What if you could poll your target audience anywhere? Anytime? On any topic? The good news is that now you can, thanks to Twitter, who released a feature called Twitter Polls last year. The use of this feature is still on the rise as more and more users (including us) are catching on!
The first Twitter poll that we tested was restricted to a 24 hour period with only two possible responses for uses to select. Twitter has since expanded not only the amount of response choices to four, but you can now choose a time limit from anywhere to a few minutes to seven days! Awesome, right?
Twitter Polls are an interesting feature and while we wouldn’t necessarily call them a “game changer,” we do think that it’s a fun element added to the overall Twitter experience and there are so many possibilities of ways to use a poll to generate engagement. Based on our own experiences, we’ve put together a list of ways that you can use Twitter Polls to rock your social media marketing efforts!
- Boost Brand Loyalty: Whether you’re trying to brand yourself, your company or the business that you represent, using Twitter Polls on a regular basis is a great way to prompt regular engagement. Audiences love to engage with brands/companies that they love and they also like to feel like you value their feedback.
- Audience Impacted Decisions: Invite your audience to contribute to actual branding decisions. Whether you’re a home decor company and you’re trying to lock down a collection name or you’re a news station and you’re trying to decide which headline to feature, Twitter Polls are a great way to get your audience’s feedback. Bringing your audience into your behind the scenes processes shows them that you’re listening, that you value their opinions and that you want them as a part of your community.
- Related Conversations to Live Events: Using Twitter Polls during live events can increase your brand relevance. So don’t be afraid to put yourself in the middle of what your followers are talking about. Ask your followers questions related to what is happening. Right now you have a prime opportunity to do so during political events. If you aren’t comfortable getting into the political topics, it doesn’t have to stop there. Think about events going on in your community, perhaps your city is very sports-oriented or you’re a part of a charity event. Whatever the circumstance, think Twitter Polls!
- Conduct Market Research: This seems to be the most obvious reason to use Twitter Polls. We conducted a little research of our own concerning Pandora Radio and whether users prefer to use a paid versus a free subscription. We sought after this information as we work with clients to advertise on Pandora in the coming year. See our results below:
- Have a Little Fun! Depending on your brand’s voice, Twitter Polls can be a great way to have some goofy fun with your followers. Remember that the keyword in social media is ‘social’! People love to voice their opinions, share conversation and interact. Having some fun is a great way to show the “human” side of your business.
Have you used Twitter Polls for your business yet? If not, you may be missing out on a huge opportunity to engage with followers! Our challenge to you is to create your first poll today (and don’t forget the hashtags)!
Rethink out of the Box 