“Facebook is for connecting with the people you went to school with and Twitter is for people you wish you had gone to school with”.

When it comes to social media all platforms are equally important but the two biggest are Facebook and Twitter. These two platforms usually get categorised under the same term – social media – but they could not be more different. Almost every business has a Facebook and Twitter account and in this article we look at why Twitter followers are more important than Facebook likes. Both platforms are a must-have but how they are approached needs to be considered. Audiences on both platforms differ and as such you need to appeal to these very different communities. 

Facebook Interaction

When people ‘like’ a Facebook page they do exactly that and not much else – there is hardly any interaction after the icon has been clicked. They know that they can stay up to date with your business as your posts will automatically pop up on their news feed. They like to be associated with your brand but they don’t necessarily want to engage with you. Facebook is a multi-platform brand so users spend their time on the site doing a variety of activities, and looking at your business page is probably not high on the list.

Of course having Facebook ‘likes’ is important because it makes you look credible and trustworthy – people like what others have already approved and no one can argue with thousands of ‘likes’. But the fact of the matter is, Facebook ‘likes’ won’t generate traffic to your site as much as Twitter will. With Facebook only direct friends will see when someone has ‘liked’ a page and this won’t necessarily encourage them to do the same.

Twitter Users are Influencers

People flock to Twitter because they have something to say and they want to say it. They are influencers and can be extremely valuable to a company if you can get them on your side. When your Twitter followers like what they read, they re-tweet and favourite, bringing more followers to you and ultimately more traffic to your site. Twitter followers are there because they are interested in what you have to say. They express their approval of your content by re-tweeting and this enables more and more people to see you on their feeds.

Gaining followers can take time and some take the easy way out and buy their followers. This makes no sense. Sure, you look impressive because you suddenly have 10,000 following you, but fake followers can be easily noticeable. These followers are computer generated and have nothing to add – except a fake portrayal of your popularity. Social media is a way for businesses to measure how they are viewed and what people expect of them. Buying followers as such brings no value to your true fans or to your business.

Influencers are the type of people who join discussion forums and are actively present on social media sites. All of us know an influencer. This is the person who knows pretty much everything and has all the best recommendations. What you want is for these influencers (i.e Twitter followers) to spread the word about your business. Managing your social media accounts become tactical and a full time job – you need to make sure that you engage with your most influential followers.

At the end of the day both platforms are a necessity for all kinds of businesses, but Twitter enables you to reach a far wider audience and group of people who are directly interested in your content. They actively search specific topics – something which is not really possible on Facebook. Interestingly enough, 34% of marketers have generated leads using Twitter, while 40% of Twitter users rarely post but rather read other's tweets and re-tweets them. People spend a shocking amount of time on Twitter and if you know what you’re doing you can easily get on the radar of the influencers who will bring more traffic to your site. There are more than 400 thousand accounts added to Twitter every day, all of which are looking for great content.

Influencers are everywhere on the web waiting to interact with whatever interests them and they can have a major impact on a business. The more influential they are the better. A Facebook ‘like’, on the other hand, has fleeting value. Twitter followers follow a brand because they are truly interested and they know that they will get what they request.

Quality Followers

Quality Twitter followers are important to have because they are the ones who actually listen to what you are saying (Tweeting). They are the followers who will buy your product or service and they are engaging with you instead of filtering you out. These followers are not as easy to find and once you have them you’ll need to keep engaging to keep them interested. You need to show them that you are worth following. Without quality followers there would be no point to using Twitter – they are the ones who re-tweet, to all their followers, and who will help you spread the word about your business.

It is important to manage all of your social media platforms efficiently but Twitter is the most effective way to get yourself out there as most users are constantly active and willing to promote businesses that they believe in. This is why we say that one Twitter follower carries the same importance as ten Facebook likes.

Facebook dominates with numbers but when it comes to strengthening brand voice Twitter is the way to go. Research by Exact Target shows that out of all social media users, Twitter users are three times more likely to magnify their influence across the web. Twitter users are attracted to this platform because they see the opportunity to influence others. According to the survey daily Twitter users are avid online consumers and contributors:

• 72% publish blog posts at least once a month
• 70% comment on others’ blog posts
• 61% write at least one product review a month
• 61% comment on news sites
• 56% write articles for third-party sites
• 53% post videos online
• 50% make contributions to wiki sites
• 48% share deals found through coupon forums

Once you have influencers following you, your brand will soon expand beyond your direct sites. So when Tweeting on behalf of your brand remember that “Twitter users are the most influential online consumers, and their influence spreads across all areas of the internet”.

What has been your experience with social media and do you agree that Twitter followers are more important than Facebook 'likes'? Share your thoughts with us.

Sound Idea Digital specialises in Social Media. For more information, contact 012 66 44 227 or email to info@soundidea.co.za

Carina Claassens is a Writer for Sound Idea Digital l carina@soundidea.co.za l Sound Idea Digital l www.soundidea.co.za