INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, a social media presence is a must-have for every business. Numerous social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram are used to gain revenue leveraging all the digital resources. When we talk about lead generation, and increasing revenue from clients, LinkedIn and Twitter are the top social media platforms businesses use. LinkedIn is a professional corporate platform where you connect with industry experts and at the same time promote your business to a wide audience. Twitter, now known as X, is a platform focusing on tweets and understanding public opinion about a product/service/news.
A lot of small businesses leverage LinkedIn to get potential leads and close deals. Twitter is used by tech giants, large businesses, and MNCs to update their customers regarding any new information/policy/product. There are a lot of similarities and differences between the usage of LinkedIn and Twitter depending on the type of business and the target audience.
TWITTER: THE REALM OF REAL-TIME CONVERSATIONS
Millions of people tweet every day on Twitter about their thoughts and views. The main feature of Twitter is that it allows you to express yourself in 280 characters in a single tweet. However, since this is not feasible every time, many brands and organizations present their views in more than one tweet. Twitter can help you implement your content marketing strategies in a better way. It’s a great platform for engaging in conversations and building your online presence.
Numerous brands use Twitter to increase their brand awareness on a global scale and engage with customers every week. Its trending section gives you a real-time view of what products and services are trending and what the world is talking about. Unlike LinkedIn, Twitter is much more informal. It is easy to engage with your target audience through mentions and hashtags. You can share links, images, and videos to reach a broader audience and drive traffic to your website. Twitter profiles are concise, featuring brief bios and profile pictures. The platform’s simplicity encourages users to follow accounts of interest without the need for extensive personal information. This makes it more informal and versatile.
LINKEDIN: THE POWERHOUSE OF PROFESSIONAL NETWORKING
LinkedIn, often referred to as a “professional’s playground”, is a social media platform exclusively designed for business networking, career development, and knowledge sharing. Small businesses and agencies are using this platform for lead generation and content marketing techniques. Unlike the often frenetic pace of Twitter, LinkedIn offers a more structured and professional environment, aligning well with formal communication.
The content published on LinkedIn is predominantly business-oriented. You might find informational articles, industry news, and new thoughts on upcoming technology pieces. Engagement on this platform comes in the form of comments, likes, and reposts. Numerous small businesses that are targeting some tech giants or CEOs of a national corporation, leverage LinkedIn to its full extent. Here, you can send a message to a person individually, once they have accepted your connection request. A lot of well-established brands and companies also share their stories on work-life culture on LinkedIn.
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR LEAD GENERATION?
The task of lead generation can be very challenging and chaotic when you do not have the right resources and knowledge. There are different techniques and strategies used by companies when it comes to lead generation, depending on the work and requirements. LinkedIn is being used by numerous small businesses and agencies to target potential clients by sending out cold messages and posting regularly. In a recent study, it has been proven that LinkedIn has a 3 times higher visitor-to-lead conversion rate as compared to any other social media platform.
(Source: HubSpot)
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR BRAND AWARENESS?
Brand awareness is one of the essential marketing techniques for any business. Brand awareness has to be done in a way that resonates with the target audience and their needs. To achieve this, Twitter is the best platform a company can use. With over 330 million active users worldwide, it acts as a global megaphone. It has a diverse audience from different countries, thus fulfilling your requirement for brand awareness. It will be like taking your brand to a global level. A few regular posts over 6 months to 1 year will increase your brand awareness in the market.
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR USER ENGAGEMENT?
User engagement will help you understand how your brand is performing in the market. LinkedIn allows you to have an overview of user engagement in the form of likes, comments, and reposts. Twitter allows you to understand user engagement in the form of likes, impressions, and number of retweets. Well, then which platform is the best?
If your product is targeting businesses and corporations, then LinkedIn is your best choice. If your product is targeting a layman consumer, then Twitter is your best choice. A corporate professional may not have a Twitter account, but he/she will have a LinkedIn profile. Similarly, a layman consumer may not be present on LinkedIn but he is more likely to be present on Twitter to gain regular insights into the industry.
WHAT WORKS BEST FOR PRODUCT PROMOTION?
When you launch a new product in the market, it becomes essential to perform product promotion strategies to generate revenue. It is the best possible way to let potential customers know about your product and how it will benefit them. However, product promotion strategies will depend on the type of the product and its target market.
If your product is developed to assist other businesses and corporations, then LinkedIn should be your superior choice. 95% of businesses and corporations are present on LinkedIn and your product promotion strategies will catch their eye. If your product is developed for a layman consumer, then Twitter should be your superior choice. Product promotion done on Twitter will reach a wider audience across global markets.
HARNESSING THE SYNERGY: USING BOTH LINKEDIN AND TWITTER
Both LinkedIn and Twitter have their pros and cons. They are exceptional social media platforms used for lead generation, brand promotions, and user engagement techniques. Yes, you can leverage both these platforms with the help of content repurposing. Creating new content every time can be a bit of a hassle. On the other hand, creating content out of your old post is an easy task. There are chances that your target audience will not see your content on one platform but engage with the same on another platform. In addition, you will reach new audiences that you may have missed out on the first time. In the end, no matter how many platforms you work on, good quality content only shines.
THE VERDICT: LINKEDIN OR TWITTER?
Both LinkedIn and Twitter are the most used social media platforms nowadays. Thousands of people post regularly about one thing or another. But when it comes to choosing one platform, there are certain scenarios you need to keep in mind:
| Scenarios | Which social media platform to choose? |
| Lead Generation | |
| Brand Awareness | |
| Product Promotion | LinkedIn and/or Twitter |
When you have limited time & resources
A lot of new brands and upcoming agencies face this problem when they want to generate leads but are on a budget and time crunch. This is where LinkedIn comes into place. Let’s say, you have recently started a business and you are looking for potential clients. Then, LinkedIn is the best option for you. Create your company profile on LinkedIn, describing everything you do and why people should choose you. Post profile creation, and curate a content calendar for almost 2 months. Plan your posts accordingly and send cold emails to your potential clients every day. The key focus here is to be consistent. Once you start posting regularly, in a span of a few months only you will see the results in the form of new incoming clients.
When your focus is brand awareness
Strategies like brand awareness work best when they are implemented on a wider audience. And, that’s why Twitter is the best option here. It provides you with more active users, ensuring your brand reach on a global scale. An increase in brand awareness will lead to an increase in the generation of revenue. Its fast-paced nature allows you to gain visibility and followers, making it suitable for marketing and brand promotion.
When your focus is B2B networking
Countless businesses look for networking opportunities with bigger companies for better prospects. LinkedIn provides you with such an opportunity as it is an excellent platform for lead generation, connecting with other businesses, and forging partnerships whereas Twitter doesn’t provide any such opportunity.
Twitter and LinkedIn are great platforms for a business. Posting informal content on LinkedIn can make you lose potential clients and curating a formal post on Twitter will not welcome a good user engagement. Therefore, both platforms need to be used wisely and accurately.
