Here's Why You Can't Count Twitter Out of Your Marketing Strategy in 2018

Over the past few years, the business world hasn't taken kindly to  Twitter. And who can blame them for being critical? With stock prices tanking, employees fleeing to other companies and revenue projections not living up to expectations, it's been easy to criticize the company.

But, over the past couple months, the tune has changed. Twitter has been getting nods of approval from the tech and marketing community. Industry expertsMark Schaefer (bestselling author of Social Media Explained), M.G. Siegler (General Partner at GV) and more have spoken on how Twitter is still crucial to marketing success in 2018, and could even grow more important in coming years.

Here are a couple reasons why that is and how you can utilize Twitter to benefit your own business.

Twitter usage has declined over the years, with a drop from 70 million to 68 million in the most recent quarter. Some may look at this fact disparagingly, but for the savvy marketer, it presents a ripe opportunity. Since there isn't as much noise, or activity, on the platform as there once was, some influential users with thousands (even millions), of followers are receiving very little engagement on their Tweets. This gives you direct access to the power users you're trying to connect with.

Make a list of influencers in your niche who you'd like to become friendly with. Then, thoughtfully engage with their content. Over an extended period of time, whether a few weeks or months or years, they'll become familiar with you simply because you thoughtfully engage with their content on a regular basis. This will give you a terrific opportunity to make a formal, warm, (most importantly) solicited introduction.

It's no secret that Facebook (thus, Instagram as well) has limited "real estate" to sell to advertisers on their platform. Because of the increased number of publishers using Facebook advertising, there is only one way the price can go: up.

Couple this with the recent 'Facebook apocalypse', and it's no wonder why marketers and entrepreneurs everywhere are likely to begin scoping out advertising alternatives. If Twitter plays their cards right, they'll be able to position themselves as one of the platforms that capitalizes on Facebook's changes.

Through its ups, downs and in-betweens, Twitter has remained the go-to platform for breaking news and real-time conversation. When it comes to timely discussion and news, there just isn't a viable competitor in the marketplace. And with social media platforms continuing to strengthen their engagement-based algorithms to curate their news feeds, it's unlikely any competitor will arise in the near future. Twitter has a unique niche and value in the marketplace, and that won't go away.

Here's how to get the most our of your Twitter:

Many are projecting that 2018 could very well be the year of revival for Twitter. By becoming active on the platform and using it strategically in your marketing plan, you'll likely reap the benefits.

A very special thanks to fellow Inc.com columnist, Daniel Wallock, for providing insight and inspiration for this article.