Facebook’s recent change of only showing your posts organically (ie not having to pay) to between 1-2% of people who like your page is exactly why I have always suggested that it’s important to not put all your social media eggs in one basket.

“I’ll just use Facebook. I mean, I don’t even get Twitter.” said several clients.

And years later, they still ask, “So, can you explain Twitter to me?” They are probably wondering how this website can keep going on years later when they don’t ‘get’ it.

I have a friend who owns a brewery getting on Twitter for this very reason: Facebook restricts who sees what he puts out there, Twitter doesn’t.

So besides ‘Facebook has failed us’ you might wonder why else people use Twitter. Here are a few you might care about.

Less people on Facebook see your stuff... because Facebook wants to make some money off you. Totally geek out here: http://moz.com/blog/facebook-algorithm-change

Less people on Facebook see your stuff… because Facebook wants to make some money off you. Totally geek out here: http://moz.com/blog/facebook-algorithm-change

See what’s trending in real time.
Gone are the days where we have to wait until the 6 o’clock news to get an idea of what’s going on in our community and around the world. By following hashtags, I can see at a glance that Snooki might be in #barharbor (actually seemed to be just JWoww) or what people are talking about related to #politics.

Try listening in on conversations in real life or elsewhere online. It’s either difficult or considered kind of rude. On Twitter, listening is neither of these things.

Follow and talk to celebrities.
While most celebrities have PR people handling their Facebook pages, lots of celebrities and other VIPs have their own Twitter accounts. You can see Martha Stewart unfiltered for example or publicly reply to @kimkardashian.

These and other Martha gems here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/martha-stewarts-17-best-tweets-ever

These and other Martha gems here: http://www.buzzfeed.com/alannaokun/martha-stewarts-17-best-tweets-ever

Keep in touch with the press.
You know what news reporters are? Busy and kind of overworked. But if they won’t friend you on Facebook because you’re some creep they don’t know and get hundreds of emails a day they don’t respond to, how are you supposed to be friendly with them?

That’s right Twitter. Stop just sending people press releases, make friends with them.

Hop in on a conversation then hop off.
Ever heard some insane conversation and, while you didn’t necessarily want to invest in carrying it on, you’d like to say your idea then jet? On Twitter, you can totally do this, whether you were a conversation originator or not. And so long as you aren’t saying any rude, this behavior in and of itself is not considered rude.

Because think about it, if you didn’t want people to say anything, would you be publicly broadcasting it? Probably not. People post stuff so other people say something. So say something if you want.

Organize people into lists.
Yes you can do this on Facebook too but it somehow seems much easier to do this on Twitter.

People, while they do post some personal stuff on Twitter, it is somehow much less annoying then on Facebook. Maybe it has to do with photos being linked (so I don’t have to see pics of my friend’s kid’s first poop) or maybe it’s the whole putting people in lists thing but I somehow don’t mind seeing that my friend checked into the burrito place when I don’t have to see the badly photographed burrito. Maybe text takes up less memory energy?  Note: If someone has any actual scientific information on this, let me know! This is just my idea and what I’ve heard others say but I’d love to back it up with a source or two!

Listen, Twitter is not nearly my favorite network. And in terms of getting us new customers Facebook and Pinterest are better… right now. All that said, I get some valuable information and have built real relationships (business and fun) using Twitter. And if you want to sit on the sidelines and keep missing the fun, that’s your business.

Now please excuse me while I discuss the merits of Rosalie’s versus Finelli’s pizza with a tourist visiting Bar Harbor.

Need marketing help?

X