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Dismissing Twitter Misses The Big Picture
February 3, 2015
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Twitter may be the most interesting of the social platforms. The real-time network offers all of us the opportunity to serve fans and communities, disseminate information - without barriers - to a wider base instantly, and maybe even get discovered by a new audience every day.
On Sunday night, dialogue about Super Bowl 49 dominated Twitter. More than 28.4 million global Tweets containing terms related to the game and halftime show were sent during the live telecast, surpassing last year's game.
And if you want to see something pretty cool, look how the game played out on Twitter with their interactive map.
There's no doubt the amount of active Twitter followers a station can get differs by format. Yet, dismissing Twitter because fewer in your fan base use it misses the bigger picture.
Here's why:
Twitter has become an important part of today's culture (and a larger part of many radio listeners' screen time). So it should drive broadcasters to want to gain a better sense of what that interaction means and how fans are using Twitter.
But it takes work.
There's nothing easy about building an active social fan base, especially on Twitter. It takes time and skill to learn how to trigger reaction -- eventually earning a base that talks with you and about you -- convincing other people to try you out, ultimately becoming fans, too.
But it can be done. There are radio hosts and stations having cool, honest exchanges with fans every day on Twitter. And the best thing about their efforts is that they are keeping their brands alive in the minds of the fans during the moments that matter to them.
This type of interaction really is one of those intangibles that matter in the world we operate in today.
There's no denying that a brand's traditional cume reach strategically merged with real Twitter involvement can drive each other, (even lifting ratings for certain TV programs as Nielsen is discovering).
And what's even better than just being in the moment socially with fans, is acknowledging them. We uncovered in Jacobs Media's Techsurvey10 that if you make them feel like they matter, some even find themselves listening longer to you:
And it makes sense doesn't it?
Acknowledgment isn't going to matter to every person (when you break this chart out, you see it matters more to Millennials and Generation Z, than the generations before them).
It defies logic to say social media doesn't move the needle when we're successfully making fans feel heard and reminding them they are more than just a "follower" to us.
Twitter may never have the scale of Facebook, but that's because the platform serves a very different purpose. And it's a brand's obligation to serve fans on their preferred social platforms if they want to stand out.
It's true - you're not going to perish if you dismiss Twitter. But you'll certainly miss out on unique opportunities to grow. Perhaps ESPN Sports Reporter, Darren Rovell, put it best.
By the way, Jacobs Media will reveal the key findings at Techsurvey 11 at Worldwide Radio Summit, April 22nd -- 24th in Hollywood. No doubt this information is important to any brand trying to navigate through the social space. Hope to see you there.
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