“To tweet or not to tweet?,” that is the question.

We dived into this on our Foodservice Friday, but if you didn’t have a chance to watch, read below!

With the ever-growing number of social media platforms, and the need to connect with customers, it is time to re-evaluate the role of twitter. According to Statista, as of January 2022, Facebook has the most users monthly at 2.91B, with TikTok in 6th with 1B, and Twitter coming in 15th with 444M users monthly. In terms of raw numbers, it seems like your time and energy may be better used elsewhere. However, Twitter offers something that these other platforms don’t: Direct and immediate communication with customers.

Do you have direct contact with your customers?

Twitter can give a growing company without direct contact with their customers a great way to stay connected and resolve customer service issues. With complaints going viral, fast food or fast casual chains do major damage control on twitter. Chili’s is a company that excels at using Twitter to deal with customer service issues.

If your business occurs through personal interaction with your clients, Twitter doesn’t offer benefits to increase lines of communication. In this situation, TikTok may be a better outlet in gaining exposure to new clientele, especially if your target audience is young. Nickelodeon is in the top 5 highest followed brands on TikTok, compared to news outlets, CNN and NYT, dominating the follower count on Twitter.

How much time do you have to dedicate to twitter?

Then there’s time. Because you need succinct posts that are only directed out into the universe, you need to interact with other brands throughout each day to grow your network. Not to mention the time it takes to distill your tweet into the 280 characters

Twitter allows without losing any meaning or brand identity. If you have the time,  follow Cambro. Their twitter always brings Cambro personality, and their 18K followers are here for it!

The Elon Factor

Then there’s Elon. Elon Musk purchasing Twitter adds a new layer to whether or not you want to use it. While Elon’s stance on free speech may flood Twitter with more users, it could also force you to police bullying and harassment in your twitter feed. This could create situations that reflect poorly on your brand. Elon Musk’s reign at Twitter has not started and it is already dominating marketing discussions. You may end up stuck in muck and not building your network.

It sounds like twitter has more downsides than up, but it’s important to remember Twitter is only text. And let’s face it, not everyone likes being in front of the camera. This is a wonderful platform for camera shy businesses that do not have the tools, expertise, or bandwidth to create video marketing.

So, “to tweet or not to tweet?” It depends on your brand and your bandwidth.