Twitter Tips & Guides | Sprout Social

The Rise and Fall Of New Platforms: What Threads Has Taught Us About Emerging Social Media

Cat Anderson — Tue, 22 Aug 2023 15:54:39 +0000

Threads burst onto the scene this summer and quickly became the fastest-growing social media platform of all time with 100+ million users in one week. As the heat of its entrance has died down, what does this new platform mean for your brand and social strategy? What have we learnt about Threads, where does it fit in in the social media sphere, and well, is it too late to be an early adopter?

As social media teams across the world figure out strategies to not only incorporate Threads but also excel at it, this webinar will examine what we’ve learnt so far and explore thoughts on what we think is in store.

Hear insights from social media consultant and industry analyst, Matt Navarra, and Senior Social Media Manager from financial favourite and industry disrupter, Monzo.

You will learn:

The current state of Threads and how early adopter brands leverage its capabilities
How businesses can use Threads for community building, customer care and more
Key distinctions and differentiations between Threads strategy vs. other social channels
Predictions for 2024 and beyond

Your speakers:

The post The Rise and Fall Of New Platforms: What Threads Has Taught Us About Emerging Social Media appeared first on Sprout Social.

How to use Twitter advanced search to get more leads for your brand

Jacqueline Zote — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 13:50:15 +0000

Twitter (rebranded as “X”) is a treasure trove of information for brands to understand their audience. However, the platform can get noisy with Twitter users sending out thousands of new Tweets every second. This can make it challenging to find the posts and interactions that are relevant to your Twitter marketing strategy. That’s what makes Twitter advanced search such a vital tool for brands and marketers looking to extract valuable insights.

In this post, we’ve put together a quick guide breaking down how to make the most of Twitter’s advanced search features. This will help you better narrow down the most relevant interactions for your brand.

Read on to find out what Twitter advanced search is and how to use it strategically for your brand.

Table of contents

What is Twitter advanced search?
How to access Twitter advanced search
How to use Twitter advanced search
Twitter advanced search commands and operators
7 impactful ways to use Twitter advanced search
How to use Sprout Social to enhance your Twitter searches

What is Twitter advanced search?

Twitter advanced search is a tool that lets you tailor your search results based on a number of filters. This makes it easier to find Tweets that are highly specific and relevant to your needs. So you can gain valuable insights to maximize the benefits of Twitter for your brand.

This Twitter search feature lets you search for Tweets containing specific words, hashtags and phrases. You can even exclude keywords or search Tweets from specific accounts. The feature further lets you filter results by number of engagements, date ranges and other filters.

How to access Twitter advanced search

Twitter advanced search on desktop

There are two ways to access the Twitter advanced search tool via desktop.

The first option is to directly access it from https://twitter.com/search-advanced.
The second option is to first conduct a search using the regular Twitter search feature. Then click on the three-dot button next to the search bar and select “Advanced search.”

Twitter advanced search on mobile

Mobile users can access the advanced search tool through their mobile browser. Just like on desktop, there are two ways to access Twitter advanced search on mobile.

The first option is to open your mobile browser and directly go to https://mobile.twitter.com/search-advanced.
The second option is to first conduct a regular Twitter search from your mobile browser. Then click on the three-dot button next to the search bar and select “Advanced search.”

How to use Twitter advanced search

The advanced search tool offers plenty of ways to refine your search results. This helps you discover specific Tweets and conversations to make the most of Twitter for your business. Here’s a quick look at how to search on Twitter using the advanced search tool.

Searching for specific words, phrases and hashtags

All of these words – Provide two or more words and search for Tweets containing all those terms in no specific order.
This exact phrase – Search for Tweets matching the exact phrase. You can use this to look for Tweets containing names, quotes and precise terminologies.
Any of these words – Provide two or more words and search for Tweets containing any of those terms. For example, a search for “coffee beans” may show Tweets containing only “coffee” or only “beans.”
None of these words – Exclude Tweets containing certain words. This is great for filtering irrelevant Tweets from your search results.
These hashtags – Look for Tweets containing specific hashtags.
Language – Filter your search results to find only those Tweets written in a specific language.

Searching for users or accounts

From these accounts – Search for Tweets coming from specific accounts. If you use this alongside the word search, you could even look for Tweets containing certain words sent from those accounts. So, for example, you could search for Tweets by @twitter containing the phrase “customer support.”
To these accounts – Search for Tweets sent to specific accounts. This would include Tweets sent in reply to those accounts.
Mentioning these accounts – Look for Tweets mentioning certain accounts.

Combining these search options will help you easily find conversations between different accounts. For example, you’d be able to look for Tweets from Wendy’s to Chipotle or vice versa.

Searching for Tweets by date

Advanced search gives you the option to look for Tweets sent out within a specific date range. You can narrow your search by year, month and date.

Searching based on engagement

One useful feature is the ability to filter search results by engagement. You can look for Tweets containing at least X number of replies, X number of likes and X number of Retweets.

Using search filters

Advanced search further lets you narrow your results based on several filters. You can choose to exclude or include replies. Or you can choose to only show replies and exclude original Tweets.

Similarly, you can choose to include Tweets with links or only show Tweets with links.

Twitter advanced search commands and operators

Besides the advanced search tool, Twitter offers a few additional resources to refine your search. Make the most of its standard search operators to perform advanced searches on the platform.

These search operators work similarly to Twitter’s advanced search. The main difference is you can enter them directly into the normal search function.

For example, let’s say you’re planning a Disney vacation and have a family member with dietary restrictions. Maybe you want to see the Twitterverse’s experiences with Disney’s dining options. So you search “Disney” and “allergy” (in quotations, separately) to score some real-time information and feedback.

There are a number of Twitter search operators and queries out there. And brands can use them for everything from customer service to competitive research. Whether you use these operators in the standard search field or the advanced search UI comes down to your preferences. If you’d like a handy reminder of your options for Twitter search operators, check out the cheat sheet below.

Image Source: Twitter

7 impactful ways to use Twitter advanced search

According to the latest Twitter stats, 15% of users turn to the platform for customer service. Meanwhile, 32% of brands are using it to deliver customer service. So there’s a huge opportunity for brands to use Twitter advanced search for ramping up their customer service efforts.

But that’s not all. Check out these seven impactful ways to use advanced search on Twitter.

1. Zero in on customer questions and concerns

Twitter is the go-to channel for customer support. And using the right search queries can help you prioritize your fans’ issues.

Perform advanced searches including your @account and terms such as “help,” “support” and “service.” This can help clue you in on anyone having a problem. Additionally, you can tack on a question mark (“?”) to that query to spot anyone who has a question for you.

2. Find ideas for content

Twitter is a hub for trending conversations. People go to the platform to talk about trending topics and discuss important events. These conversations can show you what your audience is talking about and what they’re interested in. Based on these interests, you can then understand what types of content will resonate with them.

As such, Twitter serves as a valuable source of inspiration for content–whether it’s your next blog post or live broadcast.

Use Twitter advanced search to see what people are saying about a specific topic. Then use those conversations to get a sense of what they’re interested in. For example, you might find that people are talking about sustainable coffee. You could then put together a blog post discussing the topic to educate your audience.

3. Find relevant industry influencers

Want to know who are the biggest players in your industry? Or whose content is totally killin’ it?

Searching by engagement parameters can help you do just that.

This would involve filtering search results to narrow down Tweets with higher engagements. In general, influential users get more likes and Retweets compared to regular users. Performing this type of advanced search can help you zero in on users who are leading the conversation around certain topics.

4. Spot positive customer comments

Brands are rightfully concerned about their reputation with fans and followers. And the advanced search functionality is a great way to conduct Twitter listening and monitor brand reputation.

You can conduct a surface-level sentiment analysis by searching for positive keywords along with your brand name. Think “best,” “happy,” “excellent” and so on. You can even tack on emoticons such as “:)”.

These can reveal Tweets in which customers share positive experiences with your brand. So they give you the perfect opportunity to respond and engage and nurture your relationship with them.

5. Never miss another mention

Spoiler alert: not everyone talking about you online is taking the time to tag you.

Save a Twitter advanced query that includes your brand name, common misspellings and your website. This will give you a good start to monitoring social mentions more diligently. So you can send timely responses and prevent further disappointment.

Sleeping on such an interaction could be bad news for your business, especially if it’s a customer complaint on the line.

You’ll find the option to “save search” by clicking on the three-dot button next to the search window.

6. Monitor your competitors

Want to see what people are saying about the competition? Or how your competitors are responding to their customers?

Run an advanced search to look for Tweets mentioning your biggest competitors. Then analyze those Tweets to understand why people love (or hate) your competitors.

This could give you insights to strengthen your Twitter communications strategy. You can even use the insights to inform your larger marketing and promotion efforts.

Sprout Social’s Twitter analytics tools make it even easier to do a competitor analysis. You can do a side-by-side Twitter profile comparison to see how you stack up to your top competitors.

7. Identify your most popular Tweets

Curious to see which of your Tweets are resonating with your audience? Use Twitter’s advanced search to look for your Tweets with a certain number of likes and Retweets.

For example, you could search for Tweets with at least 50 likes and 20 Retweets.

How to use Sprout Social to enhance your Twitter searches

Twitter lets you run complex searches for @mentions, hashtags, keyword groups and exclusions. But there are more operators out there to narrow down the search even more.

This means that you need to have a strategy for not only figuring out relevant searches for your brand but also organizing them.

Sprout’s Twitter integration helps you streamline your searches and monitor relevant keywords in one place. Use it to set up keyword searches and identify relevant conversations for your brand. You can then keep track of all these conversations through a single Smart Inbox. From the same social inbox, you can engage with mentions and replies instead of having to switch platforms.

Using Twitter advanced search for advanced results

The Twitter advanced search feature allows you to uncover valuable conversations and insights for your brand. Make the most of the tips and ideas shared above to maximize the outcome of your Twitter strategy.

If you ever feel overwhelmed trying to make the platform work for you, don’t forget there are plenty of Twitter tools to make your job easier. Use them to your advantage and get more out of Twitter for your brand.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology

The post How to use Twitter advanced search to get more leads for your brand appeared first on Sprout Social.

How to schedule Tweets: Your brand’s complete guide in 2023

Chloe West — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 13:00:17 +0000

Twitter has over 368 million monthly active users, so there’s no shortage of highly active and engaged users on the platform. But it also means there’s competition for eyes on Tweets, and you’ll need to be strategic when you post on the platform.

That’s where Twitter scheduling comes in.

Scheduling Twitter posts ensures that your content is published when your followers are more likely active and can significantly improve your Twitter engagement and reach. It also ensures you don’t have to be “on” at all times of the day to manually Tweet when your audience is most active.

In this guide, we’ll discuss the importance of scheduling Twitter posts and why it makes sense for your Twitter marketing strategy—plus a few key scheduling tips. And to help you get started, you’ll also learn how to schedule Tweets—with and without Sprout Social’s powerful scheduling tool.

Benefits of scheduling Tweets
How to schedule Tweets on Twitter
How to schedule Tweets using Sprout Social
How to schedule Tweets on mobile
How to view scheduled Tweets
How to schedule multiple Tweets
Tips for scheduling Tweets

Benefits of scheduling Tweets

Why should you care about scheduling posts on Twitter, and why does it matter for your Twitter marketing? Let’s break down the reasons why scheduling Twitter posts makes sense for businesses.

1. Improves organization and productivity

Scheduling Twitter posts ahead of time allows you to organize your Twitter publishing efforts so you can remain productive during the day. For example, if you have to Tweet multiple times throughout the day, scheduling Tweets means you can continue your daily tasks without interruption.

With Twitter scheduling, you can dedicate a couple of hours each day or week to schedule your content in batches. This keeps you and your content organized well ahead of time and helps maintain productivity.

2. Helps maintain your posting schedule

Planning and scheduling your Tweets can be useful if you’re trying to establish or maintain a content calendar. By planning out Tweets for the week or month ahead, you have the opportunity to create a consistent posting schedule where there’s no risk of forgetting to send out a Tweet at a certain time.

So rest easy knowing you can publish your Tweets based on your pre-planned schedule, whether it’s around a specific campaign or seasonal content.

3. Ensures consistent cross-platform messaging

If your social media strategy involves sharing a similar message across all your social media accounts, Twitter scheduling simplifies the process, ensuring your cross-platform messaging is cohesive.

This also makes sense when you’re managing multiple Twitter accounts. By using a social media scheduler, you can schedule your posts to go out at the same time across all social media channels to maintain consistency.

4. Allows you to run tests on optimal send times

Schedule Tweets to go out at different times throughout the week to find out which timing works best for your audience. You might be surprised to discover when your audience is most active. Using Sprout’s research on the best time to post is a good starting point but can vary based on your industry or audience.

