4 Ways You Can Still Use Twitter

The ownership changes at Twitter in late 2022 generated a great deal of upheaval at the company resulting in policy and feature changes on the social network. Many companies pulled their Twitter ads and some contemplated leaving the platform entirely.

Some Twitter users made their accounts private to avoid the chaotic atmosphere. Others turned their focus to other popular social networks where they already had accounts such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Some began to experiment with lesser-known social networks like Hive, Post, and Mastodon.

Given these transitions, is a presence on Twitter still beneficial for your business? Like most social networks with an active user base, Twitter can provide a number of benefits to supplement your marketing efforts. Here are four things you can do on Twitter that might not be on your radar.

1. Keep Up with News and Trends

Staying informed about current events or industry trends helps to inform the content and timing of your social media messaging. Following reputable news sources and checking trending hashtags are two ways to see timely and relevant news items in your Twitter feed.

2. Get Basic Consumer Insights

If you haven’t used it before, try Twitter’s poll tool to get input from other Twitter users. Click the poll icon, type in a question, and enter up to four response choices. Select the poll length, up to seven days, twenty-three hours, and fifty-nine minutes. Pick who can reply to your Twitter poll - either Everyone, People you follow, or only people you mention.

Plan out your question - or series of questions - to use in your poll. There are many types of questions you can ask on Twitter, from queries that can help you with product development and marketing to ones that give you a deeper understanding of your followers’ interests, habits, and opinions.

3. Interact with Media

Journalists use Twitter to identify trending stories, find sources for articles they are working on, and conduct additional research and outreach. There are several ways to use Twitter to engage with the media. Start with posting company news and links to press releases on your Twitter feed. Follow reporters, editors, and producers for local, regional, national, and international media. Check their Twitter bios - they may include their direct contact information that you can add to your media list. They may also outline how they’d like to be contacted and what topics they cover or stories they are working on. You can also look for their calls for sources and position yourself as an expert.

4. Provide Rapid Customer Service

Over the years, consumers have taken to social media to share their thoughts on companies, products, and services. They’ve come to expect that the companies they discuss are listening and will respond, particularly when they are having an issue.

Social media-driven customer service requires being able to pay attention to conversations happening on Twitter in order to respond quickly. Use a social media dashboard, like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite, to set up keyword and hashtag searches to gather mentions. Review them regularly and sort them by positive, negative, and neutral.

Come up with a plan for responding to mentions. Give a simple thank you or other courteous acknowledgment of positive comments. For neutral ones, determine if there is an appropriate response or if one is even needed. Don’t shy away from responding to negative comments but make sure you have a process for doing so that involves several key steps including:

• Determining the severity of the issue or complaint.
• Respectfully acknowledging receipt of the message.
• Offering to reach out directly - and privately - to learn more about the issue.
• Assigning appropriate personnel to handle issues and complaints.

Twitter, like other social networks, requires time and attention to work for you. If you have a strong and active following, sticking with Twitter could continue to be beneficial. If you haven’t used Twitter before, make sure the audience you are trying to reach is there and active. Be clear about how you plan on using Twitter and know its limitations. With careful consideration and planning, Twitter can still serve a social media marketing purpose and provide value for your company and your customers.