Ciaran Blumenfeld
As Social Media Marketing dollars are spread thinner, the debate about advertising on Twitter vs other platforms has become a heated one. Dozens of articles have been circulating about what works now for advertising on Twitter, and there’s sure to be a dozen more in a month’s time. But one thing is sure to remain the same: whether or not your brand is investing marketing dollars in Twitter, it’s important to maintain and monitor a presence.
You brand probably exists on Twitter, with or without you. Even if you are not an active Twitter user, odds are that some of your customers, fans, subscribers or followers are. And if not your fans….your competition. Twitter is important for businesses, still.
Here are the primary reasons to maintain a presence on Twitter.
1. Listening & Learning
Twitter is the perfect place to do a little spy work. Keep your eyes and ears open. Brands need to listen to what’s being said about them, and their competition on Twitter. They can also learn a lot by paying attention to what’s being said by/about the following:
- Industry Hashtags
- Industry Leaders/Expert
- Competitor Accounts
2. Customer Service
This may be the single most important reason that Twitter still matters for brands and why you’d better stay current on your Twitter account – checking it daily, preferably multiple times if you have a business of any size that deals with customers, and that may encounter customer satisfaction issues.These days fans and followers expect to be able to reach “those in charge” via Twitter and have their questions and problems addressed promptly. Not only do customers expect to be answered almost immediately, they consider it a black mark if they do not receive a timely social media response.
3. Claimstaking
We’ve all heard the phrase, “Use it or lose it!” Twitter is a very fluid atmosphere, an environment in which identities seem to come and go. But the best and most successful companies and personalities have been able to maintain a baseline presence, even when they were not actively growing a Twitter audience, or advertising on Twitter.
Whether you favor the platform or not – when your brand gets talked about on Twitter a digital footprint is created, one that will forever be traced back to your brand. Empty shoes attract scorpions and spiders. Don’t let strangers fill your shoes! How does your business use Twitter?
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