#ConverseToConvert: How Twitter conversations help drive the business
People come to Twitter to converse on topics as diverse and broad as the demographic that are conversing. From eCommerce to sports, beauty, fashion and food, #WhatsHappening is discussed in real time as people from around the world connect. Including brands.
At a time when a brand's marketing spend has to stretch further than ever before, brands are looking for new ways to connect with consumers. They are looking for new ways to raise awareness, drive intent and convert into sales. While some brands retain a click obsession, more forward-thinking brands are better understanding the customer journey and are focusing on inspiring and connecting fans through conversations.
Driving business through conversation
Conversations are the new marketing space for brands. An effective way for brands to position themselves as thought leaders, conversations can help raise awareness of a product or brand, and are effective ways for brands to connect with their audience. It’s also an efficient way to convert a fan into a customer, especially through conversations on Twitter.
When compared to other channels, Twitter is the most efficient at driving conversation. A 4:1 ratio of conversion impact has put Twitter's conversational power at the heart of a growing number of brands' marketing strategy. Twitter research found that a 10% increase in conversations about a product or brand on Twitter can result in up to a 3% increase in sales.
Speaking of the importance of conversations as part of a brand's strategy Arvinder Gujral, Managing Director, Southeast Asia, at Twitter said, “Conversations are the new marketing frontier for brands and Tweets have now become an important currency for brands. Savvy brands are moving beyond the desire for clicks and understand the importance of conversation. They understand how conversations can support their upper and lower marketing funnels and are leveraging Twitter's conversational superpower to drive brand awareness, intent and conversion.”
Here are 5 things brands need know when creating their #ConverseToConvert strategy:
- Not everyone is the same
It may sound obvious, but think about it. While brands have their own tone and voice, they need to think of the Twitter audience. Who is the brand conversing with and what are their tastes and styles? Different communities have different characteristics. Also, consider the language. In Thailand, Twitter’s demographics are diverse: Gen Y (37.6%), Gen Z (31.1%), Gen X (28.2%) and Baby Boomers (3.1%). Cultural influencers and current priorities differ, and thus communicating with these different demographics should also be different.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/SkinsistaTH/status/1363776795187666945
- Be inclusive, not divisive
One Tweet can spark a conversation. Make sure that conversation is positive and inclusive. Brands should look to be authentic while also welcoming comment and feedback. New ideas should be valued and feedback from customers turned into learnings. Twitter enables brands to connect unlike any other channel and by doing so, brands can build trust.., and conversion!
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/wondertwice2706/status/1368187499856723977
- Conversations drive intent
Good conversations can help to drive intent. Intent to purchase, intent to search for more information about a product, intent to visit a brand's website, or intent to use discount codes or coupons. While advocacy can help drive or ignite those conversations – 59% of online shoppers in Thailand agree that consumer reviews on the internet help them decide what to buy– opinions of others also matter, and alternative opinions may redirect intent. Brands need to listen to all conversations and where necessary, clarify and justify to help convert.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/cloudysstory/status/1369518470241525763
- Converse to inspire
Brands should be wary of trying to incorporate the hard sell into conversations. Twitter is somewhere people come to discuss and share opinions, where honest reviews are powerful advocacy. Brands should look to take conversations beyond the product and brand, understand their audience and respect them; converse on a topic, not the product.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/BumrungradH/status/1368835854009917443
- Think beyond conversion
Brands focus on building awareness, intent and conversion, i.e. sales; and more often, that doesn’t stop there. It’s at this point that brands are missing out on the true power of conversation. The ability to build loyalty. Satisfied customers can become loyal customers and through conversation can be some of the best brand advocates. Twitter provides a unique space for customers to share their product experience, and in turn influence others, further driving a brand’s rate of conversion.
Embeddable Tweet: https://twitter.com/donut_pharmasis/status/1368490958417924099
Plugging into the moment and engaging with consumers is key to driving the conversion of consumers to customers. With savvy brands putting conversations at the heart of their marketing strategy, here are 4 creative ways brands can inspire their audience and build their own conversations on Twitter:
- Promoted Trend Spotlight
Appearing at the top of Trends, Promoted Trend Spotlight is a takeover ad placement that allows brands powerful visibility on Twitter and can inspire conversations.
- Carousel Ad
Converse first, and then convert. The Carousel Ad is a visually creative format that can help to generate conversations and intent to buy, and can be superpowered when collaborating with influencers.
- Conversational Cards
Using the power of images and video, Twitter’s conversational ad formats allow brands to create conversations around their products with call-to-action buttons and customizable hashtags. Effective in engaging with customers, they can also drive customers to share your message.
- Twitter Threads
Go long with Twitter threads. When a single Tweet isn’t enough, brands can engage with consumers through multiple Tweets in a thread. Threads can help brands to continue the conversation, share more detailed product information and motivate consumers, all the while bringing people back to the original Tweet.
2020 was a year of disruption and isolation for many; and 2021 won’t be any different. The power of conversation helped instill some normality into an abnormal year and it’s this desire for people to connect that drives the growth of conversation on Twitter. Brands need to be making #ConverseToConvert a core part of their overall marketing strategy.
