Maximizing Business Outreach: How to Harness the Power of Twitter Without Making a Full-Time Commitment

I gave up Twitter for Lent. Against my will. There I said it.

This started off as a diatribe against Twitter who has locked me out of my account for “suspicious activity” then I remembered I owe the interwebs an article and ba-da-boom, ba-da-bing here we are.

A glorious mash-up of attention-seeking about my lack of Twitter access AND a little knowledge for your nogging. You are welcome.

So Twitter… a platform I love to hate

On any given day you can, get the news before it breaks (or sometimes WATCH it happen), tee hee at a hilarious cat video, connect with someone who can change your life across the world, or watch a billionaire get dragged to the depths of hell on his own platform…all in 280 characters or less.

For the average user what you get out of the space is straightforward. Essentially your timeline, as it is with all social media, is curated based on the interactions you have, and as such, your experience can be absolute hell (especially on a Sunday night, Jamaican Twitter you know what I am talking about) or a treasure trove of knowledge, resources, and insights from across industries.

Think of Twitter as the official AND unofficial grapevine, the smoker's section in the party, the popular lunchtime spot where everyone comes to shoot the breeze, sharing their thoughts on the good, the bad, and the mundane. PUBLICLY.

But what about Twitter for businesses & brands?

You see in the grand scheme of social Twitter remains the underdog of the pack. The lowest ROI, the lowest audience counts, the lowest growth potential (don’t take it from me, do your own research on global trends), coupled with the software woes after the most recent acquisition, why should you as a brand even cast an eye on the bleak horizon? In fact, I mean should you even BOTHER?

I am not here to convince you to take the plunge but here are a few ways your audience may be using Twitter and how you can keep an eye on the space even while NOT committing to it 100%.

1.??????Community Building

Social has come full circle and once again the idea of community (the original purpose of social media) is now at the forefront. On and offline people value being able to connect with, learn from, and interact with other like-minded beings and Twitter is known to be one of the spaces where barriers to connecting with people right across the world fall significantly. What happens when people connect? Communication. Conversation. Sharing.

Whether you are actively in the space or not with your brand, chances are someone somewhere is talking about you which is a great opportunity if you are clued in.

With the viral nature of the space, it only takes one tweet to potentially make or break your brand. Would you not want to know what’s being said and by whom?

2.??????Social Search & Shopping

In the past year, Tik Tok outranked Google as a search engine for Gen- X. Surprising? Yes, but also not really.

People are doubling down on what they know best and looking for information in the spaces they occupy most. And the platforms make it easy.

Visual platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, and Tik Tok are perfect for e-commerce, enabling brands to showcase products and their use cases. They have also been actively developing social media shopping tools. But what role does Twitter play in the social e-commerce space at the moment?

Well, social users are discovering AND vetting brands and offerings. They are actively looking for authentic sources of information that they can trust and Twitter is one of those spaces. Remember those conversations we mentioned?

According to the 2023 Global Social Media Trends report published by Brand Watch, “consumer data found that almost 30M unique social media authors mentioned “reviews,” “advice on,” “pros and cons,” “alternatives,” and “best option,” on Twitter, looking for more authentic sources of information that they can trust.”

In a world of competition and a lot of fakes, consumer trust is EVERYTHING. Having user-generated content (UGC) & reviews from users CAN and does convert a lurker into a buyer.

3. Social Support

It goes without saying that as social media usage becomes the default customer behavior changes to match. Move over toll-free numbers, customers are seeking service support through social media.

Whether through complaints directly to their timelines or straight to you via DM’s, having more purchases influenced by and supported by social will mean that the likelihood of this being their first and/or primary point of contact with the brand soars.

Naturally, feedback on the quality of their experiences through these mediums often comes back to live in the same spaces so great service will be shared (boosting your brand awareness AND credibility) while poor support can lead to negative mentions and a BAD reputation.

What does this mean for you as a brand? Well, simple. Make sure you can fix it! First, who oversees your inboxes and what’s the protocol for the frequency of checks? If you have a bot for simple requests, great but remember AI is fallible and does not do a great job with complex requests. Have a human backup checking in on experiences frequently.

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Also, please empower your human aka social media manager to get QUICK resolutions for online customers. This may be a clear prioritized path for the resolution of common problems and/or a direct line to a decision-maker who understands the value of a quick resolution in the online space. Make sure to collect data from social media requests to improve the customer experience.

Sometimes you only get ONE shot to fix a customer’s experience before you lose them. Act accordingly.

So, my dear decision-maker, what can you do?

1.????Own it -??Ensure you or your organization own your brand handles and track your tags, names, and mentions. Even if you are not actively posting in the space someone else may be, so you want to ensure you have an ear to the ground.

2.?Get into the conversation - Learn what your potential customers are saying about you, your competitors, or products like yours by tracking conversations. Tap into consumer preferences and use them to tailor your content (on or off Twitter) or even your customer experience. PS – this is a great way to potentially help identify micro-influencers for your products.

3. Prioritize customer service - ?Come up with a customer service protocol for social that translates into support from the offline components of your business. Check your DMs consistently, even for platforms which you do not actively create content for. ?Don’t wait for a crisis scenario to consider your brand reputation.

Well, there you have it. More than 280 characters but not quite Shakespearean-length tidbits on how you can begin to dance with the social devil that can be Twitter.

If you are like me, disliking some aspects of the experience with Twitter does not mean denying the undeniable power it can have.

Did you find this helpful? Connect with me, tag your boss, or share it on your timeline.

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