I was recently asked by PRWeek to provide commentary about the current state of Twitter.
PRWeek: What if Twitter didn’t exist?
Tom Edwards: If Twitter did not exist, other platforms would fill the void. Mobile devices created accessibility and creators and those that consume their content would still find a way to connect. What would not be as apparent is the impact to real time earned media as there are limitations, based on privacy settings and limited organic reach on other platforms
PRWeek: What would PR pros use instead?
Tom Edwards: PR pros and marketers would turn to other platforms and influencers that can facilitate earned reach. You look at platforms such as Tumblr, instagram and YouTube as well as socially charged ephemeral communication platforms such as SnapChat, WeChat and Cyberdust. Essentially any platform that supports user created content and garners engagement can be leveraged to meet various communication objectives.
PRWeek: How has Twitter’s role changed over the years?
Tom Edwards: Twitter has been a mobile first platform since it’s inception. It has evolved from a simple SMS-based offering to a discovery platform centered on topics and trends to one that supports multiple media types as well as an incremental driver of tune-in. Currently it is the ideal real-time marketing and reputation management platform. From a marketing and PR perspective, the versatility of the platform combined with a family of apps strategy (Vine & Periscope) provides additional opportunities to create influence and foster advocacy.
PRWeek: How different would social campaigns look?
Tom Edwards: Social campaigns would still focus on various levels of engagement and content creation but hashtag centric campaigns would need to adjust as Twitter’s ability to combine commentary, hashtags and a call to action natively in the tweet that can in turn drive discovery is an ideal experience to facilitate many types of social campaigns.
Follow Tom Edwards @BlackFin360
