Welcome back to “Is That Still a Thing,” where we look at social networks and examine whether or not it’s worth investing our time and energy into growing an industry presence there. Today, we’re looking at Twitter.

WHAT IS IT?

Twitter is one of the most well-known micro-blogging platforms out there, and it created some of the most popular social media trends that are still around today. Foodstagram? Taking photos of your dinner started on Twitter. Hashtags? Twitter did it first. Quick, snappy quotes meant to catch the eye of mayfly attention spans? Twitter gave you 140 characters in the old days (it’s 280 now).

WHO USES IT?

From brands to politicians, social movement organizations to your favorite movie star, twitter boasts 166 million users worldwide. In the United States, 22% of all adults have a Twitter account. That means for every five people you meet, one of them is on Twitter.

Even though it’s one of the oldest platforms out there, it’s year-over-year user growth is one of the highest out any social network. Twitter demographics also skew younger: 75% of people on twitter are 30 years old or younger. That’s surprising for an elder network.

SHOULD YOU USE IT?

The answer to that question is a big old “maybe.” Twitter is a fast-paced environment. 24-hour news channels don’t have anything on the speed with which tweets go public, go viral, and get forgotten. On other networks, you can get away with posting one really good piece of content every day.

On Twitter, you need to post five times a day. At least.

It’s a lot of effort, but if you have someone who’s willing to devote the time to making your Twitter feed something special, it can really pay off. Especially if your customers are on the platform. The speed with which you can reach and engage with your customers is second to none.

On top of that, there are many communities on Twitter that meet regularly to talk about important and timely topics. (Shout out to #PromoChat, hosted by @PromoKitchen.)

Twitter is tapped into the zeitgeist of the moment. If you can harness this network’s power, you can find yourself on top of trends before anyone else. You may even find yourself creating some of them.

Useful Links:

• Twitter for Business
• The Ultimate Guide to Using Twitter for Business in 2020
• Twitter Marketing: The Complete Guide for Business
• 10 Reasons You Should Set Up a Twitter Business Profile

Let us know what you think! Continue the conversation on SanMar’s social media accounts. You can find us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and yes, Twitter.