Marketing on Twitter

Twitter is the third largest social media network with over 206 million daily active users. Long a favorite of marketers everywhere with its use of hashtags and global reach, it also holds a unique place in the news world as the premier destination where people of all walks of life flock to react in real-time to current events. In fact, 12% of Americans use Twitter as their primary source for getting the news.

Due to its real-time nature – it has the shortest average post-life span of all major social networks – Twitter has had trouble turning a profit over the years. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t offer valuable marketing opportunities in the form of awareness, engagement, and delight for brands.

The platform has also introduced advertising and the ability to upload videos and live streaming to aid in this.

Who Should Be Marketing on Twitter?

As we touched upon, Twitter holds a special place in society as a real-time news and information source.

This makes it a powerful tool for fast-paced businesses and industries that change quickly or react or respond according to current events. If your business can relate to any of these things, Twitter is a valuable place to show your expertise and engage in conversation.

However, even if your business is not quite so dynamic, you should consider a presence if your audience is often in need of real-time support or assistance. It’s also important to check in on Twitter to monitor conversations around your brand, even if you are not actively sharing new content.

Furthermore, Twitter really takes flight when it comes to its international reach. Twitter supports 34 different languages and 80% of its users are located outside of the United States.

This can be extremely useful for brands looking to expand outside their existing borders.

Strategic Best Practices of Twitter Marketing

Do: Engage in Real-Time to Relative Current Events and Trends

Out of all of the social media networks, the average lifespan of a Tweet is the shortest at around 18 minutes. In contrast, Instagram’s is about 48 hours, and Facebook’s is six.

Noting this, it’s best used to engage in real-time conversations, such as Twitter Chats (which we’ll get into next) or trending topics, to get the most impact.

Doing this is also a great way to establish your expertise in your field, build trust, and meet potential customers, partners, or even talent.

Start by searching TweetReports for relevant chats for your industry or customers and booking time on your calendar to participate. You also want to set time aside to monitor trending topics and jump in when appropriate.

You can also consider starting your own Twitter Chat to not only encourage conversation, but guide to it as well.

Entrepreneur and consultant Melyssa Griffin is a great example of someone who is crushing it with Twitter Chats right now.

You can see that on the sidebar of her website she lets people know when her next chat is scheduled for and what the topic of conversation will be, and she even hits them with a call-to-action to get notified.

Do: Monitor Your Brand Name and Relevant Hashtags

Twitter is all about conversation, so you’ll want to stay up-to-date on what’s being said about your brand.

Set aside time to search and monitor conversations around your brand name, products, or any relevant hashtags, and to respond.

Even if the comment or message wasn’t directly sent to you, engaging in the conversation again shows you are paying attention and care about what is being said and also enables you to collect valuable, candid insight.