Twitter Again Tops Social Media for Outreach
If you’ve haven’t been keeping up with latest statistics about Twitter usage or haven’t conducted your own reality check on Twitter based on your and your associates’ rapid-fire tweeting, then here’s the latest analysis that you can tweet.
Caitlin Houston wrote in Market Watch that Twitter is the most important social media platform today.
Twitter shares have gained 2.6% in the past month, which is not merely based on purchases of its stock but also an indication of its vast popularity.
There are more than 300,000,000 people active on Twitter and in the US alone in excess of 88 million people visit Twitter each month. That means almost 40% of the adult population (more than 1 out of every 3 adults) are using Twitter here in the US alone.
In the meantime, Facebook has suffered under a tsunami of fake news and amid this debacle, Twitter is at a turning point. Facebook has recently come under scrutiny for the dissemination of fake news that appears through its news feed and the effect it may have had on the election.
Twitter has stayed slightly outside this controversy. However, it is in danger of reaching its crossroads with the banning of user accounts, including the potential to ban President-elect Donald Trump, according to James Cakmak, an analyst at Monness, Crespi, Hardt.
To combat its fake news problem, Facebook has suggested third-party verification and using artificial intelligence, reported the Wall Street Journal. But Cakmak said he’s concerned that fake news will still get through and that this could lead to a suppression of news as users report content just because they don’t like it.
On the other hand, Cakmak noted that Twitter is a more democratic platform, which gives you as well as all users and news sources a kind of megaphone to the world. Additionally, it stands out because of the extent to which Trump used it during the campaign and after the election. Indeed, Twitter has a lot of solid, albeit controversial information, as well as deceptive trolls.
“Twitter is probably the most important social platform in the world right now from a societal perspective as the fake news debate lingers on,” Cakmak opined.
Twitter has the power to ban accounts, and has recently suspended accounts of white supremacists and others who promoted hate speech. It said it would ban Trump’s account as well, if his account tweeted something that constituted a violent threat, hateful conduct or other content in violation of the rules, according to several reports.
If Twitter makes the unfortunate decision to block Trump by filtering content, Cakmak said its value will go down “from both a business and societal perspective.”
So if you are using Twitter regularly, take a moment to reflect on the power of that tool. As I observed at the start of my Boosting Your Outreach blog, whether you’re a business or a non-governmental organization (non-profit), you’re still a business and must behave in certain acceptable ways in order to succeed. Your success is based on promoting your mission and attracting new stakeholders or promoting your companies and attracting new customers. Twitter, if used properly, adds exponentially to the odds in favor of your success.
You may be wondering how do I reach even a small portion of those 300 million who use Twitter? Stephanie Nissen, a social media observer, said NGOs, small businesses and entrepreneurs should create and use eight lists in order to boost their reach.
Twitter Lists, as defined by Twitter, are “a curated group of Twitter users.” Nissen pointed out that as a Twitter user you have the ability to create your own lists of users that fit a specific criteria that you choose or to subscribe to a public list created by another user. I’ll explain how in a future post.
Nissen recommends the following:
1. Your Team
If you’ve got employees, contractors, consultants and other team members who are also on Twitter, create a list to keep up with them and retweet their tweets.
2. Your Customers
Your customers are the only way you stay in business, right? So stay connected! (The same pertains to your stakeholders and advocates, if you’re a non-profit.)
3. Industry Influencers
Every industry has thought leaders and influencers that help move us forward. This Twitter list will help you keep up with what they’re tweeting about, help you to easily engage with their tweets, and get on their radar if that’s a benefit to your company.
4. Your Partners and Affiliates
This would be another private list to keep but it’s an important one to make. Partners and affiliates that support your business should be on a list all their own so you can not only support their efforts but also look for additional ways to partner based on their tweets.
5. Your Competitors
We always want to know what our competitors are up to in the cyberspace. This list should absolutely be kept private and it’s not meant for you to engage with these profiles.
6. Networking and Event Attendees
Personally, I’ve had great success with networking and event attendees lists. Create a list of people you meet at a local networking group and also at large conferences. You always exchange business cards, don’t you? So don’t just chuck them in your desk drawer. Incidentally, does your business card have your Twitter handle?
7. Content to Curate
A Twitter List with content you can curate is a huge perk for businesses because it will help you to never run out of content.
8. People Who Retweet You
When people retweet your content, add them to a list so you can keep up with them. If someone has shared your content once, they are more likely to do it again.
As I have encouraged you to do, tweet, retweet yourselves and retweet what others have tweeted. Invite people to join the conversation. Soon, the message will encircle the globe.
Share your ideas about boosting your outreach and we can discuss it online.
Something to consider for your New Year’s resolutions.
For additional advice, I’d like to invite you to visit my Thought Leadership website:
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