In our article Is Social Media The Right Marketing Tool For You, we said we would dig into each platform to discuss benefits and potential pitfalls of each one, this is the start of that discussion with Twitter. Twitter is a platform that gets at least its fair share of offline discussion!
Twitter may seem confusing, and even ineffectual as a marketing tool, but it is all about a community conversation. Once that is understood its utility becomes much clearer. If that lesson is not embraced, it may appear that exists on the platform consists of nothing more than people throwing links at one another.
Is Twitter the right platform for your online efforts? That seems like a throw-away question given by someone at a seminar, but it is a serious question to consider based on the way the platform works. It requires a real commitment, more so than any other platform, but it also can reap amazing rewards.
How do you make that decision? Consider that Twitter, if done properly, can help establish your brand, while Twitter used incorrectly can damage your brand reputation, quickly.
With that in mind, what is the “proper” way to use Twitter to cement your status as a well-known brand? Consider the following:
Everything you post on Twitter must be short and simple. Communicating in 280 characters or less with a graphic is not easy. But, done properly, you can reach millions of people very quickly.
If you have some of the following goals, you could find success on Twitter:
- Build a community of interested parties in a particular subject.
- Would Justin Bieber be Bieber without his massive online following?
- He built a huge following because he took the time to do so online, and as a result, combined with his talent, he has built an empire worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
- Find new customers.
- Members of a community become customers. Margaret Weis (author of a large number of fantasy novels about dragons) had a massive following in the 80s and 90s. She has found a completely new audience and wild success through her social media platforms because she interacts with her fanbase regularly.
- Start conversations.
- Many Hollywood stars want to talk to their fanbase. Twitter enables that.
- Many large companies want to be able to reach their clients/customers directly, but it is challenging due to distance or the sheer number of individuals in question. Twitter events can allow this interaction to take place at regular intervals.
- Ask questions.
- In days gone by, companies would put people with clipboards in the mall to do market surveys of those who walked by. Today, that can be achieved much easier with a social media platform and a robust account.
- It is better for a company or brand to have that ability to ask questions (and then answer them), rather than waiting for a third party to do it for them, especially when that third party could be an influencer who is touting a competitive brand. It is important to control your own brand and messaging.
- This influencers’ ability to sway brand loyalty is one reason that Twitter should never be ignored.
- Promotions can be done inexpensively.
- If a brand already has an established online presence on any social media account/platform, the associated community will want to know when new products or pricing are available. Absent that community of interested parties, an account known will be presumed to only be spam, will not achieve the desired results.
- Promote Visibility.
- It is easy to say that name recognition matters, we see it every day. It goes a long way in achieving desired results. Becoming a household name does not happen quickly and does not happen without effort. However, it can be achieved using social media (especially Twitter) in a short period of time, provided a sustained effort is made.
- Would Justin Bieber be Bieber without his massive online following?
In short, Twitter is a commitment.: you get out of it what you put into it. It is not a low effort platform, but it can drive amazing results if used properly. This article and others will give you some best practices and tips for Twitter survival. Please follow along for future tips on finding success with Twitter, using tools like the OneForAll Social platform, in order to achieve your goals as efficiently as possible.
There will be more to follow on Twitter! Stay tuned!
