What do you think of when you hear the word “moment”? A single beat of time? A memory, event, or that instant when you gain greater insight about yourself and the world around you? All of these serve well as the definition of a moment. But, I think the bigger question is, in today’s mile-a-minute, always-on world, how do you capture these important instances? Twitter thinks it has an answer for you in the form of its new Twitter Moments.
What Are Twitter Moments?
Originally, Twitter Moments were a curated collection of only trending tweets. Initially limited to a select number of content creators, they were eventually opened up to the Twitterverse as a whole in late September 2016. Billed as “The best of Twitter in an instant”, the Twitter Moments feature enables users to quickly tap into relevant content relating to a particular subject. WIRED called it “Twitter’s best chance yet at saving its business” for good reason – it’s a boon to audiences and brands alike.
As noted by WIRED, Moments are designed to make Twitter’s service more accessible to users by providing them with instant access to high-value, curated content. With billions of tweets fluttering through the Twittersphere every day, it’s incredibly difficult to find and keep up with the content that’s truly relevant. Moments helps users overcome this challenge by filtering this tsunami of data into threads grouped around common subjects, and then making it all available with a single click.
On the marketing side of the house, Twitter Moments are a dynamic avenue for telling a brand’s story and forging deeper connections with customers. These curated threads offer multiple benefits, such as opening the door to linear storytelling, content reuse, and easier sharing of larger amounts of relevant material, in turn helping drive engagement and interaction.
Seize the Moment
So, now that you know what Twitter Moments are, how do you put them to work for your brand? First, you’ll need to figure out what is Moments-worthy. This is your opportunity to shine a spotlight on your best tweets and content. Use your Moments as the chance to share your most compelling stuff – include those tweets that drive conversations and dialogue about your brand, have eye-catching visuals, or that impart information that’s both timely and relevant. The key takeaway here is: be judicious about what you’re adding to your Moments.
Next, you’ll want to think about what you want to use your Moments for. Getting started with Twitter Moments is incredibly fast and easy, with just minimal resources – like a cover image – required to kick things off. Anyone can create any number of Moments about anything at all. However, brands need to be more strategic and avoid the “let’s see what sticks to the wall” approach to their Moments. Here are a few suggestions for you to consider on how brands can leverage Twitter Moments to their advantage:
- Create a buzz around an event. Showcase your event by sharing information about speakers, posting behind-the-scenes photos, and incorporating positive reactions from event participants. For example, IEEE Cybersecurity Initiative’s Moment for its IEEE SecDev 2016 conference includes a daily countdown, attendee anecdotes, photos, and session highlights.
- Uncover hidden talent. Why not find your company’s next superstar with a Moment that features current job openings? Advertising new career opportunities, showing off your corporate culture, and adding testimonials from current employees is quick and easy. PHEMI, a top big data startup, sniffs out the best and brightest minds to add to its ranks (and drives traffic to its website) by using its Twitter Moment as an archive for its regular “Job of the Week” digest.
- Launch your product with style. Want to build anticipation and momentum for your Next Big Thing? Use a Twitter Moment to stoke your customers’ interest. Microsoft used a Moment to drive gamers into a frenzy over its acclaimed Forza Horizon 3 racing title. Brimming with photos, videos, contests, and links to demo content and launch-related events, Microsoft’s well-crafted Moment boosted its marketing campaign into the stratosphere, eventually helping Xbox One S to outsell the PS4 in the game’s setting, Australia.
In summary, Twitter Moments are a low-investment, high-impact communications vehicle. When used to their fullest potential, they can help your brand become a storytelling powerhouse. Don’t let these Moments pass you by – seize onto them to tell your brand’s unique story. And be sure to check back soon for Part II in this series, where we’ll show you how to craft your own Moment.
