Since tweets are short and real-time, they are the best vehicle for brands to raise awareness, manage a crisis, promote content and monitor conversations.
However, savvy marketers have discovered how to use Twitter to help their marketing efforts. Brands are using Twitter to deliver meaningful business results from small businesses to large multinational corporations. In this post, we’ll talk about how Tweets affect the most critical aspects of marketing, specifically branding, lead generation, customer service and market research. We’ll also cover some of the best ways brands can leverage Twitter’s value.
The Rise of Twitter Marketing
The microblogging service called Twitter began as a way in which people can post quick updates about their daily activities. But then businesses began to realize that Twitter could engage with customers.
Dell, Whole Foods and Zappos were early adopters who used Twitter to provide customer service. As other brands started to experiment with content marketing, promotions, and market research through Twitter chats, others jumped in.
For the past decade, marketing on Twitter has become a central part of many brands’ digital strategies – with 31 percent of marketers now using Twitter for business, saying it is critical for increasing brand exposure, driving website traffic and engaging consumers.
With innovations like promoted ads, analytics, and buy buttons, Twitter has also become a key channel in the purchase funnel. 79% of people on Twitter follow brands to get access to the latest product announcements, deals, and content.
With Twitter growing more and more, brands are spending more and more time in order to have a presence there. This is why many companies prefer to use TweetEraser to delete Twitter tweets to keep a positive brand image as the average Twitter Ads ROI is 40% higher than other channels.
Building Brand Awareness Through Twitter
Twitter is an always-on channel for brands to increase awareness due to its broad reach and discovery-centric environment. Strategic Tweets give brands a chance to shape perception, spark conversation and expose their brand to new audiences.
Driving Brand Discovery
Twitter is a great place to find new brands and products. Twitter’s algorithm shows users relevant tweets in their timelines based on who they follow and what they interact with. That’s good news because this leaves plenty of room for brands to appear on users’ radars naturally.
The strategic use of hashtags also helps Twitter’s brand discoverability: 85% of Twitter users claim that they use hashtags to discover new brands and products. Brands can include relevant hashtags so that they can reach consumers who are searching for those tags but are interested in what the brand is doing.
For instance, when Google launched its Pixel 7 phone, it created awareness using an ‘Ask Me Anything’ Twitter campaign using #teampixel. It gave Google the opportunity to reach out to consumers who were excited about the launch and put its Pixel brand in front of a very targeted audience.
Shaping Brand Perceptions
Brands can shape how consumers see them by crafting and sharing narratives on Twitter. Through tweets and interactions, brands show their values, personalities, strengths, and differentiators.
For instance, fast food giant Wendy’s has parlayed its witty, sarcastic brand voice on Twitter into a consumer love. Wendy’s shares funny commentary on trending topics and gives it back to followers, making its brand entertaining, trendy, and human.
Twitter also lets brands promote user-generated content (UGC) that authentically represents consumers’ brand sentiments. 90% of consumers find UGC more authentic than branded photos and videos. Showcasing UGC makes brands seem more genuine and builds credibility.
Sparking Real-Time Conversations
The nature of Twitter as a public, open space makes it a perfect place for brands to jump on conversations that expose them to new audiences. Branded commentary on trending topics will enable brands to catch up on conversational waves and gain mass visibility.
Branded commentary on Twitter can be huge during large cultural moments such as the Super Bowl or awards shows. The #Oscars provided a marketing opportunity for brands to creatively inject themselves into the conversation.
On top of that, Twitter chats let brands host moderated conversations around industry topics and branded hashtags. In addition to increasing followers and engagement, Twitter chats boost brands’ thought leadership and industry authority.
Turning Tweets into Leads and Sales
While Twitter may not seem an obvious place to drive direct sales, Tweets can influence consumers across all stages of the purchase funnel. Brands are getting better at linking Twitter activity to lead generation and sales conversion.
Sparking Awareness and Interest
Tweets raise awareness of brands’ products and promotions, sparking initial consumer interest. Brands can tweet announcements of new product launches, features, awards won, and more news to attract target buyers.
