The Netflix of Social Media: Will Twitter Make Green By Going Blue?
We’ve got a subscription for movies, a subscription for razors, a subscription for underwear, and now a subscription to scroll! Twitter is monetizing its own way with subscription models – for the platform itself and for curated content. Meanwhile, Facebook is continuing its strategy of staying essential for businesses with more biz-friendly ways to integrate Messenger. Taking it back to Twitter, the platform is continuing to renovate Spaces, making the new feature as attractive as possible for its users.
Photo by Twitter
Would You Pay For Twitter?
Twitter has been taking the road less traveled when it comes to monetizing. Do they get revenue from advertising? Sure. But that’s not quite enough. Twitter is debuting Twitter Blue, a monthly paid subscription to the platform that offers enhanced features. Subscribers will benefit from bookmark folders, the option to undo Tweets, reader mode, and customizations within the app. This is aimed at those people who use Twitter the most, but it’s not the only new way that Twitter is looking to monetize.
The platform has also been amping up for paid subscriptions for content. They’ve teamed up with meteorologist Eric Holthaus to create a subscription weather service called Tomorrow. This gives us a first look at what these subscriptions can look like. Tomorrow will include the ability to ask meteorologists questions, receive a weekly newsletter, access long-form journalism, and more. This is more than a follow on Twitter could’ve accomplished before; this amount of content and interaction might justify $10/month for some users.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
Twitter subscriptions are aimed at users that are already churning out content. This is definitely something to consider if you make informational or entertainment content as part of your business. Even if you don’t, Twitter’s Tip Jar and upcoming ticketed Spaces are making the platform a great place to share content for a little extra side revenue. And if you can become an influential expert on your industry, Twitter users might be more likely to frequent your business!
Photo by Messenger
More Ways to Messenger
Facebook has made its Messenger API for Instagram available for developers! Not sure what that means? It boils down to developers being able to integrate their services with your Instagram DMs. Soon, you’ll have more options for how you view and respond to these messages. Imagine managing your Instagram messages from your CRM. By opening up its API, Facebook is about to make messaging more efficient!
This isn’t the only change that Facebook is making to messaging. Facebook Messenger will also be available to users who use their Facebook account to log into your website. If you’ve integrated your own services with Facebook Login already, your users will now have an easier time starting a conversation with you! The company is also improving messaging on WhatsApp. New features include automatic messaging when items come back in stock, frequently asked questions that save your customers from typing, and the option to send periodic updates from your business.
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
These updates from Facebook are great news for your ability to interact with your audience! While integrations with Instagram Messenger might not be here for a while, adding more options and efficiencies makes Messenger and WhatsApp even more useful for businesses. Check out the new features available on WhatsApp and Facebook Login to start and keep your eyes peeled for future time-saving integrations!
Photo by Twitter
Twitter Gives Spaces Some Renovations
In the fight for audio room superiority, Twitter has pulled ahead with its speedy expansion to all users and communication about changes. However, with Spaces still being new to the platform, the changes are rolling in quickly as Twitter looks to make the most of the audio trend. The first change is a no-brainer: scheduled Spaces. Hosts can plan their audio rooms ahead of time and listeners can subscribe for a notification when the Space begins. You can also edit a scheduled Space on iOS!
Twitter seems to have identified a major hurdle for the success of Spaces: discoverability. Currently, finding a Space from someone you don’t follow is a slow process. The first step on the path to discoverability is a visual representation of someone hosting a Space. With a purple ring around their profile picture, you’ll easily be able to identify who’s hosting. A rumored change is an upcoming Spaces tab in the center of the iOS and Android apps, according to hidden-feature-finder Jane Manchun Wong. This will put Spaces front and center, quite literally, for every mobile Twitter user!
What does this mean for Gainesville Businesses?
The audio room trend started with Clubhouse, but a lack of infrastructure limited its growth. With Spaces on the rise, don’t be surprised if live audio becomes an even bigger trend in the coming months. Adding a dedicated Spaces tab to mobile also adds a new incentive for hosting: better reach. Especially when Spaces are still new, offering the right audio content where everyone can see it could gain you followers and increase your awareness.
Ok, now what?
Now that you’re up to date with the latest industry news, it’s time to invest in a team that specializes in all things social media and digital marketing. We can help! Liquid Creative is a full-service marketing agency ready to help your business operate to its fullest potential without missing a beat.
