SOCIAL
Twitter: Influential network with a relatively limited audience
Subscribers to Twitter Blue in Australia, Canada and New Zealand will be able to edit tweets in the 30 minutes after posting thanks to a new feature being rolled out by the tech firm. – Copyright AFP Olivier DOULIERY
Daniel HOFFMAN
Purchased by Elon Musk for $44 billion, Twitter is popular with politicians, journalists and celebrities, but the social media giant draws a smaller user base than some competitors, including Facebook.
– Less than Facebook –
At the end of the second quarter, Twitter counted nearly 238 million daily active users on the platform — a figure overshadowed by the some 1.98 billion claimed by Facebook.
Adding Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger, Facebook-parent Meta nears some three billion daily users.
Twitter is also surpassed by platforms like Pinterest, with 445 billion monthly users, and Snapchat, with 363 million daily users.
TikTok, owned by the unlisted Chinese group ByteDance, does not disclose its user numbers.
In September 2021, however, the short video app said it had passed the one billion user mark worldwide.
– Obama, Bieber… and Musk –
Former US president Barack Obama has the most popular account on Twitter, with 133.5 million followers.
He is ahead of Canadian singer Justin Bieber, who has 113.8 million followers.
Musk, boss of Tesla and founder of SpaceX, and now the owner of Twitter, completes the podium with 110.6 million followers.
US singer Katy Perry is the most followed woman on the network, with 108.9 followers.
Donald Trump had some 89 million followers before he was banned from the platform shortly after the January 6, 2021, assault on the US capital led by his supporters.
He faced accusations he had used social media to incite his followers to use force in a bid to overturn the result of the 2020 US presidential election.
Musk has hinted that his account could be reactivated.
– Limited growth –
Financially speaking, Twitter is not in the same league as its big rivals either.
The California-based group had revenues of $1.2 billion from April to June, down one percent year-over-year and nearly 25 times lower than Meta.
It also fell into the red with a net loss of $270 million.
According to the Washington Post, Musk plans to eventually lay off almost 75 percent of Twitter’s 7,500 employees.
Twitter’s second quarter results could be the last to be made public.
Musk has said he wants to delist the company from the New York Stock Exchange, which would put an end to its obligation to disclose information about its financial health to the public.
SOCIAL
Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?
In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.
The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.
According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.
Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.
Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.
The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.
This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.
Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.
As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?
Only time will tell.
SOCIAL
Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach
While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.
When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.
“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.
Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.
“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.”Â
“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.
“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.
Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.
SOCIAL
Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement
Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.
As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.
That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.
Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.
That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.
Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.
Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.
We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.
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