As part of a series of social media workshops, media-monitoring powerhouse Meltwater hosted a Twitter 101 crash course in collaboration with Ad Dynamo, Twitter’s main partner in Africa. Brand strategist and Twitter guru Garth Manthe from Ad Dynamo led the session and Flowstars Quathar Begg and Carla de Klerk eagerly followed the discussion from the front row.
How do we understand Twitter?
The key aspect that sets Twitter apart from Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat is that it is no longer considered a social network. Although selfies and check-ins still feature on Twitter, its main use today is as a news platform. “Media consumption is shifting to mobile, and Twitter is one of the leading communication channels,” Manthe explained. This is also how the company is building its profile – just look at its latest campaign built around the theme of “see what’s happening”. According to figures cited by Manthe, the first thing on 35% of people’s minds when they wake up is checking their smartphones, while only 10% think of their significant others.
What makes Twitter unique?
Twitter has the ability to connect one individual with hundreds and even thousands of people. An inspirational example is the @ChiefKariuki account. Local administrator Francis Kariuki made headlines for using the network to facilitate crime reporting and policing in his village in Kenya. Kariuki regularly tweets details about stolen or lost items or cattle, and even uses the network to warn the village of impending dangers.
“Twitter gives every user the chance to talk to a community, and generally you find that on Twitter people say what they mean, unlike Facebook and Instagram that often are fake,” said Manthe.
Referring to the use of Twitter for marketing purposes, Manthe said 33% of Twitter users in South Africa actively use the platform to discover new brands or products. “To effectively use Twitter for marketing you need to decide where the success lies in each tweet. This may be clicks to a link or website or merely a like or share.”
Manthe emphasised that good content and easily clickable links won’t necessarily turn into sales as the network essentially relies on relationships and trust. “To reach the goal of purchase, you move through a funnel process, starting with awareness,” he explained.
What do people do on Twitter?
Since the arrival of the internet, social media and interactive technologies such as smartphones, watches, tablets and even kitchen devices, the human attention span has declined to no more than eight seconds, said Manthe. Goldfish, he noted, have a nine-second attention span.
This is why tweets need to have a clear goal and message, Manthe stressed. “You need to post at the right time, to the right person.” He also believes in posting tweets with “relevant” media. Tweets incorporating GIF files are 2.6 times more likely to be retweeted as they give the tweet an emotion that is accessible, understandable and quick.
When using video, which is becoming one of the most popular mediums on the network, the hook is in the first three seconds. In order to reach as many people as possible, a clear message and reasoning is key. “Be interesting, be relevant and be timely,” is Manthe’s top tip for mastering Twitter.
#DoingItRight: Ad Dynamo’s rules to successful Twitter marketing
- Start simple: Before rolling out campaigns and quirky tricks, first translate your offline marketing message online. Contextualise your brand online
- Use media: Target the right person with the right post. Tailor-make posts for the right audience with appropriate hashtags (never use more than two) and interesting visual elements like video, GIFs and stickers
- Use variety: Whether through media or topics, the easiest to stay relevant is by keeping content fresh
- Engagement: Users need a reason to engage, whether it is to complain about a product or find more information. You need to stipulate the benefits for followers to engage with your brand
- Understand your metrics: Just like you need to decide on a goal for each tweet, you need to measure those metrics as this will not only show you the success of your tweet but also how you can better tweets for your audience. Twitter offers free analytic tools, where agencies like Ad Dynamo can set up effective trackers to measure tweet-to-conversion rates