Is Your Twitter Tanking?

Are your Twitter metrics down the drain? If so, you’re not alone. And for many, the abysmal organic engagement they saw on Twitter in January of this year is enough to make them rethink their use of the platform as part of an overall social media strategy in the future. Although Twitter has been a perennial part of most marketing and public relation campaigns since it really took off in 2010, it’s time for all of us to consider if it really deserves to stay in the mix. 

Many Users Have Moved On

The platform has allegedly shed at least a million users since Elon Musk took over in October and it’s forecasted that they may lose up to 32 million more over the next two years. That may feel like a drop in the bucket when you consider the 450 million reported users in 2022, but you need to think about whether your target audience is still tweeting. Are the customers, clients, and connections your business needs to grow still utilizing Twitter? That is a question that bears some serious thought. You need to be savvy about where you spend your social media time and budget. 

Twitter is Too Big of a Pool to Play In

Let’s talk about those 450 million users a little bit more. It’s estimated that those users generate at least 500 million tweets per day. How can anyone stand out in that crowd? Though there are dedicated hashtags that bind communities and interest groups together on the platform, it is clear that only the largest accounts and users can truly cut through that level of noise. 

Chaos Isn’t Cute

Since Musk’s arrival, Twitter has been plagued with endless drama, most of it created by its new leader. After cutting thousands of jobs, Musk introduced a new hardcore Twitter that demands entirely too much of its workforce without offering much in the way of compensation. The platform’s so-called algorithm leaves a lot to be desired, too. Recently, upset about a lack of engagement for his own diatribes, Musk adjusted Twitter’s feed to more prominently display his tweets. This kind of “adjustment” goes far beyond pay-to-play and into more interfering, bordering on sinister territory. 

The mayhem and instability at Twitter make it increasingly difficult for us to recommend it as a useful communication channel. Good marketing and PR strategies never play out on just one platform, so now is the perfect time to think critically about where your audience is, how you can best get their attention, and how to craft sustainable, productive systems to do just that.