Twitter offers brands the potential for “unmatched engagement” in the social sphere and has the Internet’s best audiences, according to digital expert Justin Marshall. The platform has fallen out of favour with marketers during the last two years, but it still has the potential to deliver incredible returns for those with the right campaigns.
Marshall, who is the Vice President of Partnerships at digital strategy agency Possible, claims that Twitter offers the best opportunity for brands to interact with customers, as many people still log in every day to learn about what’s happening across the globe and are generally receptive to messages and other information during their time on the platform.
Several statistics back up Marshall’s viewpoint. Half of Twitter’s users now follow brands, and 45 per cent are much more likely than users on rival platforms to post opinions about them. Also, 41 per cent write about services and products, and almost a third act as influencers by posting and sharing content to convince others about their opinions.
The fact that Twitter is “live, public and global” also provides brands with opportunities to take advantage of big moments and have a lasting and relevant impact on customers. The 140-character limit has long been abolished, so brands can now express themselves in new ways to drive positive customer actions.
Marshall says that live video is arguably the best new option, as it enables brands to engage with creative clips. Video is popular on Twitter – 45 million people watched live content during the first quarter of this year, which suggests that there is a huge potential for brands to start conversations and amplify their messages. Nike recently used a “Breaking2” campaign to bring together millions of viewers for a live stream of athletes running a marathon with a relevant hashtag.
The Moments feature is also great for brand storytelling, as articles and videos can be used to create a narrative over time. Brands can curate and add content and run branded events, such as Microsoft’s recent Build conference covering its latest products. Marshall concludes that brands should look to Twitter as a content platform that can evolve rather than merely being used for “one-off content.”
