Harriett recently attended the Comms Creative webinar, ‘X/Twitter – Should you stay or should you go?’. Comms expert, Helen Reynolds, explored the pros and cons of staying on the social media platform, discussed alternative spaces that organisations are considering and the importance of having a strategy for your social media content. Read Harriett’s key takeaways from the session.
Issues with the platform
Since Elon Musk purchased Twitter and rebranded the platform as X just over three years ago, many people have decided to leave the platform for varying reasons.
Monetisation has played a big part in the changes at X – analytics are now only available to people who pay a subscription fee, meaning it’s very difficult to know how content is performing. The algorithm changes have meant that paid-for ads and content are prioritised over organic posts in viewers’ feeds.
Reduced content moderation has resulted in an increase in misinformation and hate speech on the platform, with many brands ceasing to use X or distancing themselves from the outlet as they don’t feel it aligns with their values.
Additionally, new policy changes for X have deprioritised certain accessibility features, making the platform unusable for those with accessibility requirements.
All the above has resulted in a sharp decrease in active daily users and lots of organisations have decided that it’s not a platform that’s worth their efforts.
Accounts that are thriving
However, despite all of this, some brands are continuing to perform well on X – Helen shared a post from earlier this month from Yorkshire Tea’s account, which received 328 comments, 556 shares and 9.5k likes.
Similarly, The Dogs Trust’s content consistently receives high levels of interaction. Earlier this month, this post showing a photo of dog that was adopted by former Olympian, Fatima Whitbread, got over 230 reposts and 2.4k likes.
Reasons to stay on X
Helen outlined some of the advantages of sticking with the platform:
- Real time updates: X is still great for spreading information quickly, like sharing breaking news stories and live updates. You can also engage with audiences quickly and effectively.
- Media relations: Lots of journalists still post requests for information or expert opinions, making it a good platform for engaging with them.
- Customer service: Many consumers still use X to complain or ask for help, so you can provide quick responses to them.
- Ethical strategy: Many brands think they can bring light to a dark place and make people smile with their light-hearted, humorous content.
The importance of strategy
Helen proposed an important question people should ask themselves when considering whether they should or shouldn’t leave X: As an ethical brand, will leaving X help or hinder our audience and reputation?
Helen then went on to discuss the importance of developing a strategy.
If you choose to stay on X, let it not be just another platform for you to copy and paste content on and hope for the best, but curate a space for you to redress the balance of misinformation and hate speech, with positive content that brings a smile to people’s faces.
If you choose to stay, consider the below:
- Channel goals: Determine why you’re choosing to stay and what you’ll be using the platform for, whether it’s to source journo requests or answer customer queries effectively.
- Know your audience: Understand who’s following you and shape your tone and content to suit their tastes.
- Set boundaries: Agree who will monitor what and have a process in place for any trolling or abuse.
- Keep it under review: Make sure the platform is still delivering value and be prepared to pause or stop posting if needed.
If you need help with your social media strategy or other comms, get in touch at hello@see-media.co.uk to see how we can help.
