"When doctors disagree, the patient dies" the old saying goes. What about when the pundits disagree about the health and prospects of a social media platform?
In this issue I've included two items about Twitter, one arguing we should not "give up " on it (is that a ringing endorsement or an expression of hope?), the other - from a highly respected social media pundit - sounding the death knell. I'll be interested to hear from anyone who has an opinion either way.
Des
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Jay Baer
Ultimately as a business, I think Twitter, as we know it at least, is doomed. Why? Well, they didn’t innovate, and the innovations that they came out with were weak rehashes of what Facebook already does, or Facebook took those ideas and made
them better.
One of the most compelling points Jay makes in this article is that not so long ago, in what I for one thought was a sad thing to see, Twitter put itself openly on the market, but none of the (fabulously wealthy, cashed-up) tech companies would buy. He goes on to say that if Twitter dies, it will be suicide, not
murder. Ouch!
I don't believe Jay makes a compelling case for any of us needing to walk away just yet. And in the next item below an interesting case is made for getting value from participation now, whatever the long term prospects for the platform.
(There's a slight glitch in the article, with part of a para being repeated a couple of times: just read on and you'll pick it up).
Greg Kihlstrom
...while news about Twitter’s decline in revenue and usage may be giving some marketers pause about their future with the platform, there are still many reasons to take it seriously as a marketing channel for brands.
As that short excerpt indicates,
the author is realistic about the decline of Twitter. At the same time, he makes a persuasive case, quite succinctly, for having a positive approach to using the platform.
He explains in terms of four areas:
- Customer
relations
- News and insights
- Research
- Marketing and advertising
Daniel
Catelli
Understanding this wealth of information (social media analytics) can help you adjust and refine your message so you can know that it is speaking to your target audiences in a way that captures their attention.
I have
to admit I generally shy away from reading articles about analytics, mainly I think because I tend to find them very technical and not engrossing.
That said, I know analytics are important, and laziness is no excuse. The author of this post makes a good argument for getting serious about social media analytics, and offers a four point approach (and the article is neither long nor boring!):
- Analyze
- Set goals and define the purpose of each platform for your brand
- Generate new content based on your findings
- Analyze again