5. Helps you target different time zones

Scheduling Twitter posts also makes sense when you have to target audiences in specific locations. You can schedule your Tweets to go out at the optimal send times for different time zones.

This improves your chances of reaching the right target audience at the right time no matter where they live. This goes back to finding the best time to Tweet according to your audience, and testing on social media can help.

How to schedule Tweets on Twitter

Twitter has its own in-app scheduling tool—currently available only on desktop—that makes it easy to schedule one Tweet at a time.

Step 1: Select the Tweet Composer

Head to Twitter.com with your Tweet idea. Click inside the Tweet Composer to get ready to Tweet.

Step 2: Write out your Tweet

Compose your Tweet. You can add media (like an image, video or GIF), add a poll, add an emoji or tag your location.

Pro Tip: If you include an image or GIF in your Tweet, add a description to it for accessibility.

Step 3: Click schedule

Click the icon of a calendar with a click in the bottom right corner—this is the scheduling option.

Step 4: Select your schedule date

Input the date and time you want your Tweet to go live. With Twitter’s tool, you can schedule Tweets out as far in advance as 18 months. Once you’ve chosen the correct date and time, click Confirm in the top right corner.

Step 5: Click schedule

You’ll see a small snippet above the Tweet confirming the date and time it will go live. Click Schedule to finish scheduling and add it to your queue of Tweets.

How to schedule Tweets using Sprout Social

The native Twitter scheduler is a great tool for the platform, but if you have to manage brand accounts across various social media platforms, it’s nice to have something more comprehensive. Sprout is a robust social media publishing platform that you can use to schedule your posts for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and more.

Using Sprout, you can schedule your social posts weeks and months ahead. And since you can visualize your posting calendar, it’s much easier to work on campaigns and promotions. The tool even lets you schedule recurring posts to simplify your planning and productivity.

Here’s how you can use Sprout to schedule Twitter posts.

Step 1: Click on the blue compose button

From the Publishing dashboard, click on the blue Compose button at the top right-hand corner of the screen. This will open up a New Post window, where you can write out your Tweet.

Step 2: Compose your Tweet

If you’ve connected multiple Twitter profiles to Sprout, choose the Twitter profile where you want to publish your Tweet from the Profile Picker drop-down menu at the top. Then compose your Tweet, including images and/or videos as well.

Step 3: Click the “When to post” option

Under your post in the Composition window, you’ll find a When to post option next to a drop-down menu. Click on the drop-down button and select a Specific date and time.

Step 4: Choose the date(s) you want to publish

Select the date(s) and time(s) when you want your Tweet to publish. If you’re not too sure about what time to schedule your posts, select Use Optimal Times, and Sprout will provide you with options for the best time to post based on your Tweet performance history. You can also select multiple dates and times for recurring Tweets.

Step 5: Click schedule

Once you’re done, simply click the Schedule button. And that’s it! You’ve scheduled your Tweet using Sprout.

How to schedule Tweets on mobile

It’s just as easy to schedule Tweets via the Sprout Social mobile app. Start by downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play Store and log into your Sprout Social account.

Then follow these steps.

Step 1: Tap “Compose”

Tap the Compose icon in the bottom right corner of your calendar.

Step 2: Type out your Tweet

Type out your Tweet and add any additional media.

Step 3: Tap “Schedule”

Tap Schedule from the top dropdown menu, select your preferred date and time, then tap Save.

How to view scheduled Tweets

Looking back at your currently scheduled Tweets can help you make sure that you haven’t left any out from your planned content calendar. You also may want to go back and edit or reschedule your scheduled Tweets if a new promotion suddenly comes up and you need to create new content.

How to view scheduled Tweets on Twitter

To view any Tweets you’ve scheduled through Twitter itself, click the schedule icon again. There’s a link at the bottom of the popup for Scheduled Tweets. Click this.

You’ll be taken to your Drafts section, which has two tabs: Unsent Tweets and Scheduled. You can view all of your scheduled Tweets and click on any you might need to edit, reschedule or delete.

How to view scheduled Tweets in Sprout Social

After scheduling your Tweets using Sprout, you can view them in the Publishing Calendar. There are a number of different ways you can view these Tweets, depending on what makes the most sense for your needs.

List view

Here, you can view your scheduled posts in list format in order of when they’ll go out.

Week view

Or you can use the week view to visualize the posts you’ve scheduled throughout that particular week. The weekly view also helps you visualize the post volume for the current and upcoming week, and what order posts will be published, in case you want to make some adjustments.

From here, you can easily switch things around by moving the cards. For instance, if you see that you have too many Tweets going out on Tuesday, you can drag one of the cards to schedule the post for another day of the week.

Month view

If you select the month view, you can visualize your publishing schedule for the entire month. You’ll be able to see how many posts you have scheduled on a certain day and on which platform. This is a great way to review your monthly publishing calendar and find out if there’s any need for adjustments, especially based around different marketing campaigns or holidays.

How to schedule multiple Tweets

If you have a lot of Tweets to schedule, the idea of sitting at your desk and scheduling one by one likely seems like a bit of a nightmare. Luckily, with Sprout’s bulk scheduling capabilities, you don’t have to worry about that.

When creating your content, do so in a spreadsheet. You can use either Excel or Google Sheets, but if you’re incorporating emoji into your Twitter content, you’ll want to opt for Google Sheets to avoid formatting issues.

You’ll need to format your spreadsheet with the following column headers:

date: In dd/mm/yyyy or mm/dd/yyyy format, depending on your import preferences.
time_24hr: Place in 24-hour format. Each of your Tweets must be scheduled at least 10 minutes apart from each other as well as at least 10 minutes after the time you’re uploading your spreadsheet to Sprout.
message_text: Your Tweet content. Remember that it must be less than 280 characters—unless you’re subscribed to Twitter Blue where you get up to 4,000 characters. If you need to include a link, paste it into this column.
public_image_url: If you’re adding an image to your Tweet, use this column to paste the link to your public image URL. Consider uploading it to your CMS and grabbing the link from there.

Once you’ve completed your spreadsheet, export it as a CSV. Then you’ll head to the Publishing dashboard in your Sprout Social account before clicking to the Calendar view. Then click the three dots to access Bulk Post Import.

Once you click that, you’ll be taken to the Import Posts dashboard so you can drag and drop your CSV to upload your Tweets. Select your Twitter account then make sure you have the correct date format based on how you formatted dates within your spreadsheet.

Then click Start Import to begin importing your newly scheduled Tweets.

If there are any issues with some of your Tweets, you can download a CSV of any that weren’t able to be imported so that you can fix the formatting errors and re-upload the remaining content.

This makes it incredibly easy to schedule an entire month’s worth of Twitter content at once, without having to spend your entire day scheduling Tweet after Tweet.

Tips for scheduling multiple Tweets

Ready to start scheduling your Tweets? It can be such a huge time-saver that we highly recommend it. But first, here are a few tips to help make scheduling as easy as possible.

Identify how often you should post

Before you start creating and scheduling your Twitter content, identify how often to post. While our overarching recommendation is 3-4 Tweets per day, you should also pay attention to your historical data to see how many Tweets get you the best reach and engagement.

You can then stick to this number of daily Tweets as you create and schedule your content. This ensures you’re sticking with the number that generates the best results.

Review your scheduled Tweets

After a day of scheduling—or even if you used the bulk scheduling option—always go back to review your scheduled Tweets. By reviewing your calendar, you can double check that you haven’t missed any content or double-posted any content, eliminating potential errors.

Check analytics regularly

While scheduling Tweets can be a huge time-saver, that doesn’t mean you get to neglect other parts of your Twitter strategy—including monitoring your analytics. Keeping an eye on your Twitter analytics can help you make sure your strategy is still working, that you’re posting the right frequency and amount of Tweets and that your engagement isn’t dropping.

Why wait? Schedule Tweets today

When done right, Twitter scheduling can be a smart and efficient way to manage your social media content. And Sprout gives you a robust set of publishing tools to help you execute that more effectively. In addition to just scheduling your Tweets, you can use Sprout tools to visualize your content calendar, upload assets for later use and seamlessly collaborate with your team.

If you’d like to try scheduling your Twitter posts, along with your other social profiles, sign up for a free 30-day trial.

The post How to schedule Tweets: Your brand’s complete guide in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

The ultimate guide to Twitter for business

Mahnoor Sheikh — Wed, 10 May 2023 21:06:07 +0000

Twitter (rebranded as “X) is one of the most versatile social media networks in the world.

With 238 million monetizable users logging into the app daily, Twitter marketing helps brands connect with potential customers, influence purchase decisions and stay ahead of industry trends. The platform boasts over 556 monthly active users. And 55% of these users check the app daily for the latest news, self-expression, entertainment, networking and more. There’s as much funny meme content on Twitter as political discussions and updates. And that’s only a few reasons why Twitter is a power marketing channel.

In this article, you’ll learn all about using Twitter for business. We’ll walk you through the benefits of Twitter marketing, how to set up a business account and how to tweet your way to success.

Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Why should businesses use Twitter?
How to create a business Twitter account
How to use Twitter for business effectively

Why should businesses use Twitter?

Twitter is a hub of niche communities, real-time conversations and microblogging. For brands, the platform offers tons of opportunities to connect with audiences, build relationships and keep tabs on customer sentiment.

Below are several key benefits of using Twitter for business:

Increase brand awareness: Share engaging content and join trending conversations on the platform to amplify your brand’s visibility and reach.
Unlock valuable insights: Keep an eye on industry trends, brand sentiment, changing customer demands and more by monitoring and joining relevant conversations.
Promote products and campaigns: Showcase your latest offerings and create buzzworthy campaigns on Twitter to capture your audience’s attention and drive conversions.
Provide customer support: Quickly address inquiries and concerns in tweets or Direct Messages (DMs), leading to more satisfied customers and brand loyalty.
Build relationships with industry influencers: Connect and collaborate with key influencers in your niche. Leverage their reach to expand your audience and make a bigger impact with your message.
Effectively manage potential crises: Proactively address issues and communicate transparently with your audience to maintain your brand’s credibility and trustworthiness.

How to create a business Twitter account

Creating a Twitter for business account is straightforward.

Set up a Twitter profile and convert it into a Professional Account to access additional tools and features that would benefit businesses.

Once you’ve created a Twitter Professional Account signed up and verified your contact information, follow the steps below to set up your profile:

Upload a profile photo: Add a high-quality photo to visually represent your brand on the platform. This should ideally be your company logo. Ensure your profile photo has the right dimensions and fits well in a small, circular space.
Add a header image: This image goes at the top of your Twitter profile like a banner or billboard. Update your header image to reflect upcoming events, promotions, hiring announcements and more. Choose a photo that aligns with your brand’s current vibe.
Add a display name and @name: Your @name is a unique name that represents your Twitter profile across the platform. It’s what people can use to tag and respond to you. To make it easy, keep your @name as identical as possible across all social profiles. The display name appears at the top of your @name on your profile and should ideally be the full name of your business or brand.
Customize your bio: Write a short-and-sweet Twitter bio to describe your brand, core value or offering. Don’t forget to include your website and location to help potential customers get in touch. If you have a physical store, you can also include your open hours.
Pin a tweet: This is the Tweet users will see pinned at the top of your feed. If you’re a new business, you could pin a Tweet summarizing your key offerings. Or, pin tweets about upcoming product launches, events, sales and other big news.

That’s it! Your Twitter account is now set up and ready for you to start engaging with your audience. Head to More → Twitter for Professionals to convert your profile into a business account.

Additionally, access advanced features like ads and monetization by navigating to More → Professional Tools from the left-hand sidebar.

How to use Twitter for business effectively

Just like any other platform, you need to be strategic when using Twitter to maximize results and attract the right users. Below are some tips for using Twitter for business more effectively.

Refine your Twitter marketing strategy

Taking a strategic approach on Twitter gives direction to your marketing efforts and boosts your chances of seeing success on the platform.

Here are several actions you can take to start on the right foot:

Set clear goals: Goal-setting lets you pick the right tactics and allocate resources like budget, staff and time. It also helps you focus on relevant metrics to measure progress. For example, if your goal is to increase brand awareness, success to you might mean a 50% increase in impressions and retweets over the next three months.
Identify your target audience: Conduct audience research to identify their demographics, interests, pain points and habits. For example, if you own a fitness brand, your target audience might be young professionals interested in health and wellness. Use this information to create tailored content they resonate with.
Research the competition: Study your competitors’ Twitter presence and analyze their strengths, weaknesses and tactics. This can help you uncover opportunities and avoid making the same mistakes. For instance, if you notice that a competitor’s video content receives high engagement, consider incorporating more video content into your own strategy.
Focus on what makes your brand unique: Emphasize your brand’s value props to differentiate yourself from competitors and build a strong brand identity. For example, if your eco-friendly clothing brand uses sustainable materials and donates a portion of profits to environmental causes, highlight this in your Twitter content.

