When Google Realtime Search ended in 2011, it was a clear sign of an impasse between the web giant and Twitter. Yet Google’s persistence in penetrating the social media market and Twitter’s relative lack of social media market share suggested that the two would one day be reunited.
Spoiler alert: They have been!
Through this partnership, tweets will appear in Google search results in real time. Users no longer have to travel through traditional Twitter search channels or seek out specific handles and hashtags. Instead, they can simply search “Kyle Gunby Twitter” (or “single and alone in the world”), and my tweets and account will appear.
Before we get ahead of ourselves, it’s important to note that this partnership has only manifested itself in Google’s mobile app and browser, though we can expect to see an expanded rollout for desktop devices soon.
As content marketers, this is reason for celebration! Why?
- This overcomes the “follow wall.” Consumers no longer have to follow your brand to receive timely updates.
- As Twitter expands its reach, your messages also gain more exposure.
- If your content is engaging and cross-links well with popular topics, you could see an SEO boost.
How Content Marketers Can Benefit From (the New) Twitter
Cross-pollination with Google isn’t the only movement happening within Twitter. The past few months have brought numerous changes to the social media machine that churns out more than 9,000 tweets per second.
Some of the changes that affect content marketers include:
- A mobile video camera: Why type a message when you can speak it? The app now enables video production and editing.
- TweetDeck Teams: An extension of Twitter’s TweetDeck app, this functionality allows users to provide access to accounts hosted on TweetDeck without giving out the accompanying passwords.
These additions give brands entirely new channels for connecting with audiences. But how can you amplify that engagement?
Reengage Audiences With the Twitter Updates
According to a 2013 Gensler study on brand engagement, when online consumers connect with their favorite brand, only 14 percent do so through Twitter. This begs the question: What aren’t we doing to engage consumers on Twitter?
Gensler offers a guiding light: “To really engage, leverage the human moment.”
Twitter — despite being our social soapbox — has become inhuman!
Thankfully, by using some of Twitter’s new tools, we can reverse this trend through genuine, purposeful human engagement. Here are some tips to get started:
- Show you’re human. Businesses like money, and consumers know that. However, behind the veneer of a business are humans at work. Use the mobile video camera to engage consumers with video snippets of office life, philanthropic events, and surprise gifting. Don’t say it; show it.
- Be playful with your account. Many companies host brand extensions or services on different accounts. Encourage account interaction across TweetDeck Teams in the form of competition, practical jokes, or joint campaign maneuvers. By doing so, you can bring different brand communities together.
- Spark spontaneous conversations. If you want consumers to seek you out, you need to meet them halfway. When brands spontaneously interact with consumers, sparks fly. Provide a platform for consumers’ tweets, activities, beliefs, etc., outside of your product. Popularity is transferable and viral. You can do this through the Quote Tweet feature.
- Invite community. Invite stakeholders to hang out with your brand. How? With group DMs. There’s no better way to receive product input than by organizing a vocal crowd.
These tips may strike you as brand engagement on a micro scale, but that’s how the best brands become macro marketers.
How do you plan to leverage the “new” Twitter to amplify engagement?
