When customers and prospects ask us what social channels we typically recommend, there is one that we hardly ever bring to the table: Twitter.
Listen, we are big fans of Twitter as a platform overall, but when it comes to developing and maintaining social media strategies, it is one of the more difficult ones to get just right.
While Twitter may seem like a popular choice for businesses to engage with their audience, there are several reasons why it may not be the best fit for your social media strategy.
Time vs Value
The most important thing to consider when picking what social media channels are best for your business is a simple equation made up of two parts: Time and Value.
This is something that happens all the time: “Is the time I am about to spend on this really worth whatever return I can get?”
When it comes to Twitter for many businesses, the answer is simply NO.
We are going to talk about a lot more stuff in this blog, but they all really come back to this first point. In order to have a really successful Twitter social media strategy, you need to invest A LOT of time, more time than any other platform.
Much of Twitter strategies focus around conversation, something that most businesses are not good at doing. Most businesses make a post on social media, and then leave it alone, not even replying to the people that were kind enough to leave a comment and share a thought.
On Twitter, this type of interaction is the bare minimum. To be really successful, you also need to be spending time looking into your niche, finding relevant conversations, and being an active participant in the conversations that are going on.
If you do not have the time (multiple hours per week) to do that, you really won’t get much out of the platform.
Compare that to some of the other popular channels for businesses like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok. You can spend way less time managing these strategies overall and focus more on creating good content. Sure, you are still going to want to invest time into community management, but it doesn’t “make or break” your success on the platform in the same way it does on Twitter.
Difficulty in Standing Out
Twitter is a whirlwind.
Things move extremely quickly on Twitter, driven by the fact that the audience is not looking for long, in-depth content. Instead, it is the content that is designed to be short, concise, and garner a fast reaction that ultimately wins out.
Twitter’s fast-paced and constantly updating feed makes it difficult for businesses to stand out amongst all that noise. With millions of tweets being sent out every minute, it can be challenging to capture the attention of your audience.
That is why you see so many brands approach Twitter differently, trying to almost create a personality around their brand instead of using traditional marketing tactics. This is no small feat and requires years and years of consistent tone and voice in order to establish it.
If you are looking for a good example, this is something that Wendy’s has put a ton of time and effort into.
Additionally, Twitter’s character limit can be a hindrance to businesses looking to share more detailed information about their products or services.
Negative Comments and Feedback
It is not a secret that Twitter is seen as one of the more “negative” social media platforms. While I am sure that there is plenty of good and constructive conversation going on in Twitter threads, they seem fewer and farther between these days.
Twitter’s reputation for being a platform where users are more likely to share negative comments and feedback makes it a difficult place to be for a business. While this can be an opportunity for businesses to address customer concerns and improve their products or services, it can also lead to a negative perception of your brand.
This can be especially damaging for small businesses that may not have the resources to dedicate to managing their online reputation.
What types of businesses SHOULD be using Twitter?
Just because Twitter is not a great platform, in our opinion, for most types of businesses to be on, there are a few clear types of businesses that would thrive from a Twitter strategy of some kind.
The best example would be someone that is not trying to grow a business but instead is working on their personal brand. Twitter is a great place to do this because you get to have many 1:1 conversations with other people that are interested in the same things you are or are in the same industries that you are in. People are able to join conversations and talk with others about topics that matter to them, making Twitter a great option.
Another good example would be a company that is in media, such as podcasting, political commentary, news, and more. Many Twitter users use the platform as a primary news source and having a strong presence can be really beneficial.
Finally, commerce companies can benefit from having a strong presence to promote their brand and do customer service, but as we mentioned above, you need to make sure you have the time and resources to really do this right.
Listen, I didn’t want to make this some kind of “bash Twitter” post. Twitter certainly has its time and place in a marketing strategy. However, while Twitter may have its benefits, it is not always the best fit for a business’s social media strategy. The amount of time it takes to show any value, the difficulty in standing out, and the potential for negative comments and feedback can make it a challenging platform to navigate. When deciding on your social media strategy, consider your business’s goals and audience to determine which platform(s) will be the most effective for reaching and engaging with your customers.