According to a study by Expanded Rambling, over 65% of US businesses are already on Twitter. That means a lot of companies are already experiencing the marketing rewards Twitter has to offer.
You can get a lot of use out of Twitter too, from providing customer support to strengthening your branding efforts. Twitter is a versatile and rewarding platform for businesses of all sizes.
We’ve collected some of the most popular brands on Twitter, and described a bit about what makes them great. Learn from them, and you can recreate their success and incorporate their best practices into your own campaign.
Arby’s
Knowing more about your prospective followers can help you come up with tweets that tickle their fancy. Arby’s is a popular fast food chain that knows how to do just that and more.
Instead of putting up posts of food porn after food porn, Arby’s keeps things interesting by coming up with posts that reference pop culture.
Show us your true form pic.twitter.com/YUosQDA2M2
— Arby's (@Arbys) April 4, 2017
In the post shown above, Arby’s made their way into the hearts of anime lovers with their Persona reference. They probably sold some extra fries that day.
Takeaway
If you want to connect to a whole new set of users, you have to have a clear idea of what they like. Stay relevant by keeping up with the latest trends and don’t be afraid to sprinkle a bit of pop culture in some of your posts to stir the crowd.
Starbucks
One brand that has continuously stayed on top of Twitter is Starbucks. These guys know how to captivate their followers with stunning images that evoke a strong emotion.
Aside from their killer content strategy, Starbucks also knows how to expertly handle themselves well under particularly tough Twitter situations.
#RedCupArt go! Blank red cups in stores tomorrow (1 day, limited supply). Share your creations by tagging #RedCupArt. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/mqYABIYma3
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) December 16, 2016
Just last year, Starbucks was accused of canceling Christmas because many people believed their cups were too plain for the holidays.
A lot of angry coffee drinkers took to Twitter to express their sentiments about the #redcup but Starbucks handled it like a champ. They came up with several photo and video posts that showed just how much holiday spirit each #redcup possesses – if you use your imagination.
Their marketing ingenuity turned a fiasco into an online success.
Takeaway
Prepare for the worst. Make sure to stay on top of customer feedback both good and bad. Do everything you can to provide your customers with a satisfying response.
PlayStation
With over 13.7 million followers, there’s no denying that PlayStation is one of the biggest brands on Twitter.
Sign up for the Brawlhalla closed beta and try the platformer beat-em-up before it hits PS4 this summer: https://t.co/ZdCYOEEprl pic.twitter.com/mDS15WA158
— PlayStation (@PlayStation) April 27, 2017
PlayStation releases a wide variety of content that keeps their large following entertained and engaged. This company really knows how to take advantage of Twitter’s every feature – from the banner image to the pinned post, as well as offering special deals to their Twitter followers.
Takeaway
Make sure to properly optimize every piece of prime Twitter real estate available. This can help you make posts that are more visible to a lot more people.
If you really want to boost a post’s appeal to the general Twitter masses, consider buying social signals such as retweets and likes.
When you buy high-quality social signals from a reputable provider, you are buying yourself the head start you need to turn more heads – without raising red flags! Find reputable providers who deliver social signals that are as real as real can be by checking out our reviews.
Orbitz
If you’ve been on the internet long enough, you’d know that brands like to take on social media feuds from time to time. Of course, these are all conducted in good spirits but it doesn’t make it less entertaining.
Orbitz challenged Priceline, their competitor, to a set of dares that had Twitter fans at the edge of their seats.
So you can play dress up, @Priceline Negotiator. Let's see you dress down. #OrbitzVacationParty pic.twitter.com/IZ1EXUfG
— Orbitz (@Orbitz) November 1, 2012
Orbitz won by a mile thanks to their fearless humor, creativity and a spokesperson who was willing to do anything for the team – Good job, Walt!
Takeaway
Instead of heavily investing in traditional posts, why not spend some time and energy in coming up with highly entertaining, creative posts? These tweets are much more shareable and appealing, making them more viral by nature.
Arena Flowers
If you’ve ever come across Arena Flowers’ Twitter feed, you’d know that this company is notorious for crafting funny and whimsical tweets.
When you're asked what your weaknesses are at a job interview, look lovingly into their eyes, place your hands on theirs and say: "You".
