When Twitter first launched in 2006, it was a fairly simple platform that prompted users to answer the question “What are you doing?” in 140 characters or less. Now in 2018, Twitter has exploded into one of the leading social media networks, with approximately 335 million monthly active users worldwide.
But Twitter is so much more than a way for individuals to stay up to date with friends; it’s arguably one of the best opportunities for brands to be seen and heard. As more and more brands jump on the Twitter bandwagon, we’re seeing some great examples how Twitter can be used as a powerful marketing tool to foster brand awareness, gain market insight, and interact directly with consumers.
According to Social Media Today, about 50 percent of Twitter users follow brands, and Twitter users are more likely to post their opinions about brands on the platform. Top Twitter brands like Nike (@Nike), Major League Baseball (@MLB), YouTube (@YouTube), and even Kentucky Fried Chicken (@KFC) have mastered the art of creating consistent, entertaining, engaging content while staying true to their brand voice.
Some brands have even taken to using untraditional, edgy humor, meme marketing, and snarky interactions with consumers and other brands to appeal to the millennial audience. Some of my favorite examples of brands that successfully use unconventional humor include Wendy’s (@Wendy’s), MoonPie (@MoonPie), and Denny’s (@DennysDiner), which are coincidentally all food-related accounts.
While these examples take Twitter to a new level, there are some more subtle ways to use the social media platform to promote your brand and engage with your audience. Here are a few tips to help make Twitter work for you:
Set goals and define success
As with any marketing strategy, it’s important to set goals and determine how you’ll measure success. For example, do you want to gain new Twitter followers? Do you want to engage with your current group of fans? Maybe you want to drive visits to your website or use Twitter as a social listening tool. Whatever your reason for using Twitter, set specific, achievable goals and make sure you have a way to measure success, whatever that may be. Keeping an eye on your monthly Twitter analytics report is an excellent place to start.
Identify your target audience
In today’s crowded market, it’s important to know your intended audience. Along with basic demographics like age, gender, location, and income level, social media marketing gives you the ability to tap into even more specific aspects of your target audience. What do they like? What do they dislike? Do they even use Twitter? It’s easy to cast a large net, but it’s far more effective to tailor your marketing and messaging to a narrow audience in the end.
Keep it short and sweet
Twitter is unlike any other social media platform, and it should be treated as such. Part of the beauty of Twitter is its brevity. Because Twitter limits users’ character count to just 280 (up from 140 of the past), you can’t expect to create long-form content on Twitter as you might on Facebook or Instagram. Even with 280 characters to play with, it’s best to keep your tweets short and sweet to stand out as users scroll through their feed.
Take advantage of trending topics
Staying up-to-date with trending topics and relevant events shows your followers that you’re active and engaged in their world. Keep up with the latest memes and hashtags, and plan ahead to tweet about holidays or major sporting events. Just make sure you’re being sensitive and always think before you type. Many times, Twitter’s trending topics are related to news stories that may spark controversy if taken out of context.
Be consistent
On Twitter, consistency is key, both in the things you say and how often you say them. Plan to tweet at least a few times a week, retweet others regularly, and interact with users or other brands on the platform. Stay true to your brand tone and tone. If you’re putting out visual content, try to remain within your brand’s color scheme. In the end, consistency will help your message stick!
Have fun with it!
It’s okay to cut loose and have a little fun on Twitter! Brands that take themselves too seriously are bound to be left behind. Even huge brands in high-tech industries, like GE (@GeneralElectric) or NASA (@NASA), use emojis, memes, and GIFs and video content to express the authentic, “human” side of their brand. Show your audience that you’re more than your service or product. Maybe you’re clever, cool, funny, smart, or even a little snarky. Show off your brand’s persona, and your audience will be more likely to relate.
Building your Twitter presence takes time, but it’s also a worthwhile way to engage your audience and improve brand visibility.
If you’re ready to start using Twitter and other social media platforms to promote your brand, contact us today. We’re happy to help you plan and execute a winning social media strategy for your brand, whether your goal is to create compelling content, research and cultivate followers, or implement a powerful digital advertising campaign.
