Is Twitter Content Still a Valuable Marketing Tool?

Twitter marketing is very much still valuable, even in light of their recent troubles. Twitter’s recent efforts to clean-up their platform actually support the claim that Twitter is still a valuable marketing tool.

What is Twitter doing to “clean-up”?

Twitter announced in March that they were going to fund two studies that would improve Twitter’s “health metrics” in the hope to clean-up the user experience. Twitter proposed to conduct research on the following two topics: 1) “Examining Echo Chambers and Uncivil Discourse” and 2) “Bridging Gaps Between Communities on Twitter”.

The “Examining Echo Chambers and Uncivil Discourse” study will examine the two problematic behaviors on Twitter. Echo chambers form when discussions are only involve like-minded people, which promotes hostility towards people who don’t share the same position on a topic. “Uncivil discourse” involves any hate speech, racism, and xenophobia — overall, it pertains to any uncivil comments or conversations.

The goal of “Examining Echo Chambers and Uncivil Discourse” is to use the research to develop the right measures to promote positive, productive, and healthy conversations on Twitter.

The second study, “Bridging Gaps Between Communities on Twitter,” will be conducting research on how different groups use Twitter and how exposing these groups to different people and perspectives can decrease negative communication and promote a more healthy user experience.

How will Twitter's “clean-up” benefit content marketers?

These two proposed studies show Twitter’s dedication to improving every user’s experience. Since March, Twitter has been removing any locked accounts from follower counts making follower counts more accurate. Locked accounts are accounts from which Twitter has detected suspicious activity in order to prevent the account from spreading any false links.

This improvement to follower counts can benefit content marketers because it shows a more accurate count of their followers on Twitter. Follower counts are the best way for content marketers to measure their influence on social media. Content marketers can now gain a better understanding of how successful their Twitter marketing efforts are based on the more accurate follower account.

What can Twitter offer to content marketers?

1. Use Twitter to gauge how your followers feel about your company.

Twitter has a search engine option that allows people to search companies, brands, people, and topics. Searching yourself within Twitter’s search engine will make you aware of how people are reacting to your company and what they are saying.

You’ll be able to see how you’re succeeding through positive comments. You’ll also see some negative comments, but being aware of the problems people are facing with your company will help you make the necessary improvements moving forward.

2. Show off your brand's personality through Twitter.

Twitter is still a great outlet for building and showing off your brand’s personality. Having a strong brand personality will attract and engage more followers. If your tweets are engaging and full of life then it will build up a positive reputation of your company as a whole.

When it comes to content marketing, attracting and engaging your target audience is key to growing your business and gaining a loyal customer base. Showing off your brand’s voice and personality through videos, images, GIFs, inforgraphics, written content, and personalized messaging will make your company feel more human. People want to connect with companies that don’t communicate robotically, but show that they care about their customers.

3. Use Twitter to communicate with your followers.

Followers help you gauge your success. They will tell you what you’re doing right, what you’re doing wrong, what they love, and what they hate. Communicating and engaging with your followers will create a relationship, and you’ll bridge that gap between company and customer.

Creating a dialogue with your followers will show that your company wants to learn from their customers. Customers are the secret to success for your company, and you want to encourage an open dialogue between your customers and your company.

So, is Twitter still valuable for content marketing?

Yes. Twitter still holds value for content marketers, but your company should still be involved with other major social media sites (Instagram, Facebook, etc.).

Twitter is holding its ground and is striving toward creating a better user experience for consumers and social media marketers alike. It’s definitely one of the easier ways to connect with your target audience and to start conversations with your followers.

You’re going to be able to more accurately gauge your Twitter success as Twitter fights against accounts engaged in ‘suspicious activity’. Twitter is going to be making some major changes and improvements that your company should take advantage of.