Longer video clips attached to tweets
Building a significant audience on a largely text based platform has been a challenging hurdle to overcome, with the likes of innocent smoothies leading the way with their cheeky take on community management. The introduction of long form video could potentially increase a brands ability to create compelling pieces of content which have the potential to drive engagement on the platform.
How quickly will this be rolled out? Well, for users already subscribed to Twitter blue, it has already launched. This means that they have the ability upload videos up to one hour in length on web and 10 minutes in length on iOS and android. However, whether this will be rolled out to non-Twitter-blue members remains to be seen. In the time being, those not willing to sign up to the subscription-based verification system only have the ability to upload videos up to 4 minutes in length.
Key Takeaway: Brands should start to consider the types of long form content which we are able to implement. Twitter may act as a second home for content developed for the likes of Facebook and YouTube.
Creator monetisation programme
Musk has announced that Twitter will give creators the opportunity to receive revenue directly from Twitter as they begin to share ad revenue collected from ads hosted in the replies section of a popular tweet.
This has the potential to disrupt the influencer marketing landscape to an extent, with creators potentially considering Twitter as a viable stream of income. It could be argued that this feature will help to increase the role that content creators play on Twitter, and ultimately increase the number of opportunities for brands to collaborate with content creators.
Key Takeaway: Brands should familiarise themselves with potential influencers on Twitter, building the foundations of a Twitter influencer plan in anticipation of Twitter becoming a more prominent force within the influencer marketing landscape.
Longform tweets
The introduction of longform tweets could be a major step towards diversifying the platform and bringing in a new user base who may dislike the short form text-based content for which twitter is renowned for.
At present, long form tweets (up to 4,000 characters) are currently available to Twitter Blue subscribers only, so brands new to Twitter will need to invest in the subscription-based verification programme in order to capitalise on this. A revamped verification system for organisations is currently in the works but yet to be launched. However, brands are able to apply for early access.
Key Takeaway: Brands should adjust their Twitter strategy to consider compelling pieces of long form content, designed to facilitate discussion on the platform, thus driving engagement.
Refined paid features
In a recent tweet, musk has commented about how changes are needed to the platforms paid social offering. He stated that ads need to be “semantic keyword-based” and complained about how ads shown when doing Twitter searches do not consider Twitter search words.
Such a change could potentially enhance the Twitter as a tool to connect with consumers using targeted paid social campaigns. A once limited paid social tool now has the potential to evolve into a significant arm of a brands paid social strategy.
Key takeaway: once launched, social media marketers should examine the revamped paid social offering and consider the role it may play in a brands paid social strategy.
The move to a We Chat style platform?
Musk has hinted that in the long term, the platform may transform into an ‘Everything app’ in the same way as Chinese social platform, We Chat.
Such a move may be the most radical all, and the successful launch of such an approach would see a much greater integration of twitter into the everyday lives of the general population.
If such a change was to occur, being on the platform in some capacity would be a ‘must have’ for brands. It could be argued that it may be a sensible decision for brands to establish an audience on the platform now, in order to ensure they are present on the platform should such a change take place.
Concluding remarks
Ultimately, a brands use of Twitter depends greatly on the specific circumstances of the brand. Deciding whether Twitter is an appropriate platform for your brand requires a deeper consideration of the broader marketing objectives.
However, understanding some of the most radical changes (and potential changes) to the platform does leave marketers in a much better position to make these decisions.
Regardless of how these changes to the platform manifest in 2023, Twitters role in the broader social media landscape is likely to shift significantly. Those who react to these changes the fastest are likely to have a competitive advantage.