Twitter Blue & Its Potential Impact on Modern Marketing Practices
As a consumer, Twitter is still a vibrant & active social network that I rely on for news and entertainment (who doesn’t love a good meme every now and then?). However, as a marketer, myself and many others in my position have noticed a downward trend in Twitter’s relevance when it comes to ad-spend. Especially relative to other rising stars in the social media space, such as LinkedIn, Instagram & TikTok.
Based on some of the changes being made at Twitter, it’s safe to say marketers aren’t the only ones who noticed Twitter’s gradual decline in relevance. Twitter Fleets (Twitter’s version of a story) and Twitter Spaces (a solely audio feature seemingly aimed at competing with apps like Clubhouse) are some of the notable updates Twitter is making to remain competitive. The most notable update, however, is the introduction of Twitter Blue: a paid subscription service that gives its users access to a whole variety of features the average Twitter user does not have (but has been asking for for years).What features could be worth paying for, you ask? Well, Twitter Blue users will be able to undo tweets, read threads more easily, customise themes, bookmark Tweets and much more.
In terms of the effect these updates will have on marketers, arguably it’s still too early to tell. These features are still relatively recent and in some cases, not even available globally. That said, these changes are clearly geared towards social media influencers and content creators. Considering these people are more likely to affect the buying decisions of consumers than other businesses, it’s fair to speculate that these developments will be more impactful for B2C businesses than B2B ones.
However, any impact these features will have on marketing (B2C or B2B) is largely down to how content creators/social media influencers respond to Twitter blue. If they adopt Twitter Blue & encourage their followers to do the same, this increase in consumers on Twitter would likely be met with increasing amounts of the marketing budget being allocated to Twitter, driven higher still by a variety of businesses all vying for consumer attention.
So, I guess what it really comes down to is whether or not you think influencers and creators will adopt Twitter Blue. While it’s obvious how this update intends to entice content creators, it should be noted that many long-time Twitter users are against the idea of paying for features that they’ve been asking for for years. There are also concerns regarding the fact that it seems as though the complaints and reports of Twitter Blue users will be dealt with at a much quicker rate than average twitter users. Many have voiced their misgivings about Twitter making such a vital service paid-only. Depending on how the public feels about this, influencers themselves may find that it’s better not to align themselves with Twitter’s new paid updates, in order to avoid any negative press these new updates are getting.
All in all, with Twitter Blue (currently) only being available in Australia and Canada, it’s unlikely that marketers will understand its full implications on modern marketing practices for years to come. That said, marketing professionals should still be closely monitoring the situation to anticipate user attitudes towards the service. If successful, Twitter Blue may also help highlight users with disposable income who may be more inclined to make purchases, as well as the topics that they’re interested in. If used correctly, this kind of information can be invaluable when developing marketing messages.
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By Ore Ige
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