Using Twitter for marketing is a no-brainer. I have been an active user since 2007. However, over the last several years, marketers have shifted their budgets away from Twitter and are investing in newer platforms to reach millennials and the Gen Z audience. The truth is Gen Z is still very active on Twitter. But let’s not forget the other generations as well. Millennials and Gen X still have tremendous influence and purchasing power and are highly influential. So, to go with the hype and neglect using Twitter just because one generation isn’t as active as others is irresponsible.
Below are a few Twitter marketing case studies and research reports. I’ve summarized them and added my context. You can find more details and perspectives on Twitter’s marketing site.
The Conversation: Music goes platinum on Twitter
The democratization of music, streaming apps, and sharing playlists across social platforms has complicated the media landscape. Data shows that Twitter is one of the most direct lines of communication between music fans and industry marketers. Music enthusiasts have shown their power in numbers by posting almost one billion Tweets from nearly 20 million different authors.
A drill-down of the data shows that 53% of music mentions come from Gen Z, and 31% come from millennials. Hip-Hop (7.3M mentions) and Rap (7.2M mentions) are the top two most mentioned genres, with Pop (6M mentions), Rock (4M mentions), and R&B (2.9M mentions) following.
The key takeaway is that Twitter users are very active in talking about and sharing music that inspires them. Oh, and don’t ignore Twitter.
Twitter Marketing Case Studies: Wendy’s March Madness
March Madness pretty much breaks the Internet every year. So I’m sure productivity for that month is down exponentially, with basketball fans worrying about and managing their brackets, smack-talking, and bragging on social media.
In 2021, Twitter saw a 45% decrease in Tweets about March Madness brackets from Selection Sunday to the second round due to broken brackets. The users that lost stopped engaging in the conversation. Instead of dropping out after losing, pick’ems allowed users to participate on a game-to-game basis and stay involved in the conversation for the entire tournament.
Wendy’s shifted their focus from brackets to pick’ems so that every game became a new opportunity to engage with the community. Wendy’s launched a campaign using the full stack of Twitter advertising tools to keep front and center with tournament enthusiasts.
Starting with notifications, tournament fans could opt-in to get game-time reminders for each round. This made the campaign sticky. Wendy’s also co-hosted Twitter Spaces with Turner Sports throughout the tournament to discuss picks and brackets with sports experts and content creators. This ensured that Wendy’s was hitting on senses.
They also showed up in New Orleans for the finals, continuing the conversation at the tailgate, on the courtside, and with fans at home.
2022 Twitter Trends: The Conversation
In early 2022, Twitter published a report highlighting the top trends driving engagement and cultural movements within the platform. They analyzed over 1 billion tweets over two years and found three critical shifts that are important to understand:
- The Great Restoration
- Fan-Built Worlds
- Finance Goes Social
The Great Restoration
Burnout has driven people to reprioritize wellness over corporate serfdom. A 64% increase year-over-year in the conversation includes “restoring” or “rebalancing,” which shows that consumers are now shifting the focus to themselves versus the world around them, including their employers. This could very well be where the concept of “Quiet Quitting” started.
Next up is sustainability. After decades of all the talk, consumers now expect brands to take action. And this means more than just posting about their efforts on a company webpage. Corporate call-out culture is in full swing. The conversation about decarbonization, emissions, and other significant issues putting pressure on companies is in full swing. Consumers are tired of being the only ones who care about climate change, with a 150% increase in mentions of “greenwashing.” They need brands to make some real impact. They expect them to make an impact.
Fan Built Worlds
Twitter has always been where conversations happen, and what happens in culture tends to shift those conversations differently. As technology and innovation continue to spill over into social media, virtual reality, and now the Metaverse for business, those communities and conversations are taking on a new shape. Users are now talking about building complex worlds through cosplay, role-playing games, virtual marketplaces, and NFTs, leaving the real world in search of real connections. Real communities.
Finance Goes Social
Money matters. It’s what makes the world go around. And the conversation on Twitter stems from crypto, bitcoin investment, NFTs, hot stocks, and financial advice. This trend is more than viral stock picks, though. The finance conversation is intertwined with entertainment, gaming, art, and sports and is more open than ever. With 75% growth, #FinTwit is driving a new cultural dialogue across Twitter. Communities from all over the world are sharing knowledge, with tweets about finance up 78% YoY.
Twitter Marketing Case Study: Comcast
First, let me start by saying that I’m a huge fan of Comcast. I am no longer a customer because Comcast is unavailable where I live. From what I understand, I could still be a Comcast customer if I lived 2 miles south of Morgan Hill. I may consider moving back.
The Comcast business team used its Twitter account to drive qualified web traffic to its Security Edge webpage and educate business owners about cybersecurity, potential risks, and steps to prevent a cyberattack. In addition, they boosted featured articles about the Security Edge webpage to the relevant audiences and optimized their ad spending using Twitter’s Site Visits Optimization with Auto-Bid.
Comcast successfully increased site visits and lowered their CPSV by 78% compared to link click optimization. See below for results.
When marketing on Twitter, brands should consider some of the best practices shared in these case studies. See the latest Twitter news, product launches, and new features.