Originally posted at the Likeable Media Blog.
Have you seen it? Do you have it yet? Isn’t it cool? The Twitterverse is ablaze this week with the arrival of the New Twitter. Many social media addicts the world over are diving into the new layout and finding all sorts of things to love, while others more resistant to change are reluctant to jump right in. Still others are reporting that the new features haven’t been rolled out to their accounts yet. What’s the deal with all these changes, anyway? And what do they really mean for those of us who use Twitter for marketing? Let’s take a look at the top 3 changes!
Brand Pages
Facebook has them. Google+ has them. Now Twitter has jumped on the Brand Page bandwagon! Like their counterparts, Twitter Brand Pages look strikingly similar to Twitter profiles, but with a few tweaks that set them apart. First, a new banner across the top of the page is similar to the photo strips available on Google+ and Facebook. Brands can use this to showcase a tagline or current promotion with creativity and style. Next, there is the ability to pin a tweet to the top of your page. Similar to promoted tweets, you can ensure that the first tweet seen by visitors to your brand’s page is exactly the message you want to feature at the moment.
Embedded Tweets
Gone are the days of screenshotting tweets and uploading them to your blog or website. The New Twitter allows you to quickly and easily embed tweets virtually anywhere. Last year, when Twitter rolled out the first “New Twitter,” they strongly discouraged the practice of screenshotting Tweets, but they weren’t really able to do much about it. This year, they’ve taken matters into their own hands. Screenshots get the idea across, but Embedded Tweets actually allow for engagement and interaction. You can Retweet, Reply, Favorite, and Follow from any Embedded Tweet. You can check out an example here:
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See? Much more interactive than any screenshot could ever hope to be. There is big potential here for the blogosphere and even the “traditional” web to make itself more social by embedding Tweets and taking the conversation over to Twitter.
Unified Design
One thing is for sure about New Twitter: it’s pretty! And now, it looks the same everywhere you go. With 43% of Twitter users accessing the network via mobile devices, it’s no wonder that they’ve turned their focus back to developing their mobile apps. Both the iPhone and Android flavors of the app sport the same new and improved look and feel. Even the recently-acquired TweetDeck got a facelift to match the interface. One of my favorite features of the new Android app is the ability to @reply someone from the top of their profile. I can just tap and start typing my message to someone without looking for a “Reply” button. Also, the #Discover button lets you browse the hottest trending topics and not only read tweets associated with them, but find out why they’re trending. Why is this good for a brand? A more aesthetically pleasing interface means people will be using it for longer periods of time, and that’s more time they’ll be engaging with your brand. The ability to more easily engage from your profile page lowers the barrier to entry and encourages interaction. And finally, improved hashtag surfing makes it easier for users to join conversations all over Twitter.
The new iPhone and Android Twitter apps are nearly identical.
Ultimately, the New Twitter is much simpler and straightforward. It’s a pleasure to use, and I think we’ll be seeing a big increase in the user base as the new look rolls out over the coming weeks. Anyone can tweet. But now, more and more people will actually want to tweet when they see how easy it is.
Have you tried the New Twitter? Do you love it? Hate it? Let me know in the comments below!