— Arena Flowers (@ArenaFlowers) September 27, 2012
Their tweets are so sassy and entertaining you’ll forget they’re even associated with a flower shop! Their tweets allow them to make a valuable impression on all their followers who are sick and tired of seeing ads on the internet.
Takeaway
Ads are often perceived as intrusive by internet users and social media platforms are riddled with them. Give your followers a break by coming up with posts that are entertaining and valuable.
Think of other ways to position your services and products – and don’t be afraid to add a bit of sass on every tweet!
Kia UK
Weirdly enough, people of the internet age have a thing for following inanimate objects on Twitter. Kia UK seems to have noticed how this trend picked up and jumped on the bandwagon right away.
Roses are grey
Violets are grey
The sky is grey
I am a car and cannot identify different colours. :(— Kia UK (@KiaUK) September 30, 2013
Through this effort, Kia UK was able to reach out to more people aside from their existing car loving followers.
Takeaway
When taking advantage of a trend on the internet, be sure to incorporate it in your campaign in the most organic way possible – Twitter users can spot a sell out from a mile away so tread with caution!
Delta Airlines
Delta Airlines is one company that knows how to stay on top of all the complaints they receive from customers while still providing them with a pleasant social media experience.
Baby got back! We like big jets and we cannot lie, this 737 is ready to fly. pic.twitter.com/N9BaWWi3SR
— Delta (@Delta) July 30, 2013
They also know how to position other aspects of their services, such as their airplanes, in a way that is just as attractive and appealing to everyone.
Takeaway
Learn to look at your products or services from a completely new angle. This allows you to add a fresh new take on your social media posts.
If you want to keep your followers engaged, you have to keep them interested and you can do this by learning to switch things up from time to time.
Oreo
One of Oreo’s most notable feats on Twitter is their ability to quickly jump on trending topics in the most organic way possible.
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
Back in 2013, Oreo published the tweet shown above in response to the power outage that delayed the Super Bowl. The post was simple but it hit home to a lot of people who were all eyes on the game.
Takeaway
If you want to recreate their success, you have to be on top of the hottest topics on the internet. Do this by keeping an eye on the trending hashtags and current events.
Incorporate them organically into your posts and pair them with humorously witty copy that will surely have everyone clicking in no time.
McDonald’s
Another big brand that’s making even bigger waves on Twitter is McDonald’s. The marketing team that manages the company’s Twitter account are masters of crafting winning hashtags that go the marketing mile.
Behold the new #MicroMac. Meet the man, the myth, the chef behind our epically small creation. https://t.co/9SSR0Ni8XQ pic.twitter.com/PB185mVNA3
— McDonald's (@McDonalds) April 1, 2017
They managed to create a highly engaging post that has gotten everyone’s attention just in time for April Fools’ Day. It’s apparent that the #MicroMac video definitely had everyone macro-laughing.
Takeaway
Don’t be afraid to take advantage of both national and international days of celebration – whether they are official or not. This is a great way to stay relevant to a larger group of people both within and outside your target market.
Etsy
Etsy is a platform that thrives on customer-uploaded content. If you give their feed a quick browse, you’ll see that this company knows how to curate content from users.
Deck the halls with adorable https://t.co/EtlasD3ujJ pic.twitter.com/e5JDU9xdPp
— Etsy (@Etsy) November 20, 2015
Through retweets, they are able to provide their prospects with a clear overview of their customers’ typical experiences – which are pretty much always positive.
Takeaway
Giving credit where it’s due travels far on social media. Retweeting can help you establish a more approachable brand persona while attracting prospects by giving them an overview of the customer experience they can receive from your company.
Keep Up and Don’t Act Like a Brand
Some of the biggest brands who are making a difference on Twitter often don’t act like big brands at all. They take the time to get to know their prospects – what they like, what their problems are, and what makes them laugh – in order to come up with posts that resonate.
Focus your resources on building a more accurate and comprehensive buyer persona. This should help you identify pitch angles are relevant to the people you want to attract.
Don’t forget, purchasing likes, followers, and other social signals can help you establish a more influential status on Twitter much more quickly than you think. As long as you go with a reputable provider, you can rest assured that you are getting social signals that will look authentic.
Combining your newly bought social signals with highly engaging and relevant posts will surely help you attract the right kind of followers, who will then help you achieve your marketing goals.