Create valuable content

Share carefully crafted content on Twitter that delivers actual value to users — whether that’s entertainment, education or advertisement. This helps you build authority in your niche, attract new followers and retain existing ones.

If you’re looking to add variety to your Twitter marketing efforts, you can encourage and share user-generated content. In fact, retweeting content from customers like reviews, mentions and photos with your products can help you build community and connect with your followers.

Experiment with different types of tweets, such as informative, humorous and promotional ones. If you’re a SaaS company, for example, you can share industry news, helpful tips, customer stories and product updates on Twitter.

Also, did you know tweets with videos get 10x more engagement than those without? Use visuals like infographics, photos, GIFs and videos into your Tweets to spark conversation and make your content more impactful.

Engage with and grow your followers

Building a strong connection with your audience is key to growing your Twitter presence. Consistently engage with current and potential followers in your network to attract the right audiences.

Of course, this involves responding to comments, mentions and direct messages (DMs) timely. But to make an impact, proactively join conversations that are relevant to your industry.

Participate in Twitter chats, join or even host Twitter Spaces and run polls. Encourage followers to interact with your tweets by asking thoughtful questions and sharing relatable content. Ask people about their opinions and experiences to motivate them to respond.

Also, offer valuable insights and answer questions when you can. For example, if you recently published a research report, share some findings on relevant Twitter threads or create a series of Tweets promoting the report. All of this helps put your brand in the spotlight, grows your network and builds credibility.

Use trending hashtags

Using popular hashtags in your tweets can accelerate your visibility and help you reach new audiences. Hashtags make your content can appear in broader conversations, exposing your brand to users who might not have found you otherwise.

Use hashtags naturally in place of certain words so your Tweets can appear when users search for related topics. Here’s how we do it at Sprout Social.

Now, how do you find the right hashtags for your brand?

Start with Twitter’s native Explore page to find trending hashtags in your location. Scroll down to view “What’s happening” and popular posts related to specific industries and topics in your network.

Another way to find trending hashtags to capitalize on is to use a social listening or hashtag research tool. Sprout Social’s Listening feature, for example, lets you monitor conversations related to your brand and identify relevant keywords.

Finally, keep an eye out for general trending topics or viral challenges that align with your brand values. Participating in trends showcases your brand’s personality and helps you connect with users on a more personal level.

A word of caution — avoid overusing hashtags. Research suggests using more than two hashtags per tweet can lead to a drop in engagement. So, be selective and focus on the most impactful and relevant hashtags to maximize your reach.

Reuse & repurpose your content

Make the most out of your existing content by sharing it in fresh, new formats.

Repurposing content helps keep your Twitter feed active and engaging — even if you have a publishing calendar full of ideas. It also lets you attract a wider audience and save time and money while you’re at it.

Here are some ways to reuse and repurpose content on Twitter:

Turn blog posts into infographics or short videos: Transform key takeaways from your blog articles into visually appealing infographics or brief video summaries. This not only increases the lifespan of your content but also caters to followers who prefer visual or audio content over text.

Reshare evergreen content: Identify timeless Tweets or blog posts that remain relevant over time, such as how-to guides or industry best practices. Share these posts periodically to ensure new followers don’t miss out on valuable insights.
Create Twitter threads from long-form content: Break down articles, white papers or case studies into a series of Tweets, or a Twitter thread. This will make it easier for followers to digest complex information and encourage engagement.

Highlight customer testimonials and success stories: Share positive reviews and excerpts from case studies as standalone tweets or in a visual format, like quote cards or short video clips.
Convert data into visuals: If you have original data or research, transform it into attention-grabbing charts, graphs or other visual formats to make it more shareable and engaging.

Use social monitoring to understand brand sentiment

Social monitoring is tracking what people are saying about you (or someone else) online. It’s a great way to understand how customers feel about your brand and your competitors.

Social monitoring also helps improve your content sourcing, one of the most time consuming parts of social media management. Learn how to use Twitter advanced search to set up parameters for your brand that will help you stay on top of even indirect mentions of your business.

Alternatively, leverage social listening tools like Sprout to track mentions, analyze consumer sentiment and identify trends.

Our Listening feature comes in handy here for searching across multiple networks. Enter brand keywords and common search terms associated with your brand and the messages will display right along with any @mentions. So even if someone doesn’t mention your brand by name or misspells it, you’ll still be there to help them out.

Use this data to inform your content strategy, address customer concerns and uncover opportunities for engagement. Sprout’s listening features also enable you to monitor competitor performance and industry conversations.

Know when and how often to Tweet

To maximize engagement, tweet during peak times when your audience is most active.

The best times to post on Twitter would naturally vary from business to business, but we found in our research the ideal times to post on Twitter are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Here’s a snapshot of the averages we found in our research for peak engagement times:

Additionally, consider how often you want to post. You don’t want to drive followers away by constantly posting around the clock. Test and find the optimal posting frequency that helps you stay on top of users’ minds without cannibalizing their entire feed.

Use Sprout’s social scheduling to always post at just the right time — even if your audience is in a different time zone. Scheduling posts in advance helps you stick to a consistent posting schedule, even during weekends or holidays. Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature uses machine learning technology based on your account’s data to suggest and schedule Tweets at the most opportune times.

Use Twitter features to connect and engage

Twitter offers several features to help businesses reach their audience in unique ways. You don’t need to use every single feature, but it’s worth experimenting with a few of them to create a more dynamic presence on the platform.

Here are some Twitter features businesses can take advantage of:

Twitter Spaces: Host live audio conversations with your followers and industry experts. This feature allows you to discuss relevant topics, share insights and answer questions from your audience in real-time.
Twitter Lists: Organize your feed and keep track of influencers, customers and competitors by creating and subscribing to Lists. This tool can help you monitor industry trends, curate content and find potential collaboration opportunities.
Polls: Create Twitter polls to gather feedback, opinions or preferences from your followers. Polls can be an effective way to involve your audience in decision-making, generate buzz around upcoming campaigns or simply spark engagement.

Livestream: Share live videos using Twitter’s built-in livestreaming feature to showcase product demos, behind-the-scenes footage or events. Livestreams can create a sense of urgency and exclusivity, encouraging followers to tune in and engage with your content.
Twitter Communities: Join or create Twitter Communities that focus on topics related to your industry. These groups provide a platform for like-minded individuals to connect, share ideas and discuss relevant issues, allowing you to build relationships and establish your brand as a thought leader.

By incorporating some of these features into your Twitter strategy, you can create a more engaging and interactive experience for your followers.

Remember to choose the features that best align with your brand and objectives. Be open to adapting your approach based on your audience’s preferences and feedback.

Promote your content with Twitter ads

Did you know people spend 26% more time viewing ads on Twitter than on any other platform?

Using Twitter ads alongside your organic strategy can help you reach a wider audience. Here are some tips for maximizing your ad campaigns on the platform:

Choose the right ad format: Using 3-5 different ad formats can help drive campaign awareness and purchase intent. Select the best ad formats, such as Promoted Tweets or Promoted Accounts, to align with your specific marketing goals and objectives.
Define your target audience: Utilize Twitter’s advanced targeting options to ensure your ads reach the most relevant and interested users.
Create compelling ad creatives: Craft engaging visuals paired with concise messaging and enticing calls-to-action (CTAs) to capture attention and encourage action.
Set a budget and bid strategy: Establish a campaign budget and choose an appropriate bidding strategy based on your goals, such as cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-engagement (CPE).
Test and optimize: Continuously analyze and refine your ad variations, targeting options and bidding strategies to maximize the effectiveness and return on investment (ROI) of your campaigns.

Tap into Twitter analytics

Monitor your Twitter performance using the platform’s built-in analytics tools. Here are some key metrics to keep an eye on:

Impressions: Measure the number of times your tweet has been viewed by users.
Engagements: Track the total number of interactions with your tweet, including likes, replies, and retweets.
Engagement rate: Calculate the percentage of users who interact with your tweet compared to those who viewed it.
Click-through rate (CTR): Assess the proportion of users who click on a link in your tweet.
Follower growth: Monitor the increase or decrease in your total number of followers over time.
Top tweets: Identify your most successful tweets based on engagement and impressions.
Audience demographics: Understand the age, gender, location and interests of your followers.
Hashtag performance: Evaluate the effectiveness of the hashtags you use in your tweets.

Use these insights to refine your content strategy, identify trends and optimize your Twitter marketing efforts for better results.

If you want to go deeper, use a social media management platform that includes Twitter analytics on a post-performance level like Sprout.

Sprout lets you access all your important metrics from a single dashboard. Additionally, keep tabs on follower sentiment, trending topics and hashtags, audience behavior and more.

Grow your business with Twitter

Using Twitter for business can help you participate in larger conversations in your industry, establishing your brand’s credibility and authority.

Build a solid Twitter marketing strategy with clear goals, valuable content, trending hashtags and more. Use features like paid ads, Spaces, livestreams, social listening and analytics to amplify your impact on Twitter and attract the right audience.

Want to learn more about how to deliver extraordinary customer experiences on the platform? Check out our guide to using Twitter for customer service.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology.

The post The ultimate guide to Twitter for business appeared first on Sprout Social.

Best times to post on Twitter in 2023

Mary Keutelian — Mon, 08 May 2023 22:22:05 +0000

If there’s one platform where it seems like the best time to post seems like 24/7 it’s Twitter (rebranded as “X”). However, we know from our initial analysis that there are more preferred engagement times for Twitter users. With 436 million monthly active users worldwide and 55% of Twitter users using the platform daily, conversations are not slowing down.

Businesses see the value of Twitter in terms of staying close to emerging topics, trends and sentiments from global audiences. And now, more than ever, marketers understand the importance of staying close to the conversations and brand sentiment. And as a platform for conversations and customer care, it’s important to understand how to use Twitter for business in a meaningful way.

Learn how to identify your best times to post globally on Twitter a free trial of Sprout Social and test our ViralPost® feature with your profiles.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Disclaimer: Data from Sprout Social include users from various plan types, industries and locations. All time frames are recorded globally, meaning you should be able to publish with the times provided in any timezone and see positive engagement results. Number of engagements represents total engagements a brand received on the specific channel during that hour time frame. Industry-specific data includes mid- to high-level engagement times. We recommend testing with your own accounts to find the most optimal send times.

What are the best times to post on Twitter?
What are the best times to post on Twitter by industry?
How to find your own best times to post on social media
How Sprout gathered the data
Find your best times to post with Sprout

Best Times to Post on Twitter

Best times to post on Twitter:
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Fridays 9 a.m. to noon
Best days to post on Twitter: Tuesdays through Thursdays
Worst days to post on Twitter: Sundays

Twitter has consistently been the platform for up-to-the-minute conversations and breaking news. And 2022 didn’t stop with breaking news and trends on or about Twitter. Brands looking to participate in trending topics need to be timely but conscious of their brand values in the process.

Twitter peak times for engagement grew significantly compared to last year, with hours consistently at late-morning to midday during weekdays. The best times to post on Twitter are Tuesdays through Fridays beginning at 9 a.m. and taper off around noon.

This could reflect an interest in developing news and updates as the day unfolds, as well as a desire for entertainment. Keep in mind many brands use Twitter as part of their customer service strategy, as an alternative to traditional customer support options. Brands should continue to build trust between their customers and proactively improve customer experience through social listening.

Best Times to Post on Twitter by Industry

There’s no definitive answer to what the best times to post on Twitter are, and we can only offer insight with the data we have. Industry is just one factor that plays into the success of your social posts. Consider as well as your target audience, business goals and the content itself.

Use this industry-level data to help inform your publishing calendar, and test your optimal send times with social experiments.

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare

Best times to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare:
- Mondays at 2 p.m.
- Tuesdays at 8 a.m.
- Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m.
Best days to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Hospitals & Healthcare: Weekends

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare providers have been put to work on social media the last few years, due to the pandemic. However, social media for healthcare is more than navigating healthcare crises. It’s about educating the public, helping patients feel more comfortable with healthcare visits and doctors’ appointments, promoting their programs for aspiring physicians and establishing themselves as pillars in the community.

The best times to post on Twitter for healthcare and hospitals stay consistent compared to last year. Nearly every single day sees moderate engagement starting at 7 a.m. seven days a week. However, the best times to post on Twitter for hospitals and healthcare are Mondays at 2 p.m., Tuesdays at 8 a.m., and Thursdays from 8 to 11 a.m. Higher than average posting times are Tuesday and Thursday midmornings into early afternoons.

