TWITTER FINDS ITSELF IN A LIMBO PERIOD FOLLOWING ELON’S PURCHASE OF THE PLATFORM IN LATE 2022.
With content moderation rules recently changed, users are seeing an increase in hate speech under the guise of free speech. The verification process that allowed us to differentiate between Nicki Minaj and NikkiMinage43213 with visual ease has been altered to give the latter just as much claim to authenticity as the former.
Most recently the data-scraping fiasco that limited users to viewing 600 tweets per day caused an uproar and in typical Twitter fashion, hilarity ensued. Users were referring to the limit as “rations” and likening the ordeal to a WW2-esque leadership style.
Long term Twitter users are waiting with bated breath to see if the platform will undergo a rebirth. We’ve seen many social media platforms come, and then go just as quickly as they came. Some of them never made it from a word you read once on your screen, mentioned by a few strangers on the internet – to a word vocalised and read aloud. Never once enunciated and given an air of tangibility and realness. They eventually fade into the digital ether like a wide framed shot from a movie that just keeps zooming out.
It begs the question... what makes Twitter so largely irreplaceable, despite the chaos that’s become synonymous with the platform as of late. And a subsequent series of questions follow, like if Twitter is so irreplaceable, why is it so often overlooked in Digital Marketing strategies?
Twitter in the Digital Marketing Space
Twitter has a notoriously low engagement rate for brands, sitting at about 0.04%. The other side of that coin is that the content production (a whopping total of 280 characters for us common folk without the blue tick) is minimal effort. So, pumping out Tweets full of charm and undeniable wit, at the right time can lead to a devoted following.
Twitter also provides insight on trending topics in real time. Throw your junior associates with *no filter* on the case, get them to weigh in on trending topics, add a spicy GIF into the mix and you’re on the right path for a viral moment.
Of course, in today’s current climate– you run the risk of saying the exact wrong thing. The kind of virality one would ideally like to avoid. Being cancelled on Twitter is an imaginary jail that feels like it bares real life consequences.
However, and hear us out on this, 15% of users use Twitter for Customer Care. A public blasting about a customer’s grievance seems like a counter intuitive thing to encourage, but it provides an opportunity for your potential client base to see just how you respond to inevitable unfortunate circumstances.
Sprout Social’s recent data report enlightened us on the ever-growing amount of people who prefer social media in lieu of phone and email for customer service– which sits currently at 35%. It’s only a hostile takeover if we don’t welcome it with open arms. Being proactive about this and setting up the right systems (read: contingency plan) could prove to be a beneficial way to maximise your digital strategy.
Twitter has been missing the mark lately, and it’s been echoed into the chamber on a seemingly daily basis by its participants. The call is coming from inside the house!
Despite there being a tangible benefit to participating in the 7th most popular social media platform, there are two names that have surfaced as potential rivals to the downward trending app. ‘SPILL’ is the contender nominated for and by the people. Their motto is “visual conversation at the speed of culture”. What that means, we’ll soon find out. Currently the platform is invitation only, or you’re placed to the back of (what one can assume is) a very long waitlist. The other is ‘Threads’, a platform by global conglomerate and absolute powerhouse Meta.
Twitter will either recover or be missed. It’s no surprise that people and profit-hungry institutions alike both saw the opportunity that existed in the platform. Which platform are you signing up to first?
Sources:
Smith, A (2023) ‘ 23 essential Twitter statistics to guide your strategy in 2023,’ Sprout Social, accessed 2 July 2023. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/twitter-statistics/