There are many different ways in which businesses can use social media as part of their digital marketing campaign. Digital Freak wants to show you how Twitter can be used as part of online campaignsto help boost web traffic to your site, increase brand awareness and build trust with consumers. Plus, with the recent character increase to 280, there are now even more ways in which Twitter can help your business.
What Is Twitter?
Twitter is a popular platform with over 330 million active monthly users. The majority of account holders are younger, with the millennial generation the most widely represented. 500 million tweets were sent per day in 2015. We suspect today’s figure is even higher. A tweet is capped at 280 characters. It can include an image, a video, a GIF or a URL. You can also create polls to ask questions, go live or share your location. Tweets can be favourited, retweeted, quoted and retweeted or replied to. Twitter encourages interaction and conversation amongst its users, something Facebook’s new algorithm change is also looking to promote. In some ways, Twitter is ahead of the curve.
One of Twitter’s best features is its fast pace. Breaking news, current events and popular issues are discussed internationally. This may be something your business can tap into. For example, a cyber security company can keep its followers up to date on the latest cyber attacks. Fashion brands can promote their commitment to the environment or labour rights and how these issues are changing around the world. Accounts sharing popular topics can gain substantial visibility on Twitter which is a place people not only go to seek out news but also to stay inform on issues affecting the world today.
How Can Twitter Help My Business?
Twitter has a number of features designed to help businesses looking to use their platform for marketing purposes. Twitter adverts are often left out of company’s marketing strategies and this oversight could be costing you customers and brand visibility. And if you’re concerned about marketing costs, don’t be. The cost-per-engagement on Twitter is declining while engagement is increasing overall. You may find you get more bang for your buck on Twitter than you do on Facebook or Google Ads.
Twitter allows you to choose a specific target audience based on location, interests, gender or even users who are similar to your existing followers. You can also target keywords used in other tweets to present your ads to people genuinely interested in your industry. The budget is flexible with no minimum spend and no contract committing you to any length of time.
Ads display in someone’s feed but in a way which is not seen as intrusive in the way that Facebook and Instagram users see ads. Why? Well, they pretty much look like every other tweet and there is no clear sign that the content has been promoted. People don’t like to feel as if they are being targeted by ads but when they see something relevant in front of them, they are more likely to engage. Twitter ads offer users the chance to follow the account there and then and are a great way to boost your followers.
Check out this ad by WordStream which promotes their amazing Adwords tool (which Digital Freak is a big fan of, by the way).
You can see how easy it is to follow this verified account. The copy includes fun emojis (which tie in with the Ad image) and the image itself is a hyperlink which will take anyone interested to the relevant part of WordStream’s website.
What Else Does Twitter Offer?
Even if you don’t want to spend money on ads, you shouldn’t discount Twitter as a social media platform for your business. There are other functions which you can use for free.
Customer service is key in today’s world and Twitter is an easy way for satisfied or dissatisfied customers to get in touch with you. Your reply is your opportunity to showcase your customer service skills. Handle it well and your reputation will improve. Handle it poorly, and it will suffer. For some reason, Twitter has also become a platform for more amusing customer service issues.
Customers don’t only contact brands when they’re unhappy. Tweets of thanks, praise and positive feedback can be retweeted to your own timeline and shown to other followers as well. Consider them reviews which you can choose to showcase.
Twitter is also great for building your brand. Through your username, icon, header and the content itself you can develop a cohesive image which is coordinated throughout your entire company (website, other social media platforms, office, stores etc.) and online campaigns. The fact that your icon or profile image appears beside every tweet is a great digital marketing tactic and using your brand’s logo in this feature is always a good idea.
Regular use of Twitter can direct web traffic towards your own site and your services or products. By including links in your tweets, you should see a significant rise in web traffic as your Twitter audience expands. The person who clicks on the link also lands exactly where you want them to. Including an image in the tweet usually helps entice followers to click because they can see exactly what your online campaign is about, leading to a higher conversion rate. Additionally, you can direct traffic from your website back to your Twitter feed with a widget, creating a circular digital marketing technique. Add a Twitter sharing button on the site as well so satisfied customers can share your website on their Twitter feed, opening up your company to a whole new world of followers and potential customers.
Finally, Twitter offers analytics to help businesses establish what forms of tweets and information sharing receive the highest web traffic. This data can be used to adapt and hone your online campaign, ensuring all of your digital marketing efforts are as effective as possible.
Sign up to an account today and see what Twitter can do for your business. Visit www.business.twitter.com to find out more. Alternatively, Contact Digital Freak and let us do the work for you.
I take a spark and turn it into a fireworks show! From internal client communications to LinkedIn authority articles, social media, and blogs, I write it all. My aim is to represent clients authentically with high-quality content that Google loves. I’ll show consumers why you’re the business they want to work with, buy from, and follow for life!