Hospital and healthcare social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Hospitality

Best times to post on Twitter for Hospitality:
- Tuesdays at 10 p.m.
- Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
- Fridays at 8 p.m.
Best days to post on Twitter for Hospitality: Fridays and Saturdays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Hospitality: Sundays and Mondays

The hospitality industry has seen more engagement and posting days on Twitter. Consumers are craving some semblance of pre-pandemic life and businesses sense it. Hospitality businesses see higher engagement consistently in the evening hours, starting at 6 p.m. almost every day of the week, whereas last year, it was only for three days of the week.

The best times to post on Twitter for the hospitality industry are Tuesdays at 10 p.m., Wednesdays at 8 p.m. and Fridays at 8 p.m. Essentially late evening hours when people are looking to engage with hospitality brands. Moderate engagement last a few hours before or after those optimal posting times, and is relatively light during average business hours.

Hospitality social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Media

Best times to post on Twitter for Media:
- Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to midnight
Best days to post on Twitter for Media: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Media: Saturdays

The media and entertainment industry also sees consistent engagement on Twitter. Media businesses could expect engagement from early weekday mornings through the afternoons. Major global events, political upheavals and business news have had a relevant impact on media impressions on all networks, especially Twitter.

News travels quickly, and the best times to post on Twitter for the media and entertainment industry are Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesdays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 10 p.m. to midnight.

Media social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Nonprofit

Best times to post on Twitter for Nonprofit:
- Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and at 8 p.m.
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon
Best days to post on Twitter for Nonprofit: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Nonprofit: Saturdays

Our data for the best times to post on Twitter for nonprofits shows consistent Twitter engagement throughout the week during general business hours and extending into the evening.

The best times to post on Twitter for nonprofit organizations are Mondays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 8 a.m., Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Fridays from 10 a.m. to noon.

However, even with the consistent audience engagement seen in the heatmap above, all businesses need to test their own best times to post. Whether it’s through social testing or using Sprout’s Optimal Send Times feature, find what times work best for your organization on Twitter.

Nonprofit social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Restaurants

Best times to post on Twitter for Restaurants:
- Thursdays at 11 p.m.
Best days to post on Twitter for Restaurants: Tuesdays and Fridays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Restaurants: Sundays

In 2022, everyone was ready to get back to their pre-pandemic routines, and restaurants were ready with open doors. While online orders and delivery services may have become new offerings for some locations, the desire to draw patrons has not. Target audience and platform goals factor into ways businesses connect with their customers. Offering unique promotions and updates on Twitter will keep your restaurant in mind for potential customers.

Twitter engagement for restaurants and bars shows decent engagement midday during the week between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., generally. However, the peak engagement and best time to post on Twitter for restaurants and bars is Thursdays at 11 p.m.

Restaurant social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Schools & Education

Best times to post on Twitter for Schools & Education:
- Mondays at 10 a.m.
- Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
- Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon
- Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon
Best days to post on Twitter for Schools & Education: Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Schools & Education: Sundays

Universities, higher education institutions and schools see a significant increase in engagements on Twitter compared to last year. Keep in mind that some schools manage multiple social profiles (per college, athletics, etc.) to meet these needs and effectively target distinct audiences at the right time.

High opportunities for engagement start midmorning and go through later evening hours. The best times to post on Twitter for education and schools are Mondays at 10 a.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon.

From highlighting student life to sharing school updates, a social media strategy for education needs to fulfill multiple functions. Are you looking to engage with students past, present and future? Are you looking to keep a pulse on sentiment and brand health?

Schools and education social media resources

Best Times to Post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism

Best times to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism:
- Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Thursdays at 10 a.m.
- Sundays at noon
Best days to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism: Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays
Worst days to post on Twitter for Travel & Tourism: Saturdays

Travel and tourism industries nearly tripled their engagement on Twitter compared to last year. As many travel restrictions continued to be lifted and the semblance of “normal” crept back into many peoples’ lives, travel and tourism businesses see an opportunity to capitalize on the suppressed desires to travel.

The best times to post on Twitter for travel and tourism businesses are Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursdays at 10 a.m., and Sundays at noon. And these peak hours see moderate engagement in the hours before and after those optimal times.

Travel and tourism social media resources

How to find your own best times to post on social media

Social marketers can plan content more effectively when they’re armed with data. And as platforms evolve, how brands and consumers use social will evolve with them, or vice versa. Staying aware of new content formats and trends might help you reach your audience in unexpected ways, or even find new segments and personas you weren’t focusing on before.

While you may be ready to jump in and post at these provided peak engagement times as part of your strategy, consider pairing this data with your own social media data analysis. You may discover that your specific target audience is active near the peak times we’ve outlined or hours earlier.

A social media management tool like Sprout Social can help you drill into your analytics and develop tailored findings for your brand accounts across all networks, holistically and individually. Gain competitive insights by comparing your performance to your competitors, to find new opportunities for engagement.

With features like post tagging and cross-network reporting, you can separate different factors like post author or types of content, and drill down into how your posting time influenced your social success.

Sprout’s patented ViralPost® technology uses the same data we’ve used to look at all our customer accounts to determine the best time to post tailored for your account. ViralPost® algorithmically determines the results for our Optimal Send Times feature, a publishing option available in all plans. Our proprietary machine learning feature isn’t new, but we’re constantly learning and improving our product to help brands surface insights faster. Our goal is to help people who use our product work more effectively.

With Optimal Send Times, the specific times offered are based on when your audience engages the most using your publishing history. ViralPost® also continually updates and refines to save you time from doing the repeated analysis and allowing you more time to craft great content.

Want to see it in action? Sign up for a free 30-day trial of Sprout Social or request a personalized demo and try it for yourself.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

If you’re looking for more of our findings from this year’s study of our customer data, see what we learned about the best times to post across eight industries on these networks:

How Sprout gathered the data

We understand that these reports can raise questions about just where the data is coming from. That’s why we want to be clear about the data we pulled and how we got here.

Sprout Social’s Data Science team gathers this information by analyzing nearly 2 billion engagements across 400,000 social profiles across Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok.

Find your best time to post with Sprout

Now’s the time to test your content calendar. Are you posting when your followers are most active? Start your free trial of Sprout Social and discover the best times to post on social media today.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology

The post Best times to post on Twitter in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Twitter ads: The complete guide for your brand

Jacqueline Zote — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:45:28 +0000

Want to take your Twitter (rebranded as “X”) marketing to the next level? Your organic efforts may work perfectly fine, but they can only go so far when you’re looking to grow your reach. At some point, you may need to turn to Twitter ads to boost your reach and maximize your brand’s growth.

Not sure how to get started? Look no further because this post gives you a complete guide to Twitter advertising. Here, you’ll find out all about the different Twitter social media ad formats, how much you can expect to spend and how to set it up for the first time. Let’s get right to it.

Table of contents:

Why use Twitter ads?
Types of Twitter ads
How much do Twitter ads cost
How to set up a Twitter ad campaign
Tips for using Twitter ads

Why use Twitter ads?

Now before you start investing in paid social for Twitter, you may want to know what’s in it for you. The platform has a lot of potential with improved targeting capabilities and new ad formats. As such, advertising on the platform could exponentially grow your reach. So let’s find out some of the top benefits of running ads on Twitter.

1. Potential to reach millions of users

According to the latest Twitter stats, the platform currently has 436 million monthly active users. Out of these, 237.8 million monetizable users use the app on a daily basis. That’s millions of people you could potentially reach through your Twitter advertising efforts.

2. Objective-based ad campaigns

Twitter lets you optimize your ads toward your campaign objective. You get to choose from a variety of campaign objectives and Twitter will only bill you for actions that align with your chosen objective. In other words, your investment specifically goes towards achieving your goals.

3. Robust targeting capabilities

The Twitter ads manager offers a number of campaign targeting options. This allows you to fine-tune your ad targeting to reach only the most relevant users. At the most basic level, you can use demographics targeting to reach users based on:

Geolocation
Age
Gender
Language
Device
Carrier

For more advanced targeting, you can choose to display your ads to users based on:

Conversations they participate in
Events relevant to your audience
Keywords they use
Whether they’ve engaged with a specific Tweet from your brand
The movies and TV shows they watch
What their interests are
Whether they share similar interests with your existing followers

Twitter even lets you create unique audience segments using off-platform customer information. The Custom Audiences feature allows you to create different audience groups to target, exclude or expand to.

4. Rise in Twitter ad engagement

Ad engagement on Twitter is growing. This speaks volumes about the impact of advertising on the platform. According to the latest reports, Twitter saw a 7% year-over-year increase in ad engagement in Q2 of 2022. If these trends continue, you can expect to launch ad campaigns that drive tons of engagement.

Types of Twitter ads

Twitter offers several choices in ad types. To run a successful advertising campaign on the platform, you need to decide which Twitter ad format will help you achieve your goals.

Promoted Ads

You might remember these as Promoted Tweets. They’re a lot like regular Tweets, except Twitter shows them to people who aren’t following your brand yet. They have a “Promoted” label at the bottom so users can differentiate them from organic Tweets.

The best part is that you can use a variety of media formats to create these Promoted Ads. In addition to regular text and image Tweets, you can create ads using videos, carousels and Moments.

Follower Ads

Previously called Promoted Accounts, Follower Ads let you promote an entire Twitter account. It helps you target users who might be interested in your brand but aren’t already following you. So it’s the perfect ad type if you want to grow your Twitter following.

With this type of Twitter ad, your account will show up in the “Who to follow” section of a user’s feed.

Twitter Amplify

With this option, brands can serve their ads through video content from highly relevant publishers. There are two ad formats to choose from:

Amplify Pre-roll, which lets you choose from 15+ categories of videos to serve your pre-roll video ad
Amplify Sponsorships, which involves a one-on-one partnership with one specific publisher. Note that this option is currently not available for self-serve advertisers.

Twitter Takeover

These types of ads put your brand at the forefront with exclusive ownership of the platform’s premium real estate. As you can guess, they’re a lot more expensive than other Twitter ad formats. You can choose from two Takeover placements:

Timeline Takeover, which ensures that your ad is the first one that someone sees when they open Twitter for the day
Trend Takeover, which serves your ad alongside trending topics. Your ad will show up among topics in the Explore tab to drive conversations. Or you can even choose Trend Takeover+ for an immersive video experience.

Dynamic Product Ads (DPA)

These ads allow you to showcase your most relevant products to the right customers. With DPA Prospecting, you can acquire new customers by featuring products that are most relevant to them. Meanwhile, DPA Retargeting lets you feature products that people have engaged with on your website.

Collection Ads

As the name suggests, this type of ad lets you showcase a collection of product images in a single ad. Collection Ads feature a primary hero image on top of several small thumbnail images.

How much do Twitter ads cost

Fortunately for advertisers, the cost to run a Twitter ad campaign is customizable according to your budget. That means how much you spend largely depends on how much you’re willing to spend.

That said, it’s a good idea to get a sense of how much it typically costs to advertise on the platform. According to AdsTarget, you can expect to spend around $0.38 per action. However, the actual cost depends on the ad type. Here’s a quick look at the average cost to run different types of Twitter ads:

Promoted Ads – $0.25 to $2 per action
Follower Ads – $2 to $4 per follow
Twitter Takeover – $200,000 per day

Keep in mind that Twitter charges you based on actions relevant to your ad objective. This makes it much easier to stick to your budget because you’re not paying for actions that don’t align with your goal. Check out the different billable actions for each objective:

Reach – Cost per 1,000 Tweet impressions
Video views – Cost per view
Pre-roll views – Cost per view
App installs – Impressions or app clicks
Website traffic – Cost per engagement
Engagements – Cost per engagement
Followers – Cost per follow
App re-engagements – Cost per app click

How to set up a Twitter ad campaign

If you’re familiar with setting up Facebook ads, you should have no trouble launching a Twitter ad campaign. But if you’re completely new to the scene, we’ve got you covered.

Before you start, make sure you set up your Twitter ads account. For this, sign in to your Twitter account and go to the Twitter ads onboarding page. Then follow the steps to complete setting up your account.

Next, follow the steps below to create your Twitter ad campaign.

1. Choose your ad objective

What do you want to get out of your ads? Depending on your ad objective, Twitter will offer the best engagement types and actions for your campaign.

Choose from the following available ad objectives:

Reach – This objective displays your ad to as many people as possible within a set timeframe. And you only pay for every 1,000 Tweet impressions. Use this to raise brand awareness and improve brand perception.
Engagements – Drive more conversations around your brand by designing ads that people would want to interact with.
Followers – Promote your Twitter account and attract more followers.
Website traffic – Get more people to visit your website after seeing your ad. This type of campaign leverages Twitter’s Click ID to give you a reliable way to measure visits coming from your Twitter ad.
Keywords – Target users who use specific keywords relevant to your campaign. This is an effective way to narrow down an audience with high intent.

