Is Twitter Worth Your Time?

By Brooke Miles, Delaware ShoutOut

You love existential questions, don’t you? For instance, why is life so short? Or what’s the difference between living and existing? 

Here’s my favorite existential question as it relates to social media:

Should you use Twitter just because it exists? 

At Delaware ShoutOut, we help organizations choose which social media sites to use—and which ones to ignore. Twitter usually falls in the “ignore” category. This is because Twitter often requires too much work for not enough return. In other words, life is too short for Twitter.

Of course, every business is different. One of our clients, for instance, sells a niche solar product in the renewable energy industry. They use Twitter with great success; their unique audience happens to hang out on Twitter. 

Then again, we know many other successful marketers who have found Twitter to be a waste of time. 

Are you on the fence with Twitter? If so, consider the pros and cons:

Pros

• According to the Pew Research Center, Twitter tends to attract millennials and a slightly more educated audience. 
• Journalists and politicians often hang out on Twitter. So if you want to attract (positive) attention in those arenas, Twitter might be your place.
• Twitter helps you stay on top of the latest industry trends. This can help guide your marketing initiatives.

Cons

• The half-life of a tweet is 18 minutes—the shortest of all social media platforms. (A half-life is how long a post enjoys 50% of its glory. Check out our blog article on www.deshoutout.com for more information!) This brief half-life means you have to post a ridiculous amount just to be a blip on the radar. Major brands are posting on Twitter an average of 15 times per day. Is that realistic for your business?
• Twitter’s analytics platforms (organic and paid advertising) aren’t nearly as robust as, say, Facebook’s analytics platforms.
• You’ll find more spam on Twitter than on most other social media sites. Twitter has improved its security measures, but spam is still a problem. 

For me, the biggest issue is the short half-life and the need to post constantly. Twitter does have great features, but it can fall short on ROI. 

If you already have a Twitter account with a strong Twitter following, then keep doing what you’re doing! But consider Twitter a lower priority if you have to start from scratch.

What are your thoughts on Twitter? Reach out to me at [email protected]. Have a great “tweet-filled” or “tweet-free” day!

Brooke Miles is President of Delaware ShoutOut, a firm dedicated to taking the time and stress out of your social media marketing—and delivering a social media program you can be proud of. Services include social media ghostwriting, one-on-one training, and group classes. For more information, please email [email protected] or call 302.273.2845 or visit us on the web at deshoutout.com.