In
the modern age, we all know just how impactful social media can be. It
influences our personal lives, of course, but it has transformed the world of
business marketing as well. Most companies understand the value of adding
social media to their marketing mix, yet when it comes to Twitter, many of them
have a lingering uneasiness. Although it can be scary adding yet another social
medium to your arsenal, Twitter has many devotees within business circles, and
the platform delivers outstanding results for those who use it regularly. For
businesses who take the time to really understand the value of Twitter, the
results are amazing, and at relatively minimal cost as well!
Speed
One
of the hallmarks of Twitter is its streamlined layout and presentation. All textual
content, from posts to bio material, is restricted to a confined character
count. Posts, for instance, cannot exceed 280 characters. That brevity can be
refreshing to new users who are all-too-familiar with the sometimes over-long
messaging in Facebook or Instagram feeds. This brevity and conciseness is also
a marketer’s dream, as it can work to their advantage, provided they craft
their own posts in the same clean, clear, concise mode. Twitter’s brevity also
means that audiences scroll further down, on average, per log-in, on their
Twitter feed than they do on any other social media feed. That behavior alone
tends to bring them into contact with more ads – including your ads,
when you utilize that feature as well.
Layout Freedom
From
pictures, to videos, to URLs custom shortened by a Twitter helper tool, a
social media planner exercises more freedom on Twitter than anywhere else. This
advantage is further leveraged when one takes into account the power of adding
a backlink. Meanwhile, a photo alone will give you on average a 110% increase
in engagement with the post. You can also use video to expand the average time
your audience will pay attention to your message, increasing engagement time
from 8-12 seconds to around 30 seconds. This gives creatives a lot more room to
inject some brand personality into these Tweets.
Not
all the advantages of Twitter are measurable on Twitter exclusively. Some of
the benefits of Twitter overflow to other marketing channels. Websites, for
instance, can be a beneficiary of a company’s Twitter activity. Twitter is a
proven performer when it comes to growing website traffic. Twitter has made it
easier than ever to link from its platform to your website, or from your
website to the Twitter platform. Putting a website URL into your business’s bio
line, especially when the bio line (or your pinned [uppermost] tweet) includes
a call to action, is an effective way to funnel traffic to your site. Another
incentive for getting Twitter users to visit your website is to offer a chance
at a prize. A simple, “Go to our website and subscribe for a chance to win a
$100 gift card” can be all it takes to get numerous new viewers. Furthermore,
linking from your site to Twitter can also be a great way to make sure your
audience is still seeing information about your company even after they’ve left
your website. Twitter not only has the standard widget that you can use to link
to your homepage, but it also has a button you can put on your website that
allows customers to follow your page immediately without even leaving your
website. Whether you’re linking to or linking from, audience engagement will go
up you’ll be building a stronger customer base that has more loyalty to your
brand.
Worldwide Exposure
Twitter
is popular around the entire globe. Its worldwide popularity opens doors for
businesses with good social media teams. Such businesses can gain exposure to
markets that might otherwise be beyond the reach of their marketing budgets.
The algorithms of Twitter also lend themselves to viral sharing by elevating an
account’s most popular posts to positions higher up on the feeds of those who
follow that account. This feature, along with the retweet function and the
comment function, allows you a chance to get your best content not just to your
core audience but (through social sharing) to wider and wider circles of
Twitter users, multiplying your reach and possibly winning you additional
followers in the bargain. However, with this global reach also comes
responsibility. One of the biggest dangers on Twitter is posting something
that, while it may not be insulting to your demographic, could be insulting to
someone in the broader Twitter sphere. The possibility exists that, on a
platform like Twitter, someone will find something objectionable in one of your
best-circulated messages. Such a reactionary user could start an awareness
initiative designed to hurt your standing with the customers you already have
as well. It always looks bad for a brand to be closed minded, shallow, or mean,
so the best rule of thumb is if you aren’t sure it won’t insult, just don’t use
it at all.
Brand Personality
Expanding
the personality of your brand can be the single most important advantage of
using Twitter. Although brand information and benefits ought to be a part of
anyone’s overall messaging strategy on Twitter, thanks to the platform’s higher
rates of audience interaction, there is a unique and easy opportunity to
imprint your brand’s personality on your followers. The single most important
way to go about this is simply to make sure your social media team is
responding to comments and retweets constantly, and doing so with kind and fun
responses. This is especially important when one of those little crises comes
along, when some Twitter user starts sniping at your business. It’s then that
your followers are watching you to see how you respond. Twitter users can be
more interested in how a large business handles a nasty tweet than in what the
nasty tweet says itself. Here we see a similarity to yelp, except you have the
chance to instantly change perceptions with just a few sentences. It is also
important to mix up your tweets with content that is not always directly
business related. An interesting article about activity out in the field or an
office pic celebrating the holidays can remind your following of the unique and
engaging qualities of your brand. A bio is yet another great opportunity to
show off the brand’s personality. This is the first thing anyone will see when
deciding to follow your brand or not. Make it fun and engaging, make it
highlight the benefits of your company, and make it end with a call to action,
and you are likely to gain followers quickly. A great example of all of these
tactics successfully working for a brand is Wendy’s. Wendy’s was an early user
of Twitter and has really done an amazing job of setting the tone for what
works on Twitter. In just a few years, their witty audience engagement has
turned their image from just a fast food place to a unique and engaging
personality.
Social media has indeed done an
excellent job of assisting businesses in growing their brand awareness,
personality, and engagement. The results in creating a conversation between a
brand and an audience, a prospect that, prior to social media, was hardly
possible. With Twitter being the center of this movement and creating more average
brand engagement than any other, it is vital for businesses to join the
excitement and create a Twitter presence of their own. Although speed, layout
freedom, linking freedom, and worldwide exposure are very helpful parts of
Twitter, at the end of the day the freedom Twitter gives you to express your
brand personality is the most important ingredient for businesses.
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