2. Create your ad

The next page lets you create your ad by adding text and relevant media. Twitter gives you the option to upload a new media file or choose from your existing media library. You’ll need to include a headline and a link to your desired landing page.

On the right-hand panel, you get a preview of what the ad would look like. Use this as a guide to fine-tune your ad design.

3. Customize your ad delivery

The next step is where you decide whom to target. First, select the key audience demographics you want to reach with this ad. You can narrow your targeting down based on gender, age and location.

Optionally, Twitter offers several targeting features to fine-tune your ad delivery. You can target users based on the keywords and devices they use and their interests and languages. It even lets you target people who follow accounts similar to yours.

4. Set your budget and schedule

Next, it’s time to decide how much you’re willing to spend on your campaign. When you set a daily budget, it gives you better control over your spend. That way, Twitter will stop displaying your ad once you’ve reached the budget limit.

Additionally, make sure to include a date range for your ad. This will ensure that your ad only runs for the specified time frame.

Finally, add a credit card to your Twitter ad account. Then once you’ve finalized everything, hit the “Launch campaign” button to go live with your ad.

Tips for using Twitter ads

Want to get more out of your Twitter ads? Follow these best practices and examples from top brands.

1. Stick to your brand voice

To make sure your ads resonate with your target audience, maintain a consistent brand voice. Your promoted content should be no different from your organic ones in terms of how you speak.

2. Write short and engaging copy

Twitter users quickly move on from one Tweet to the next. So stay far away from huge text blocks. Make sure your copy is short and to the point. Just because there’s room for 280 characters doesn’t mean you have to use up all that space.

If it fits with your brand personality and you don’t overdo it, consider using some emojis to catch attention. But don’t forget about accessibility considerations for those using screen readers. Your copy should be short enough to keep users engaged but not so short that it’s meaningless.

German Doner Kebab strikes the perfect balance with creative ad copy that cuts right to the chase. The brand keeps it fun and casual with a sprinkle of emojis to connect with the audience.

3. Use high-quality visuals

Eye-catching videos and images can make your ad stand out and stop the scroll, driving more engagement with your ad. They can get people to pause and engage with your ad. So be sure to use high-quality visuals that speak for the quality of your products/services.

4. Have a clear call to action

Let people know exactly what you want them to do after seeing your ad. Whether it’s to visit your website or download your app, your ads should have a CTA that clearly mentions the next step.

The following ad from Greyson comes with a CTA that explicitly tells the audience what to do. In this case, it’s to shop Justin Thomas’ championship looks.

5. Learn from your organic performance

How people respond to your organic Tweets can tell you a lot about how to run your Twitter ads. Find out what kind of content gets the most engagement and positive sentiment from your target audience. Then use the insights from your Twitter analytics to inform your advertising decisions.

Sprout Social offers Twitter analytics and reporting to help you with this. This lets you identify your best Twitter content based on reach, clicks and retweets.

6. Test and optimize

Of course, the best way to make sure your ads are working is to test them. Run A/B tests on different ad placements, messaging, ad format and post timings. Then use those data and insights to create highly optimized ads that will rake in profits.

Ready to hit the ground running with Twitter ads?

With stronger attribution and better targeting, Twitter is constantly evolving to serve brands. And with the right strategy, it can be a valuable advertising channel for your business. But the fast-paced nature of the platform means you have to perfect your timing to reach your audience when they’re most active. Check out our guide on how to schedule Tweets to get your timing right.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology.

The post Twitter ads: The complete guide for your brand appeared first on Sprout Social.

16 Twitter tools to boost your brand’s marketing

Chloe West — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:23:00 +0000

To create a successful Twitter (rebranded as “X”) marketing strategy, you need to have the right Twitter tools in your tool belt. Online tools and software can help make Twitter marketing and management much easier and more effective.

Throughout this article, we’re going to share a number of management tools, follower tools, tracking tools, scheduling tools and more—and if you’re looking for the top Twitter analytics tools, you can head over to our post all about tools that help you track and report your analytics.

Table of contents:

All-in-one Twitter tool
Twitter management tools
Twitter follower tools
Twitter monitoring tools
Twitter tracking tools
Twitter scheduling tools

Best all-in-one Twitter tool

Many Twitter tools have their own specialties—and we’ll cover many throughout this article—but there’s only one that encompasses all specialties into one well-rounded tool.

1. Sprout Social

Sprout Social’s Twitter management tools encompass nearly all tasks you’d need to accomplish—management, scheduling, listening, monitoring, analyzing and more.

Easily manage multiple Twitter accounts in one place, whether you’re working with multiple brands, need to keep track of different brand location accounts or have additional support accounts to monitor. Publish or schedule your content from one easy-to-use dashboard and measure its performance.

Sprout Social offers a 30-day free trial to let interested Twitter users test out its software before diving into the paid version. Paid plans start at $249/month and grant users access to tons of great features that make managing their Twitter accounts a breeze.

Twitter management tools

Twitter management can encompass a number of things, but it’s typically viewed as a tool that allows brands and their marketing teams to create, schedule, edit and monitor their tweets. Here are a couple of Twitter management tools that your team might be interested in trying out.

2. GroupTweet

GroupTweet is a useful Twitter tool because it allows more than one person to manage your account. If you have a team of social media managers working on your Twitter, you’ll need more than one login for your management tool. This can sometimes add to the cost of your tool—and if you’re on a tight budget, that can be a dealbreaker.

But with GroupTweet, your entire team can easily tweet all from the same account. GroupTweet offers a free 14-day trial for teams to test out the tool. Paid plans start at $7.99/month for five contributors.

3. Planable

Planable is a Twitter management tool that allows teams to collaborate on content together. It has an approval process so teams can easily train new team members or get client approval before publishing. Planable allows marketers to preview posts exactly how they’ll look on the platform to avoid any awkward errors.

Plans are flexible with planable. There’s a completely free plan and paid plans start at $11/user/month, but prices fluctuate based on the number of users and workspaces you need to incorporate for your team’s usage.

Twitter marketing tools

Twitter marketing requires a few unique strategies—the use of hashtags, a clear combination of post types, ads, organic content and more. We’ve got a couple tools that can help with your marketing strategy.

4. Ritetag

RiteTag is a hashtag analysis tool that can help brands find the best hashtags to use in their tweets. Search keywords and hashtags relevant to your business and discover which hashtags get the most views and traffic. RiteTag has a suite of tools, including RiteForge for publishing content, Rite.ly for short CTA links and RiteBoost for enhancing posts in your current scheduling tool.

RiteTag alone lets users access some features on a limited basis for free; otherwise, it costs $49/year. For the full suite, or the RiteKit, the price is $54/month, paid annually.

5. Audiense

Audiense offers a Twitter-specific marketing tool that lets brands gather data on their Twitter audiences so they can better cater content to them. It can work perfectly in conjunction with your management tool (like Sprout Social) to research your followers so you can better target your marketing content to the right audience.

Audiense has a completely free plan with limited access to their Twitter marketing tool. Paid plans start at £32/month for just the Twitter tool.

Twitter follower tools

It’s important to keep an eye on your followers to make sure they match your target audience. If you start generating more followers that don’t align with your target customer, you might be publishing the wrong types of content. These tools can help you grow your Twitter following with relevant users.

6. Tweepi

Tweepi is an AI-powered tool that can help you find the right accounts to follow and grow your follower count in return. Set relevant hashtags and target users in the tool’s dashboard. The AI will then generate a list of hyper-relevant Twitter users and share the best ways to engage with them. By using these tactics, you’ll start to get noticed and generate even more followers.

Plans start at $10.75/month, paid annually, or $12.99/month, paid monthly.

7. Circleboom

Circleboom is a follower analysis tool that can help brands pinpoint fake accounts, inactive accounts and more so they can unfollow them and stop getting spam in their feeds. The tool also provides Twitter audience insights so brands can make sure they’re generating followers that match their target demographics.

Circleboom has a free forever plan with limited usage of the tool. Premium, all-access plans start at $17.99/month.

8. Followerwonk

Followerwonk is a great tool for finding accounts to follow and analyzing your existing follower count. Search accounts based on keywords in their bio and follow them right in the Followerwonk app. Look at graphs to gather insights on your existing Twitter followers, like location, bio data and more.

Get access to limited features for free, or sign up for a paid plan starting at $29/month.

Twitter monitoring tools

Monitor your Twitter performance with Twitter monitoring tools. These can help you get deep insights into how each of your individual tweets are performing.

9. Keyhole

Keyhole is a tool for gathering insights on your Twitter posts and overall account performance as a whole. Get an idea of how many tweets you’ve published in a given time period, the number of engagements they’ve received, likes, clicks, retweets and so much more. Check the overall health of your Twitter strategy with a tool like Keyhole.

Keyhole works for more social media platforms than just Twitter, so the tool has a higher price point than some others on our list. Plans start at $79/month for small businesses and go up from there based on your team’s needs.

10. Trendsmap

Trendsmap is a tool for monitoring conversations on Twitter. Keep an eye on relevant trends so that you can incorporate them into your content or get an idea of when topics are being widely discussed. Get alerts based on keywords you’ve set about various topics of conversation so you can be a part of the discussion.

Trendsmap has a completely free plan with basic trend tracking, but paid plans start at $25/month.

11. Mention

Mention is a tool for monitoring online conversations. Use it to keep an eye on various conversations on Twitter and house them in a single dashboard for you to monitor. You can also use Mention to monitor mentions of your brand on Twitter, even if they don’t tag your business directly.

Pricing for Mention plans starts at $41/month.

Twitter tracking tools

Track important accounts, influencers, competitors and more on Twitter with these Twitter tracking tools.

12. Daily 140

Daily 140, named for the original Twitter character limit, is a great tool for tracking accounts important to your business. Create a daily email newsletter with accounts of your choosing—these can be experts or influencers in your industry, competitors to keep an eye on, news outlets and more.

The tool is 100% free and can be a great way to keep an eye on important Twitter users.

13. Twitonomy

Twitonomy is a great Twitter tracking tool because it offers a ton of information all at once. Track your Twitter performance, your followers, your lists, keyword searches, favorite users and so much more. The tool is also completely free, making it a great tracking tool option for your brand.

Twitter scheduling tools

Don’t try to manually publish your Twitter content—you’ll drive yourself crazy. Instead, invest in a scheduling tool so you can batch create and schedule a week’s content at once.

14. MeetEdgar

MeetEdgar is a unique Twitter scheduling tool because it keeps an archive of all past published posts so you can find tweets that performed well or even went viral and rework them before publishing them again. Easily schedule a large batch of content at once to go out over a week or two, making your job so much easier.

Plans start at $24.91/month.

15. Tweetdeck

Tweetdeck is a Twitter-owned tool that lets you create mini dashboards to monitor tweets, share content, schedule content, check notifications and more. It’s a completely free tool that’s extremely useful for managing your Twitter content. Some marketers even prefer to use Tweetdeck as their Twitter dashboard rather than the Twitter app itself.

16. Twitter

And finally, Twitter actually has its own built-in scheduling tools. This is a relatively recent addition to the platform, but it can be extremely useful for minor scheduling. Type in your tweet, then click the clock icon to access the scheduler. You can also take a look at your entire feed of scheduled posts to make sure you don’t have any going out too close together.

Find the best Twitter tools for your needs

Not every Twitter tool will work for your brand and your team’s needs. Do your research and read through our descriptions of each tool to find the best one for you. Or, just take advantage of Sprout Social’s all-in-one Twitter management tool. Get started with our 30-day free trial and see if our solution will work for your brand.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology.

The post 16 Twitter tools to boost your brand’s marketing appeared first on Sprout Social.

23 essential Twitter statistics to guide your strategy in 2023

Aubree Smith — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 15:30:00 +0000

Want to check the score of the game? The latest election updates? If a certain singer-turned-mogul is expecting their second child? There’s only one place to go: Twitter (rebranded as “X”).

Despite a year of significant change, Twitter is still the first platform people turn to for breaking news in 2023. To tap into the hub of current events and trending conversations, you have to dig into Twitter analytics to understand how people use the platform. This includes staying up-to-date on the latest Twitter statistics that can shape your approach.

Doing so will help you better understand your target audience. According to The 2022 Sprout Social Index™, 36% of consumers will pick a brand over a competitor if they feel understood, up from 21% in 2021.

While platforms like Facebook, YouTube and Instagram might have more users, Twitter’s audience is active, engaged and plugged-in, and brands should consider it a valuable channel to connect with their audience.

Check out these 23 Twitter statistics to inspire and guide your social media strategy this year.

