As a social media platform, Twitter has been one of the most influential brands in the past decade. The platform has impacted the way people communicate online, engage with brands, and even interact in face-to-face conversations. The microblogging movement has forever altered the digital world, and Twitter is now looking to further capitalize on the popularity explosion of social media. On the heels of the announcement of Twitter Engage, the company has once again set the tone for what it believes to be the future of online engagement.
A new standalone app, Twitter Engage builds upon existing analytics within the platform to enable content creators to more easily communicate with viewers and monitor engagement. Most importantly, the app offers built-in tools for influential creators to monetize their content.
Within the app, these influential users (think celebrities) are able to clear up some of the cloudier aspects of managing a Twitter brand. For example, users will be able to cut through the static in order to view their most significant interactions. This includes notable new followers, conversations with verified accounts, and mentions from accounts that have been deemed influential.
High-level analytics are also available through the app, showing users their engagement statistics in terms of both individual posts and as a whole over time.
Content marketing is far from a new concept, but platforms like Twitter have turned the industry on its head. Everyone now has the ability to become a “content marketer,” and brands now have an array of tools available to them that would have been unheard of only years ago.
Alongside the launch of the new app, the platform has also loosened restrictions on videos posted both through Twitter and Vine, a video-based social network acquired by Twitter in October of 2012.
“Creators are the heart of our entertainment community,” said Hannah Donovan, Vine GM. “They make us laugh, they inspire us and most importantly, they create culture. That is special. That deserves recognition and fuel. Today's announcements are a key step towards that.”
Twitter’s focus on video content is based on the fact that video tweets have increased by over 50% since the beginning of this year, perhaps heralding a shift in the (micro)blogosphere from text to video-based communication. This engagement phenomenon hasn’t yet overtaken the 140-character norm that Twitter has etched into the Millennial culture, but has certainly built enough steam to turn heads within the social media vertical.
Through the launch of Twitter Engage, and the expansion of video capabilities, Twitter is taking another step in shaping how we interact with one another. The platform’s most influential users stand to benefit most from the changes but, if the tweaks are implemented effectively, the impact will be felt throughout the Twittersphere.