Ever since Twitter first hit the scene, there has been a lot of debate about what it can and cannot do. Recently, celebrities proved that the limits people put on Twitter aren’t actually a reality. Twitter is much more powerful than people realize, whether it is turning a fight into a main new story or giving people a platform to educate others.
Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, and Amber Rose
Lots of people claim that Twitter is great for breaking news but tweets don’t have a lasting impact. People think users forget about them the moment they are read, meaning that Twitter isn’t a great marketing tool.
Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, and Amber Rose turned that perception on its head with their recent Twitter feud.
The fight started when Wiz Khalifa made an offhanded comment about the title of Kanye West’s upcoming album, Waves.
Never one to back down from a challenge, Kanye put in his two cents, and it wasn’t long before he went on one of his epic rants.
It got so bad that he even mentioned Wiz’s baby, as well as the mother of his child.
Kanye realized he took things a little too far and scrubbed his Twitter feed clean of the offensive tweets. It was too late, though. People took screen captures of his feed when the tweets were up and now they are out in the online universe. Anyone who has internet access can quickly look them up and see them.
News outlets picked up the story immediately, and it soon became watercooler fodder.
The Takeaway
Twitter is like any other platform in the sense that if you create newsworthy content, people will remember it. That doesn’t mean you have to put Wiz Khalifa and Amber Rose on blast to get attention. However, if you can create something that generates excitement, people will retweet it to others. Then, it will take on a life of its own and get you lots of exposure.
Never create content that is only good enough for right now. Create content that has legs and will expand well past your initial reach. Then, you will finally realize what it feels like to be successful on Twitter.
Donald Trump and the Republican Debate
Marketers know they need to interact with their customer base. However, many take to Facebook for that interaction. While Facebook is definitely a good place to interact, nothing beats Twitter polls. Look how Donald Trump used the polling feature before a Republican debate.
Trump received approximately 160,000 responses, with the majority voting in the affirmative. Donald got an excuse to skip a major debate, and he also showcased the true power of Twitter polls.
The Takeaway
You need to interact with your audience on all of the social media platforms that you use, including Twitter. If you create simple questions and poll your followers, they will respond. This will increase your engagement rates and help you understand what your customer base wants.
Start off slowly, with a poll a week. As you build up steam, you can introduce even more polls. Include some fun polls, as well as polls directly related to market research you are conducting.
Neil deGrasse Tyson and B.o.B.
A common complaint people have about Twitter is that with a maximum of 140 characters, you can’t educate anyone. Neil deGrasse Tyson proved that is anything but true.
When B.o.B. claimed that the earth is flat and people have been deceived, Tyson popped in with a series of tweets that schooled the rapper. It was a mic-dropping moment for the astrophysicist.
The Takeaway
While Twitter might not let you go on long rants with a single tweet, the site still makes it easy to educate others. Create a series of tweets around a common theme and use hashtags to connect them. If people are following your feed, they will see all of the tweets, meaning you can educate them on any topic that you want, from the shape of the earth to the features of your latest product.
Since consumers seek out information before making a purchase, this is great news for marketers. You can help people make up their minds by creating great tweets. If you do this correctly, you will boost your conversion rate.
Twitter is much more powerful than people give it credit for. Don’t impose limitations on the site. Instead, harness its true power so you can reach your customer base and increase your conversions. Just follow these celebrities’ examples and get more out of the micro-blogging site.
Featured image via USA Today