General Twitter stats every marketer should know
Twitter usage statistics that prove the platform’s impact
Twitter user statistics to help reach your audience
Twitter statistics for advertisers
Twitter stats businesses need to inform their strategy

General Twitter stats every marketer should know

1. Monthly active users: 436 million

2. Worldwide usage ranking: 14th most popular social media network

3. Revenue: $5.08 billion

4. Ownership: Privately held

Twitter is at a unique crossroads. For one thing, new ownership has spurred renewed interest in the platform and increased user activity. As of January 2023, Twitter has 436 million monthly active users (MAU), up from 366 million in December 2022. Despite still trailing other networks like Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram and TikTok, this growth indicates rapid and notable increases in user activity. (Pro tip: Use Twitter analytics tools to measure your brand’s unique audience performance.)

On the other hand, uncertainty over the platform’s financial health looms. In its last yearly earnings report in Q4 2021, Twitter reported earning $5.08 billion in annual revenue, up 37% from the previous year. By Q2 2022, Twitter earned $1.18 billion in quarterly revenue—a decrease of 1% year over year—and reported total quarterly costs and expenses equal to $1.52 billion, according to the company’s final earnings release. No updated revenue data has been reported since Twitter was privately acquired.

But don’t count Twitter out during this time of transition. As the 14th most popular social media network in the world, it remains a major player in the social media game.

Twitter usage statistics that prove the platform’s impact

5. Monetizable daily active users: 237.8 million (55% of total users)

6. Average daily usage: 34.8 minutes/day

7. Worldwide daily engagement ranking: Third most-used social network

According to Twitter’s final earnings release, each day 237.8 million monetizable users log into the app, which is 55% of all Twitter users. On average, these users spend 34.8 minutes on the platform. For perspective, users only spend 30.1 minutes per day on Facebook, the platform consumers anticipated they would use most, according to our Index data. Twitter still trails TikTok and YouTube, but as the third most popular app for daily use, there’s no denying Twitter has the potential to help brands grow their communities by gaining new, highly-engage d followers.

Twitter user statistics to help reach your audience

8. Gender: 56.4% male, 43.6% female (Note: Sprout Social acknowledges gender isn’t binary, but our data sources limit their reporting to male and female)

9. Age: 38.5% between 25–34 years old

10. Location: US, Japan and India

11. Cross-platform usage: Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook

12. Education level and income: One-third are college educated and make more than $75,000 annually

13. Sentiment trends: Negative sentiment toward glitches, some new features, user privacy and proposed paywall, but positive overall toward Twitter’s legacy

To maximize your chance of r eaching your target audienc e on Twitter, you need to understand the demographic breakdown of its user base. The platform tends to sway male, with 56.4% of users identifying as such. It’s most popular with people between the ages of 25 and 34 years old, and least popular with teens. Users within this age range are also most active on Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook.

One-third of Twitter users are college-educated and make more than $75,000 annually, highlighting the platform’s highly-educated and high-earning base. Countries leading in Twitter usage include the US, Japan and India.

Twitter’s core users loudly express their feelings about the platform. In recent months, they have raised concerns about platform glitches, new features, privacy and proposed paywalls. While sentiment has ebbed and flowed, most users are pulling for the platform to regain its wings—like this Tweet from a Twitter fan showcases.

I love Twitter's pinned lists & bookmarks feature @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/o5klGQ7PJx

— DogeDesigner (@cb_doge) February 11, 2023

Twitter statistics for advertisers

14. Annual ad revenue: $1.41 billion

15. Cost per engagement: Increased 39% from 2020 to 2021

16. Ad engagement: Decreased 12% from 2020 to 2021

17. Ad view time: 26% higher than other leading platforms

18. Industry inclusivity: Only major social platform to allow cannabis advertising

Advertising on Twitter takes multiple forms—including promoted Tweets, accounts and trending topics (as this example demonstrates). The platform strives to continuously roll out new high-impact ad types to meet evolving consumer expectations and preferences.

Despite these efforts, ROI for advertisers has significantly fallen since 2020. According to the 2021 annual earnings report, Twitter earns $1.41 billion in yearly ad revenue (up 24% year over year). Yet, ad engagement rates fell by 12% while cost per engagement increased by 39%.

In late 2022 and early 2023, Twitter’s ad revenue took a hit as major brands paused advertising efforts on the platform. Ultimately, it’s too early to tell how this will impact advertising on Twitter long term, but it does create opportunity for brands to breakthrough and experiment in the interim. Twitter reports that ad view time on the platform is 26% higher than other leading platforms.

From offering discounted ads to allowing cannabis advertising, Twitter is making attractive appeals for brands to reinvest in the platform. (If your brand sells cannabis, bookmark our article: How cannabis brands elevate their social media content.)

Twitter stats businesses need to inform their strategy

19. Best time to post: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.

20. Average brand engagement rate: 0.04%

21. Discoverability: #1 platform

22. 53% of people on Twitter are more likely to be the first to buy new products

23. 15% of users and 32% of brands use Twitter for customer service

When you build your Twitter marketing strategy, it’s imperative to align your content with the style of the network. For example, Twitter is a fast-moving platform, and your Tweets will be missed if you post at the wrong time. Overall, the best times to post are Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9 a.m., but you should find the best time to post on Twitter for your industry and audience.

The average brand engagement rate on Twitter is 0.04%. While that figure might seem low compared to other platforms, remember that Tweets often require less effort which allows brands to post more often, creating more opportunity for engagement.

Despite a low brand engagement rate, Twitter is the number one platform for discoverability, and its superpower is helping brands gain exposure to an audience eager to try something new. According to Twitter, 53% of people on the platform are more likely to be the first to buy new products.

Consumers aren’t just on the platform for Twitter ecommerce, though. According to our Index data, 15% of users and 32% of brands use Twitter for customer service and care—making it a key destination at every stage in the marketing funnel.

Want to know more?

Discover the latest social media marketing statistics for 2023.

Use these Twitter statistics to help your brand soar

These key Twitter statistics prove the platform could still play a vital role in your brand’s social media strategy. But like all social media platforms, your brand’s performance on Twitter is what you make it. Even in the midst of Twitter’s evolution, you can find stability and success if you ground your strategy in data. Empowered with the 23 Twitter stats we shared in this article, evaluate your approach to the platform and refine your tactics to ensure you resonate with your target audience.

Start asking yourself questions like:

Is my target audience using Twitter more or less than I anticipated?
What does my target audience use Twitter for?
What is my brand’s return on paid investment on the platform?
Am I reaching my audience at the best time?
Is my company’s Twitter customer service workflow meeting expectations?

Use your answers to guide your company’s approach to Twitter in 2023, and watch your presence take off. Keep iterating on your Twitter strategy by learning how to use Twitter effectively to grow your brand.

Use of Twitter nomenclature across Sprout refers to newly rebranded X platform and related terminology.

The post 23 essential Twitter statistics to guide your strategy in 2023 appeared first on Sprout Social.

Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Video Specs

Alex York — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 21:52:41 +0000

Last Updated: August 30, 2023

Staying relevant and capturing your audience’s attention is a constant challenge for marketers. And now that brands rely on video content more than ever, it’s critical to use the correct social media video specs and advertising video sizes.

However, we couldn’t find all the correct social video sizes in one place. So we decided to create a complete guide of every single social media video spec and advertising video dimension.

Before we start, here are some additional resources to help you keep the information in once place:

Easily reference our social media video specs in our always up-to-date Google Doc.
Looking for image sizes? Check out our social media image sizes guide for help.
Want to get better results with video? Download our social media video content workbook.

Instagram for brands

Learn how to develop and implement your Instagram marketing strategy today.

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Social Media Video Specs & Ad Sizes Per Network

We’ve gathered a plethora of information on each social network’s specific video sizes and specs. Simply click the links below to jump to your desired network:

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
TikTok
Snapchat
YouTube
LinkedIn
Pinterest

Collaborative Publishing Made Easy with Sprout

Visually appealing content can often be found at the heart of successful social posts.

Whether it’s a video, image or text, Sprout’s Asset Library serves as the central hub, making accessibility, organization and collaboration easier than ever.

Experience how easy asset management can be when you get started with a free trial today.

Facebook Video Specs

Facebook video is consumed at higher rates each year, so it’s no wonder why so many marketers search for the correct Facebook video specs.

The challenge for marketers is that there are simply so many types of videos you can share on Facebook and the platform updates its design frequently. Each video format has different dimensions and specs, which can make it confusing to know whether or not you’re uploading the correct format for organic or paid posts. Follow the specs below to optimize your posts.

Shared Post Video (Landscape & Portrait)

Easily the most common type of video on Facebook comes from shared posts. This type of video lives in your Facebook feed, and can be shared by brands or your friends. While it’s not as easy to get organic reach on Facebook, it’s still a viable way to share video. You can choose between two video orientations: Landscape and Portrait. Here’s a look at the video specs for both.

Video Guidelines

Recommended video dimensions 1280 x 720 for Landscape and Portrait.
Minimum width is 1200 pixels (length depends on aspect ratio) for Landscape and Portrait.
Landscape aspect ratio is 16:9.
Portrait aspect ratio is 9:16 (if video includes link, aspect ratio is 16:9).
Mobile renders both video types to aspect ratio 2:3.
Max file size is 4GB (3 GB maximum in Sprout).
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length max is 240 minutes (45 minutes if uploading in Sprout).
Video max frames 30fps.

360 Video

Facebook’s 360 Video allows users to get a complete 360-degree view by scrolling with a cursor on web, by touch or turning the device on mobile.

Video Guidelines

The resolution and aspect ratio depends on the type of content:
- Monoscopic: 5120 x 2560 maximum, aspect ratio 2:1
- Stereoscopic: 5120 x 5120 maximum, aspect ratio 1:1
Recommended max file size is 10GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length maximum is 30 minutes.
Recommended framerate is 30 fps.

Facebook Reels

The convenience of cross-posting your Instagram Reels to Facebook expands the viewership and reach of your videos. This format appears organically in feeds, but often gets “priority” on Facebook feeds.

Recommended video formats are MP4 and MOV
Allowed Frame Rate: 23 FPS minimum
Allowed Duration: 4 seconds – 90 seconds
Allowed File Size: No file size limit
Resolution: 540 x 960 (540p) minimum (1080×1920 or greater recommended)
Allowed Aspect Ratio: 9:16

Facebook Video Ad Specs

In-Feed Video Ads

These ads are the sponsored equivalent of in-feed posts and follow similar guidelines.

Video guidelines

Recommended to upload the highest resolution video possible.
Recommended resolution: 1080×1080.
Recommended aspect ratio is between 9:16 to 16:9 (Horizontal: 16:9, Square: 1:1, Vertical: 4:5 or 2:3 and Full Portrait: 9:16).
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV (see full list here).
Max video file size is 4GB.
Video length max is 240 minutes.

Character limits

Primary text: 125 characters.
Link description: 30 characters.
Headline: 40 characters.

There are more than 5 million advertisers now on Facebook and having the right specs for your ads can be tricky. Each type of Facebook video ad is different, so let’s go ahead and break down the specs for each type of video you can produce.

Carousel Video Ads

Facebook Carousel Video ads allow brands to showcase multiple videos (or images) and a link within a user’s Facebook feed. It has grown in popularity because its unique scrolling feature allows users to see more content before clicking a link. In fact, Digiday estimated Carousel Ads to be 10 times more effective than standard social media ads.

Video Guidelines

Recommended video resolution 1080 x 1080.
Aspect ratio is 1:1.
Max video file size is 4 GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video duration range is 1 second to 240 minutes.
Video max frames 30fps.

Collection Video Ads (Mobile)

The Facebook Collection ads showcases multiple images and a main video above it. This is perfect for displaying multiple products (or various colors of a single product) and a video as well. The ad type has been popular so far with retailers and clothing companies.

Video Guidelines

Recommended video resolution 1080×1080.
Square aspect ratio is 1:1.
Max video file size is 4GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length max is 120 minutes.
Video max frames 30 fps.

Character Limits

Primary text: 125 characters.
Headline max: 40 characters.
Landing page URL required.

Instant Experience Video Ads

Facebook Instant Experience ads open up a full-screen experience after the first click, which can be further customized with a variety of interactive features. This can include multiple video experiences, including features to auto-play on loop.

Video Guidelines

Minimum resolution: 720p
Portrait aspect ratio of 9:16 with pillarboxing for all others uploaded.
Max video file size is 4GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Maximum length of all video content must be 2 minutes combined.
Video max frames 30fps.

Slideshow Video Ad

Facebook’s Slideshow videos were built for advertisers wanting to reach audiences with slower internet connections. Instead of a regular video, slideshows are just that–a slideshow of images or video in an ad display.

