At one point in time, Twitter was the trending platform.
Its rapid-fire feed and ability to tag or comment to anyone capitalized on the internet's anonymity and made it a powerhouse for users and marketers alike. It made things convenient for users, putting brands and individuals on an equal playing field.
But many brands are facing narrow results from the once valuable platform. They find low engagement, fake accounts, and a general lack of interest in their content.
Many brands only have so much bandwidth for their social media campaigns. So when it comes to marketing on Twitter, it's essential to know whether it's worth it for you.
Should Your Brand Be Marketing On Twitter?
Before you create a new campaign that puts Twitter at the forefront of your strategy, you should probably have an accurate picture of how the platform is doing.
For instance, did you know that up to 15% of accounts on the platform are bots?
And you may have seen the data from 2014 that found Twitter had 500 million Tweets sent per day. Unfortunately, that number is still true today because the count hasn't risen since.
The good news for Twitter-enthusiasts is that the company is actively trying to clean up the platform to make it better for their users. In 2018, it shut down over 70 million accounts, most of which were idle or bots.
So, there are pros and cons to the platform, but how can you tell if it's right for your brand? Well, we've got some information to help you answer that.
Not If You're Automating Engagements
Because of Twitter's rapidly flowing news feed, many brands have gotten away with a fire and forget approach to posting that's previously worked. With apps like HootSuite, Buffer, and a slew of other lesser-known tools, companies have been able to let technology manage what's posted and when on their profile.
Those third-party apps also see significantly lower engagement. So you may save time, but you're also executing less effective campaigns.
While there's nothing wrong with automating some tasks, a large percentage of companies insert keywords associated with their brand and let the machine do the rest of the work.
This has led to numerous failures, including Puma's #foreverfaster campaign, where a bot submitted a user-created photo that featured soccer player Marco Reus and an unseemly fake quote.
Additionally, apps can automate who your brand follows and unfollows, but unbeknownst to most of these users, they're attached to many fake accounts and bots who won't actually interact with their profile.
Running a TwitterAudit can show you how many of your followers are fake. And while it may not seem like a big deal, having a large follower base who doesn't interact with your tweets causes your posts to get lost in the noise rather than reintroduced when others share or comment.
Ultimately, if you don't have time to contribute to your profile's success personally, you'll limit your potential on the platform and find meager results.
Yes, If You Focus On Direct Customer Service
If you're interested in using Twitter so customers have another way to access your brand for assistance, you've unlocked a treasure trove of opportunities.
Convenience is key with modern customers and owning additional channels where they can interact with you is a simple way to do it.
People don't want to wait on hold or speak to multiple representatives, especially when their question doesn't require a lengthy answer. In fact, 85% of users said it's important for brands to provide support on the platform.
Dove attributed a 20% increase in engagement by answering customer Tweets. But, while they made customer service a critical piece of their strategy, 89% of tweets to other brands still go unanswered.
This dreadfully low engagement is an opportunity for you, so long as you put the customer first. It's the approach we recommend with customer-centric marketing. Increase service awareness by prompting customers with a note about support in your bio, or include the term in your username and then put all effort in helping them along their journey.
Yes, If You Want To Crush Influencer Marketing
Many influencers still use Twitter. This could be an avenue for you if your customer base doesn't use Instagram, where the majority of influencer marketing takes place.
The difficulty many brands face with influencer marketing on Twitter is the number of fake followers the personalities they're working with have. Many accounts will gather tons of fake followers to make their profiles look more impressive, but they can't provide decent ROI because they have no one to actually market to.
To mitigate this risk, you can use programs that verify profile legitimacy. For example, after finding "creators" (their term for influencers) could generate an 88% increase in purchase intent, Twitter launched Creator Originals. This program lets those verified profiles generate content and link up with brands to monetize.
There's plenty of potential for influencer marketing on Twitter, but you have to be willing to accept the risk if you're not proactive about who you associate your brand with.
Yes, If You're Focused On The News
If your company or some of your products rely heavily on the news cycle, Twitter is an outstanding option. Journalism.org reported 74% of users are on the platform to see the news.
To further maximize your brand's potential for engagement, produce video content. 82% of Twitter's users prefer video content, so if you can couple this with your news-based tweets, you're golden.
For brands focused on time-sensitive or news related work, you're speaking to a great demographic, but for everyone else, the platform sees little engagement with other content.
Deciding If Twitter Is Right For Your Brand
Overall, Twitter is slowly dying. The 1% growth and the fact that less than half of their users are on the platform daily should be enough of a warning sign.
Still, it's not out of the picture yet. Twitter is experimenting with new methods of communication, including their new apps and prototypes that anyone with an account can apply to use. Until the site decides to close its servers, we recommend assessing the pros and cons and determining for yourself whether it's worth a part of your strategy.
If you want some ideas on other social media platforms, we've got those too. Our free eBook, The Inbound Marketer's Guide to Social Media Apps & Tools explains how you can multiply your effectiveness with different tools to assist you in doing more in less time while connecting with the right people.
