter

 

A version of this article appeared in the September 2012 issue of Fast Company magazine.