Video Guidelines

Recommended video resolution 1200 x 720.
Aspect ratios available are landscape (16:9), vertical (4:5) and square (1:1)
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Slideshow duration max is 15 seconds.

Facebook Stories (Ads & Organic Posts)

Facebook has also added the Stories feature, disappearing short photo or video updates that are only available for 24 hours. In addition to user-generated organic posts, Stories ads that run in between sets of user stories are also available. While most users will be sharing immediate & organic updates from their phone’s camera without worrying too much about their video specs, the guidelines for this format are similar for paid & organic posts.

Video Guidelines

Recommended resolution 1080×1080
Aspect ratios: 1.91 to 9:16, with colored gradient bars rendered above and below videos under 9:16. The text field will also be placed under below videos smaller than this aspect ratio.
Max video file size is 4GB
Duration is 1 second to 2 minutes
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.

Character Limits

Primary text: 125 characters
Headline: 40 characters

For more information on the video specs for Facebook, visit the Facebook Help Center.

Instagram Video Specs

Instagram launched video capabilities in 2013 and quickly saw enough success to start advertising on the platform in 2015. Since then, video only continues to grow as an engaging social format. So needless to say, Instagram videos are absolutely worth the investment.

In-Feed Video (Landscape, Square & Vertical)

Since 2015, Instagram crafted its videos formats to allow three different styles: landscape, square and vertical. The predominantly-mobile social network is perfect to share videos of any size organically to reach your audience.

Video Guidelines

Minimum resolution for all formats is 1080 x 1080
Recommended horizontal pixel resolution is 1920
Multiple aspect ratios are supported: Landscape aspect ratio is 16:9, square aspect ratio is 1:1, vertical aspect ratio is 4:5.
Max file size for all formats is 4GB (*100MB maximum for Sprout Direct Publishing and 512MB maximum for Sprout Mobile App Flow Publishing).
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length is 3 seconds to 60 minutes.
Recommended frame rate is 23 to 60 FPS.
Recommended data rate/bitrate: 25 Mbps (megabits per second)

Character Limits

Primary text recommendation: 125 characters.
Maximum number of hashtags: 30

Instagram Reels

Introduced in 2020, Instagram Reels are another option for your video strategy on Instagram. These short-form, easily digestible videos are becoming the preferred type of content in Instagram feeds.

Fortunately for social content creators looking to easily generate a lot of content for Instagram, most of the video specs for Instagram Reels are fairly similar to other formats on the platform, with the main differences being the short length and the ease of editing in-app to add effects and sound.

As Instagram has started to add separate tabs for different content types, thumbnails will be cropped differently on each view. If the viewer is on the first tab that has all content types, the thumbnail will be cropped to the traditional square post size of 1:1–center your subjects and plan to avoid undesirable vertical cropping.

Allowed file extensions: .MP4 or .MOV
Allowed Frame Rate: 23-60 FPS
Allowed Duration: 3 seconds – 15 minutes
Allowed File Size: 4 GB max (1 GB or less in Sprout)
Allowed horizontal pixels: 1920
Allowed maximum bitrate: 25 Mbps
Allowed aspect ratio: 0.01:1-10:1 (9:16 recommended)

Instagram Video Ad Specs

Instagram’s advertising revenue has significantly increased over the last year. In fact, Instagram predicts to earn $4 billion in mobile ad revenue in 2017 alone. The push for Instagram advertising is real and marketers have to be ready to take advantage with engaging videos.

In-Feed Video Ad (Landscape, Square & Vertical)

Much like the in-feed organic Instagram video options, the network provides similar options for advertising. These video ads appear nearly identical to organic posts to blend in with users’ feeds. In fact, the Instagram video specs are the same for organic and paid content.

Video Guidelines

Same as In-Feed Video.

Video Character Guidelines (Mobile)

Same as In-Feed Video.

Carousel Video Ad

Much like Facebook’s Carousel Ads, Instagram offers a similar feature. Carousel ads allow users to see more of a product or feature than a single image or video. With Instagram, your carousel video ads can have 2-10 cards with a full-width call to action below the ad.

Video Guidelines

Minimum resolution is 600 x 600.
Max resolution is 1080 x 1080.
Aspect ratio is 1:1.
Max file size is 4GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Max video length is 60 seconds.
Instagram allows 2-10 videos/cards per ad.

Instagram Stories (Ads & Organic Posts)

It didn’t take long for Instagram Stories to feature ads within users’ story feeds. Brands can seamlessly integrate their video content between other Instagram users. Much like Snapchat, it’s smart to make these videos more raw and in-the-moment to avoid drastically standing out as an ad, especially since users can immediately swipe to leave.

Video Guidelines

Recommended resolution is 1080 x 1080.
Aspect ratio is 9:16.
Max file size is 4GB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length max is 2 minutes for ads and 15 seconds for organic. If you upload a longer video on organic, it will be clipped into multiple Stories slides.

If you’re looking for further information including images, check out our complete guide to all the Instagram ad sizes!

For more information on the video specs for Instagram, visit the Facebook Help Center.

TikTok Video Specs

TikTok has quickly gained attention in the social space, and some social marketers might be feeling caught off guard by the rush to understand what works and what doesn’t on the platform. Fortunately, TikTok’s focus on easy to create and share videos means it’s not hard to start producing video content for the platform, and there are plenty of trends to inspire TikTok content creation. Read on for the specs.

TikTok Organic Videos

TikTok videos are all about the ease of creation, editing and sharing, so it makes sense that specs are more or less oriented around typical mobile phone dimensions. One key trait to keep in mind if you’re trying to repurpose video content across platforms is that videos uploaded from another file source, rather than recorded on the app, can be longer than 60 seconds.

Video Guidelines

Recommended resolution: 1080×1920
Aspect ratio: 9:16 recommended to fill a standard mobile phone screen (1:1 with letterboxing)
Length: 3 minutes recorded in-app or 10 minutes when uploaded from another source (10 minutes if uploading in Sprout)
Maximum file size: 287.6MB
Video formats: MP4 or MOV recommended

TikTok Feed Ads

TikTok ads are a rapidly evolving opportunity for brands. The in-feed option for paid TikTok content is fairly similar to the formatting for existing organic content. To fine-tune paid content for the best performance, be sure to consult TikTok’s business center for the latest tips.

Video Guidelines

Resolutions must be at least: 540×960, 640×64 or 960×540
Aspect ratio options: 9:16, 1:1 or 16:9
Length: 5–60 seconds, but 9–15 seconds is recommended
Maximum file size: 500MB
Bitrate minimum: 516 kbps
Ad description character limits: 1-1000 Latin characters or 1-50 Asian characters
Video formats: .MP4, .MOV, .MPEG .3GP, .AVI

Twitter Video Specs

Twitter is a popular space to share and interact with different social media videos. For marketers, it’s all about keeping a user’s attention with enthralling and click-worthy video content. In the sports and entertainment industry, Twitter is often the go-to for sharing video content, so it’s critical to learn the correct Twitter video specs.

Twitter Landscape & Portrait Videos

Twitter provides two formats of in-feed video content to share with your followers: landscape and portrait. These specific formats are only available for uploading video directly to Twitter, rather than sharing YouTube or Vimeo links. Luckily, Twitter makes it easy to share organic content, but the dimensions do change as the video bitrate alters.

Video Guidelines

Recommended resolutions are 1280×720 (landscape), 720×1280 (portrait), 720×720 (square).
Aspect ratios recommended at 16:9 (landscape or portrait), 1:1 (square). 1:1 is recommended as the best route for rendering across devices with the best output.
Max file size is 512MB.
Recommended video formats are .MP4 for web and .MOV for mobile.
Video length max is 140 seconds.
Recommended frame rates are 30 or 60 fps.

Character Limits

Maximum count: 280 characters.

Twitter Videos Ad Specs

Looking to promote your video through paid ads on Twitter? Luckily, you can use the same exact formats from Twitter organic videos. Stick to the same specs for both organic and paid video to ensure maximum visibility.

For more information on the video specs for Twitter, visit the Twitter Help Center.

Snapchat Video Specs

Snapchat is still an active network for younger generations to share video content. Whether it’s through FOMO-inducing disapppfilters, Snapchat is a hotbed for video sharing. And for your brand, it’s important to know the correct video dimensions for Snapchat.

Single video ad

This video format is the most common across the channel and is the main way users communicate back and forth through the app. However, your business can post videos to its story so others can see what your business is up to. Just follow these specs:

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimension is 1080 x 1920.
Aspect ratio is 9:16.
Max file size is 32MB.
Accept video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length is between 3 and 10 seconds.

Long-Form Video Ad

Snapchat currently offers one main video format for ads, which is known as the long-form video. While there are partner opportunities to put video within Snapchat’s discovery option, most dimensions are the same, but require your business to reach out to the social network for more details on advertising. However, the Snapchat Long-Form Video Ad is what users see in between viewing users’ Stories.

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimension is 1080 x 1920.
Aspect ratio is 9:16 or 16:9.
Max file size is 1GB.
Accept video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video length is 3 to 180 seconds.

For more information on the video specs for Snapchat, visit the Snapchat Ads Help Center.

YouTube Video Specs

Known as the second-largest search engine behind Google, YouTube is an essential network for video content. For marketers, YouTube is a great space to promote, educate and share video content around your brand.

As YouTube continues to grow as a destination for video content, it hosts everything from short form promotional videos to full-length movies and TV. This means users are streaming content on all sorts of devices, which could have different levels of zoom or overscan.

While there’s no hard and fast rules from the platform on how to approach the video editing concept of ‘title safe’ areas where text like titles and subtitles aren’t cut off, you do want to avoid placing these types of visual elements right at the edges of your video area. Read on for more specifics on each format available on YouTube.

Video Player (Standard YouTube Video)

While YouTube allows users to upload various types of media formats and use plenty of different dimensions, organically, there’s truly only one format for the video player. Organic videos should all follow 16:9 ratio, but can be uploaded 4:3. However, the smaller ratio will automatically pillarbox the sides to still make it fit in the player. YouTube has seven recommended dimensions and ratios for standard YouTube videos:

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p), 1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p).
Aspect ratio is 16:9 (auto adds pillarboxing if 4:3).
Max file size is 128GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.
Accepted video formats include: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.
Video length max is 12 hours.

YouTube Video Ad Specs

Standard YouTube videos are pretty straightforward, but there are a few video ad formats to learn if you want to advertise on the network. According to data from Google, Brands advertising on YouTube often receive a 20% increase in traffic.

Skippable, Non-Skippable, Mid-roll & Bumper Video Ads

We’ve put these four YouTube video ads specs together because in the end, they all play through the standard YouTube video player. That means all of these ad types follow the same dimensions as the non-ad videos, but only differ in video length. Let’s look at each ad type:

Skippable Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played before, during or after the content and becomes skippable after 5 seconds. This ad format is the only one allowing advertisers to monetize views from any viewing device.
Non-Skippable Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played before the content and users must watch the full 15 seconds (can also be added during or after video). However, views from TVs or game consoles don’t count toward a monetizable view.
Mid-roll Video Ad: This YouTube ad type is played mid-view (like TV commercials) and is only available for content longer than 8 minutes. Ads are added either manually or automatically and again, views from TV or game consoles don’t count toward a monetizable view. Mid-rolls can be skippable, but users must watch 30 seconds or entire ad (whichever is shorter).
Bumper Video Ads: This YouTube ad type is played before the content.It’s a small 6-second video ad that cannot be skipped, which is usually optimized for mobile views.

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimensions: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p),1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p).
Minimum dimension is 426 x 240.
Max dimension is 3840 x 2160.
Aspect ratio is 16:9 (auto adds pillarboxing if 4:3).
Max file size is 128GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.
Accepted video formats include: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.
Skippable video length max is 6 minutes (skippable after 5 seconds).
Non-skippable video length max is 15 or 20 seconds (30 seconds in some regions).
Mid-roll video length minimum is 30 seconds.
Bumper video length max is 6 seconds.

Display Ad

YouTube display ads are shown in users’ search queries and sometimes appear in the right video column when watching a video. These ads are static, which means they don’t automatically play. However, once the video is clicked, the type of content displayed can simply follow the standard video player guidelines mentioned above.

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimensions for the static image is 300 x 250 for the larger side view or 300 x 60 for the smaller side view.
Actual recommended video dimensions are: 426 x 240 (240p), 640 x 360 (360p), 854 x 480 (480p),1280 x 720 (720p), 1920 x 1080 (1080p), 2560 x 1440 (1440p) and 3840 x 2160 (2160p).
Aspect ratio is 16:9 (auto adds pillarboxing if 4:3)
Max file size is 128GB or 12 hours, whichever is less.
Accepted video formats include: .MOV, .MPEG4, .MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.

