The advent of the Twitter IPO and its welcoming to Wall Street has garnered attention from everyone, especially marketers. Twitter investors expect growth through advertising because they, unlike many of its users, see it as a marketing platform. Twitter has lived its life in the red based on future promises of revenue. Now that the IPO has been successful, drastic changes can be expected, many of which hold opportunities for marketers to take advantage of.
Here is a list of recent Twitter changes and the opportunities they provide to marketers:
1. Visuals
Twitter cards like the one above – a visual attachment to shareable content – increases the click through rate (CTR), retweets, and favorites of twitter posts. Including expanded images on Twitter was another big change that increased Twitter’s utility as a marketing platform. Expanded images like the one below help to stand out in the Twitter stream, leading to more favorites, retweets, and overall outreach. It can also be used to put a lot of information in one single tweet.
2. Conversation view
The conversation view was implemented to increase Twitter conversations, which is exactly what marketers want to do. Linking conversations in the new format makes it easier to engage with people, which aids in social CRM. Conversations saved in this format make it easier for customers and businesses to mutually benefit through engagement. Important conversations can also be shared as a whole.
3. Custom Timeline Feature
The new custom timeline feature means more shareable content. A timeline can be built around a specific topic, such as for a campaign promotion, and then be shared in its entirety. This hand-picked list of tweets can even be embedded in a webpage, or simply shared through Twitter.
4. @MagicRecs
Is your current Twitter feed lacking in new content? Follow @MagicRecs and receive personalized recommendations on users and content. MagicRecs is helpful because it is a quick way to get new and beneficial content onto your Twitter feed, which in turn increases the quality of your own Twitter account.
5. MoPub Acquisition
Twitter’s acquisition of the mobile ad service MoPub could become a powerful tool for marketers. Combining Twitter’s data on users with MoPub’s mobile ad exchange helps marketers target specific customers.
6. Direct Messaging Option
Twitter recently began allowing the option to receive DM’s from anyone, not just followers. Now customers can send private messages to whomever without having to follow or be followed. When it comes to customer service, the more options the better.
Conclusion and Questions to Consider
What other services/changes might Twitter unveil which could be beneficial to marketers and the customer? How do you use Twitter for your marketing strategy? Twitter only recently went public, so this is just the beginning for new changes that will make it a better platform for marketing and engagement. It will be exciting to see what types of services Twitter will unveil next. Comment below on what you think we will see or would like to see from Twitter.