Social media has never been more important to brands than today. This is where the people are, and this is where you can engage them and converse with them. There are many social media platforms out there that brands can use to reach their audience, and one of the most popular and effective platforms for businesses today is Twitter.
Though some people may doubt the importance of Twitter in your branding campaign, others do not question its reach and capability. According to a report by Exact Target, daily active Twitter users are three times more likely to magnify the influence of a brand they follow compared to users of other social media sites. Twitter users have become the most influential online users, enabling a viral effect that can really give brands the boost they need to grow.What exactly do these daily Twitter users do? Most of them comment, blog, and write articles more than any other online user, which is why their influence is so far reaching. And perhaps the best part of Twitter is the fact that search engines such as Google index the tweets, so consumers looking for information about brands can actually find people’s tweets about them.
But how exactly should brands use Twitter to reach these users? First, it’s important to understand the platform and what exactly are consumers looking for when they use it. Most users enjoy the real-time interaction that they get in Twitter and other social media brands. If they get little interaction with your brand in Twitter, then there’s no reason to follow you, right?
This is why if your brand’s Twitter account is filled exclusively with your own posts and content, it becomes more like a glorified advertisement campaign, which people won’t like. People like the interaction with you, which means that your tweets shouldn’t always be about you and promoting your brand. What’s great about Twitter is the fact that its users are more likely to engage in the conversation. This is what you want – for people to discuss your brand and get your content out there. But if you’re all me, me, me, then users are more likely to become turned off.
The Twitter Search function is a great way to find out who’s talking about your brand and perhaps engaging that person in discussion. This is especially true if you see someone posting a negative tweet about your brand. Twitter gives you the ability to immediately reach out to that consumer to find out what’s wrong and come up with ways to correct it. And once the problem is addressed and the customer is happy, that user may even spread the story about it, thereby resulting in a better branding campaign for you.
And though some users feel that the 140 characters aren’t enough to convey their message, consider it a challenge for users to clearly get what they want across in a creative and concise manner. Don’t think of it as limiting, but think of it as a way to get the important stuff out there in the shortest way possible.
Twitter is really a unique communication channel that brands need to understand so they can integrate it into their marketing campaign. Because once they learn how to effectively use it, they will be surprised at how far reaching their tweets can become as Twitter users magnify their influence.