For more information on the video specs for YouTube, visit the Google Help Center.

YouTube Shorts

Introduced late 2020, YouTube Shorts have recently made its debut as another short-form video feature. These videos are a new way to watch, create and discover short-form content. Shorts can be captured and edited from a smartphone or uploaded through the standard upload workflow from desktop or mobile. Because people are watching more short-form videos globally, using Shorts is a new way to reach wider audiences to entertain, education or make them feel good.

Video Guidelines

Recommended dimensions: 240×426 (240p), 360×640 (360p), 480×854 (480p), 720×1280 (720p), 1080×1920 (1080p), 1440×2560 (1440p), and 2160×3840 (2160p),
Aspect ratio is 9:16.
Video length is 60 seconds max.
Accepted video formats include: .MOV, .MPEG4, MP4, .AVI, .WMV, .MPEGPS, .FLV, 3GPP, and WebM.
Music from the YouTube music library is limited to 15 seconds.
Title character limit: 100 characters max.

For more information on the video specs for YouTube, visit the Google Help Center.

LinkedIn Video Specs

Even though LinkedIn is still in the early stages of video content adoption, the network is still a go-to source for sharing. In fact, nearly 75% of business executives say they watch online videos every week. With that number only likely to grow, it’s safe to say LinkedIn will continue to put video content at its forefront.

Shared Video

The only video format you can upload is through a shared video. While there are options to share YouTube links in shared posts and in LinkedIn Pulse articles, there’s still just one way to upload your own video.

Video Guidelines

Aspect ratio is 1:2.4 to 2.4:1.
Max file size is 5GB.
Accepted video formats are .ASF, .AVI, .FLV, .MOV, .MPEG-1, .MPEG-4, .MP4, .MKV, and .WebM.
Video length minimum is 3 seconds, max is 10 minutes.
Video max frames 60fps.

For more information on the video specs for LinkedIn, visit the LinkedIn Help Center.

Video Ads

As of 2018, LinkedIn now offers video ads. The requirements are a little bit different than shared video, so be sure to consider them when developing ads for your paid campaign.

Video Guidelines

Required dimensions are:
- Landscape video: Minimum: 640 x 360, maximum: 1920 x 1080.
- Square video: Minimum: 360 x 360, maximum: 1920 x 1920.
- Vertical video: Minimum: 360 x 640, maximum: 1080 x 1920.
Aspect ratios are:
- Landscape: 16:9
- Square: 1:1
- Vertical: 9:16
Maximum file size is 200 MB
The accepted video format is .MP4
Video length max is 30 minutes, although LinkedIn’s guidelines state most ads perform best at around 15 seconds
Frame rate must be less than 30fps.

For more information on the video specs for LinkedIn ads, visit LinkedIn Marketing Solutions Help.

Pinterest Promoted Video Specs

Pinterest allows video upload for business accounts only, so they have specs designed for brands to get the most out of the highly visual and inspirational lifestyle content frequently shared on the platform.

Shared Video

In addition to ads, business accounts can upload organic video content. There are two formats: standard and max width video.

Video Guidelines

Standard video recommended aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 2:3, 4:5 or 9:16 (vertical)
Max width video required aspect ratio: 1:1 (square) or 16.9 (widescreen)
Max file size is 2GB.
Acceptable video formats are .MP4 and .MOV.
Video duration is 4 seconds to 15 minutes (for ads, the platform notes that 6-15 seconds are optimal).

Character Limits

Title: Up to 100 characters.
Description: Up to 500 characters.

Promoted Pinterest Video

There are two formats for Pinterest Promoted Video: standard and max width. Both versions have the same specs as the options for organic uploads. These video ads appear in users’ boards, but advertisers can select the style in the ads manager.

Video Guidelines

Same as shared video

The post Always Up-to-Date Guide to Social Media Video Specs appeared first on Sprout Social.

The social media customer service statistics brands need to know in 2022

Saphia Lanier — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 14:05:02 +0000

What does it mean to have exceptional customer service? Automated phone systems? Website chatbots? Help guides? These ease your customer support teams’ workload, but they don’t always cater to the needs of your customers—especially if they have a unique or urgent issue. When this happens, they don’t want to click through a series of irrelevant options or read through useless FAQs.

They want to speak to a human as soon as possible, and guess where they go to achieve this? Social media.

The number of US social media users is expected to surpass 308 million in 2023 (up over 6 million from 2022 projections). So brands—now’s the time to build a social customer care strategy (if you don’t already have one).

Not sure where to start?

In this piece, we’ll discuss leading s ocial media customer service statistics and how to use them to build stronger relationships in 2023.

Explore other latest social media stats that reflect the changing consumer behavior on social networks.

How do customers use social media for support?

Brands have several options for delivering customer support, but the one that appeals most to consumers is social media. From 2020 to 2021 alone, the volume of consumers who preferred using social messaging for customer service jumped an impressive 110%.

As customers continue to flock to social for their support needs, it will take more effort to maintain speedy social media response times. Be careful—if you fail to offer timely resolutions on social, almost half of consumers may unfollow your brand. According to data from our 2023 Sprout Social Index, 76% of consumers value how quickly a brand can respond to their needs.

So how are customers using social channels to receive support from brands?

“About 70% of my customers reached out to me through social media channels, the other 30% by email,” says Zoila Streich, Co-Founder of Independent Fashion Bloggers and former fashion business owner. “Most questions are about product availability and payment methods, but a few are feedback about the products or the buying process.”

You’ll also find customers using it to report service outages:

Good afternoon lethal Energy,

Thank you for contacting Mediacom with your concerns. We're sorry for any interruption of services that your power company caused and we are happy to help where we may. Can you DM us if you are experiencing any other issues currently? ^JJ https://t.co/oiNdqufxNq

— Mediacom Cable (@MediacomCable) December 21, 2020

Or to point out issues with shipments and deliveries:

@ReserveBar I have a problem with a recent order. I emailed Customer Help and waited, but no response. I then opened a ticket. Still no response. I know the holidays are busy. Still, I would like to have my issue resolved. Can you help?

— jcbphd (@jcbphd) December 15, 2021

It’s disheartening to get negative feedback, but being respectful and helpful to each customer’s request will help in the long run.

Combining a great product or service with excellent support sets you up for more positive remarks from customers:

Hello @Lugo13M:

Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to share your satisfaction and appreciation with us, kindness such as yours really does make a difference to our employees! Kind Regards,
Tammi | Pottery Barn Social Media Team

— Pottery Barn (@potterybarn) December 17, 2021

Make sure to prepare for the ebbs and flows of incoming customer support requests. New product launches or promotions lead to an influx of sales, which means more opportunities for inbound questions, so have your social media presence properly staffed.

“The volume of customers using our social media customer support fluctuates between 40% to 60%, depending on promotions,” says Yuvi Alpert, Founder, Creative Director and CEO of jewelry brand Noémie. “Because we drive people to our social media profiles through other channels, such as our newsletter, many of the questions we receive come through those platforms.”

How important is social media customer service to consumers?

Social media has flipped the balance of power between brands and consumers. Only on social can people compare a brand’s support practices to its competitors in less than a few clicks. If a business providing similar products or services is offering better help, Sprout Social’s Index™ found that 30% of consumers say they’d choose the competitor.

The public nature of social media support has influenced many brands to rethink their roster of standard support channels. More than half say that private/direct messaging plays a role in their customer care strategy.

With social media customer service stats like these, there’s only one thing to do: improve your social media A-game, so you don’t fall into the trenches of negative reviews.

Being consistent with your customer support builds trust and loyalty. Some will even go out of their way to show their praises in public (hello, social proof).

@culvers too many times we hear nothing but negative, but I wanted to give a shout out to the Culver’s in Richland Center. The fries were perfect! Temperature, look everything! And that burger…I’m in heaven! Friendly people made my day! Good job RC Culver’s!

— Tara Lynn (@Gigglegirls3) December 22, 2021

Having stellar customer support is essential to both customers and brands. But manually responding to every message—especially when you have multiple social media accounts and thousands of customers—is not sustainable.

With a tool like Sprout Social, customer care teams can organize and filter incoming messages across platforms, triage responses and view critical customer information all in one place.

Start your free Sprout trial

How quickly do brands need to reply to customer service messages on social?

Being present on social media is great. But having a fast response rate sets apart the “best in class” brands from the “I’m unfollowing you because your customer service is horrible” brands.

How fast is fast enough? In many cases, it depends on the industry and the situation.

For instance, Yuvi Alpert finds a day is fast enough during promotions. “It is critical that we answer those questions within 24 hours. We found that allowing more time to elapse lowers customer interest. By offering prompt responses, we see dramatic increases in sales of featured items.”

But what do customers say the proper response time is for social media customer support?

Our latest Sprout Social Index™ data found that 76% of consumers expect a reply within 24 hours on social.

At one time, taking a day or more to respond to a customer was acceptable. But now most demand instant access and gratification. And if you’re considered a high-priced product or service, then you definitely must respond quickly. Customers who pay more for a service expect a higher level of social customer care.

When MeUndies set a goal of replying to all messages within a 60-minute window, they needed an alternative to responding natively through social platforms. They turned to Sprout’s Smart Inbox to get an all-encompassing view of their Instagram direct messages, mentions and comments in one stream.

Now, be mindful that a fast response isn’t the primary goal—it’s to resolve customers’ issues. Unfortunately, some brands are quick to reply but slow to resolve. And when that happens, unhappy customers will let you (and all their followers) know:

Actual DMs @Delta just sent me to further illustrate their “excellent” Customer Support pic.twitter.com/MNOll5CEbZ

— Matt Ang (@_MattAng) December 14, 2021

Delta is replying, but the issue is lingering too long. Address customer problems fast or risk losing current and potential customers.

Facebook customer service stats

Facebook is the number one platform where consumers follow brands, so it’s easy to reach out whenever needed. Around 69% of Facebook Messenger users say communicating with brands here builds confidence in the company.

If your customers are on Facebook, then you should be too.

OLIPOP, a tonic brand, uses Facebook to offer direct customer support. “I’d estimate at least 50% of our customers will message us questions or comment directly on our posts across Facebook and Instagram,” says Melanie Bedwell, eCommerce Manager for OLIPOP. “Ideally, we try to reply instantly, but if that’s not possible, then at least during the same day.”

Here are examples of their engagement with happy customers:

They also use opportunities to promote their in-store options (and their tool to locate one near you).

Twitter customer service stats

Twitter is where you’ll find most people headed to compliment or complain about a brand. About 64% of Twitter users even say they’d rather Tweet a brand than call them.

We partnered with Twitter to learn more about how consumers are connecting with brands on the social network and found that:

53% of Twitter users find it helpful to see how brands answer questions or solve issues publicly.
51% of surveyed Twitter users report their experiences communicating with brands on Twitter makes them feel more favorable toward the brand.
1 in 3 (34%) Twitter users purchased a product or service after a positive customer interaction on Twitter.

Why do people reach out to brands on Twitter? All sorts of reasons, but the most popular reasons to seek out customer service on the network are product defectiveness (37%), order issues (29%) and bad in-person experiences (29%).

While it’s great to have this two-way communication with customers, a customer service-filled feed can distract from other campaigns and promotions your brand is trying to highlight. This is why some brands stand up separate Twitter accounts dedicated to customer care.

“Businesses use social media for a variety of purposes, including marketing, engaging with customers, interacting with influencers and more,” says Keenan Beavis, founder of Longhouse Media. “That’s why having a distinct social media account dedicated to customer support inquiries is so important. You don’t want your advertising, likes and shares to bury client demands and questions. ”

We see companies like Belkin using this approach. The consumer electronics brand notifies users to ask questions using its dedicated Twitter customer service channel.

If you visit Belkin on Twitter, you’ll see they go over and beyond for their customers. They even offer multi-lingual support.

Hola.

Sentimos mucho escuchar de su experiencia y quisiéramos conocer más detalles. Favor síganos aqui en Twitter y envíenos más detalles en un mensaje privado para poder atender su caso adecuadamente. Con todo gusto le atenderemos. https://t.co/h2jYyfYdnu

— BelkinCares (@BelkinCares) June 28, 2021

Explore other latest social media stats that reflect the changing consumer behavior on social networks.

Improve customer experiences with social media customer service

You created your business profiles on the social channels your customers frequent. But don’t just use them to promote your products and services. It’s a channel where today’s consumers expect customer support.

Be ready to engage with both customers and prospects by creating separate handles and using Sprout’s social customer service tools to manage it all in one place. Timely alerts + quick responses = happy customers. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Ready to build relationships with your customers? Sign up for Sprout’s free trial to get started.

The post The social media customer service statistics brands need to know in 2022 appeared first on Sprout Social.