What is the most compelling statement you can make in 140 characters?
Twitter allows for contained creativity, which can both help and harm brands looking to cultivate a unique voice and following on the social network.
With simplicity as the cornerstone of the network, Twitter now has over 400 million monthly visitors. Along with the communicative brevity, the real-time feed and user-friendly interface continues to draw consumers and brands alike to the site.
The average demographic of a Twitter user is an American woman under the age of 25. For brands looking to market to the younger generation, this social network is the perfect solution to personalize product and service messages. Each network serves a slightly different purpose in branding, and Twitter is one that gives you creative breathing room – you can even make up your own hashtags!
Although experimenting with social strategy is certainly a luxury not all small brands have the time for, these bigger brands show us some best practices when it comes to garnering engagement on Twitter:
Interact: It’s all too easy to forget the true meaning behind a “social network.” Twitter allows us to connect and engage – and although it’s important to respond to questions and comments, sometimes it’s nice to just be social. An excellent brand example is shown below, in which two well-known companies tweeted just for fun.
Entertain: There doesn’t always have to be an agenda! You can raise awareness for your brand, as well as give entertainment value, by embracing a unique Twitter voice. Of course, each company will be different in their approach to this, but there are certainly ways even the most “stuffy” of brands can find joy. Skittles quirky tweets pave the way:
Build on the Buzz: Keeping up with trends is crucial on all platforms, but never more so than on the real-time micro-blogging site. Half of total Twitter usage is on a mobile device, and many users look to it for the latest news and comments on current events. Oreo stole the show – even from TV advertisements – during the Super Bowl by quickly reacting to the blackout with this tweet:
Who are your favorite brands on Twitter? What does your business do to keep followers engaged? Let us know in the comments below!