Promoted video ads on Twitter also grab the attention of brands’ offerings. 53% of Twitter users say they discover new products and services via video ads on the platform.
Additionally, Twitter lets brands promote positive product reviews and testimonials from influencers and consumers. It also helps to build credibility and to get target audiences excited to buy.
Driving Site Traffic
Embedded links drive a ton of traffic to brands’ sites and product pages through tweets. CTAs like “Learn more” and “Shop Now” from CTAs take Twitter followers and turn them into site visitors who are ready to explore offerings.
According to Twitter, Tweets with CTAs drive 30% higher conversion rates. Brands maximizing CTAs in Tweets capitalize on Twitter’s traffic potential.
Twitter’s lead generation cards also allow users to share contact info or sign up for offers without leaving Twitter. This reduces friction when converting site visitors into leads or buyers.
Boosting Sales
Finally, Twitter gives brands avenues to purchase directly on the platform. Twitter’s shop module lets brands showcase catalogs with pricing so users can browse and buy products right from a brand’s profile and tweets.
Twitter is also testing a native “Shopping Cart” feature for simplified in-app purchases. Soon, users will be able to add products from multiple brands to a cart and check them out easily.
Early adopters of Twitter’s shopping capabilities have already seen sales success. In fact, shoppable video ads on Twitter generated over $1 million in sales for The Home Depot.
Strengthening Customer Relationships
Brands can use Twitter to build post-purchase relationships with customers, drive sales, offer support, and more. Ongoing customer engagement is an always-on channel on Twitter.
Delivering Proactive Service
According to 73% of consumers, brands should respond to inquiries on social media in 30 minutes or less. Twitter’s public nature forces brands to be ultra-responsive on the platform.
Good service brands on Twitter have dedicated teams monitoring mentions and hashtags to respond to issues before the customers do. Twitter is a quick and helpful way to boost customer satisfaction and loyalty.
T-Mobile, JetBlue, Sephora, and more brands outsource their entire customer service operation through Twitter. The real time, public visibility of issue resolution that Twitter provides is appreciated by consumers.
Creating Communities
Twitter communities give brands a space to build a deeper relationship with fans and power users. The main thing is that it will allow community members to connect over shared interests and have access to exclusive brand content and perks.
For example, Spotify’s community #spotifyfans allows music enthusiasts to talk about new releases. By treating members as Spotify insiders, they’re more likely to promote and defend the brand.
Brand communities take one-off customers and turn them into brand advocates who grow the business; 66 percent of consumers join brand communities to show support and receive rewards such as exclusive product access and special offers.
Sending Targeted Updates
Post-purchase, Twitter allows brands to serve different consumer segments better with tailored messaging and offers.
Hashtag targeting capabilities allow promoted tweets to reach narrow audiences like small business owners or IT professionals. Brands can deliver segmented value-adds matched to these groups’ needs.
Tailored tweets with personalized offers, how-to tips, new accessories, and other relevant updates make customers feel cared for as individuals. Ongoing, targeted communication increases retention and lifetime value.
Key Takeaways
- Real-time tweets and conversations that brands can use to create awareness, drive sales and build relationships with customers.
- Strategic Tweets that jump on trends, highlight UGC and showcase brand values, spark organic discovery and shape brand perceptions.
- Tailored messaging drives traffic and conversions across the purchase funnel, from the initial interest through to the purchase.
- Proactive service and exclusive communities transform one-time buyers into loyal brand advocates.
- Listening to conversations and hosting Twitter polls provide consumer insights to optimize marketing and product decisions.
When leveraged effectively, brands’ activities on Twitter have a measurable impact across key marketing goals. As Twitter continues evolving its advertising, shopping, and analytics capabilities, its value as a marketing channel will grow.
Savvy brand marketers have built Twitter into their strategies to drive real business returns from increasing awareness to sales. While often considered secondary to Facebook or Instagram, Twitter offers brands unique opportunities to engage consumers and amplify word-of-mouth.