Indian marketers are sleeping on Twitter. This needs to be fixed ASAP. Read our blog and let us know what you think.
We’ve started a social media app ban bingo at our office where we keep ticking off apps as they get banned. So far, we’re 117 Chinese apps down. Full house?
Risky Business
Politics was the last thing we thought could disrupt digital media. That is until Cambridge Analytica walked into the room. And then India & China blew up the said room. With India banning apps such as WeChat, TikTok and PUBG and America possibly heading the same way, it’s interesting to forecast which other apps are in choppy waters. Surely not Facebook and Google too… right?
Facebook and Google, too?
Since the Cambridge Analytica days, Facebook’s earned a bad rep. Allegations of turning a blind eye to Russian meddling in American elections did the platform no good. Under the leadership of Zuckerberg, they continue to brazenly platform misinformation and problematic speech. Recently, the Wall Street Journal published an article that could put it in hot waters in India. Facebook India’s Public Policy Head Ankhi Das seems to have allegedly broken the social media giant’s pledge to remain neutral. Messages by her on an internal communications group show a heavy bias towards the Bharatiya Janata Party. Counter allegations have emerged from the BJP about the platform being against their party.
Google, too, has been facing flak due to their payments app GPay. They’re currently engaged in a legal battle over the status of the app and its authorisations.
Given all this activity, we have only one question. Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the safest of them all?
Twitter.
Exploring the Twitter-verse
Brevity works best with the current attention cycle. And what’s simpler than 280 characters? Twitter is quickly becoming a preferred social media platform for Indians. It offers news, entertainment and connections – all in one place. What’s more? Its algorithms aren’t as difficult to crack as Facebook, Instagram and the likes.
So far, brands mainly use Twitter for complaint redressal and to post adapted graphics originally meant for Instagram. But this platform, if used right, can surely be a brand’s best friend (BBF?!) American brands like Wendy’s have used Twitter to generate massive viral campaigns. Netflix India is another great example of Twitter engagement.
We were sceptical too until our freelance social media manager convinced us otherwise. What do we even say about the engagement and discovery on this platform? Within 16 days, our account clocked in close to 2X our monthly impressions on Facebook. In 30 days, our Twitter was beating our LinkedIn AND Facebook combined. That’s massive!
Some of you may argue that LinkedIn, too, is a great platform to be present on right now. Sure, but we have a massive amount of spam messages to clear out before we look for the great content. Until then, we’ll be on Twitter.
See you next week! Hopefully, Twitter or Walmart would’ve purchased TikTok by then.
