Twitter Failures

In the age of digital media many individuals use social media to convey opinions, share life moments, and revel in shameless self- promotions. These mediums have changed the way we interact with one another, relay emotions, and gather our information and news. The more prominent platforms ─ Facebook, Twitter, Google +, LinkedIn, and Instagram ─ cater to a specific need and niche, targeting a specific market segment who benefits from their offerings. However, some of these media platforms are suffering, and first amongst this group is Twitter.

Twitter’s quarterly losses have been taking a substantial hit in their fourth quarter, with nearly 100 million dollars in net losses and a 13 cent reduction in stock shares. While these losses may seem minimal for a multibillion-dollar company, investors and shareholders find such losses to be both significant and revealing. Not only has this corporation struggled in recent years to gain profit but it has also been continuously reporting a less-than-impressive user increase when compared to other social media giants such as Facebook and Instagram.

One pertinent question is whether Twitter’s CEO, Jack Dorsey, has done everything he can to put the floundering corporation back on track. Does his background cater more to innovation and product development rather than business strategy?

Can Dorsey and his associated executives turn things around? There are several potential ways.

• Simplify Twitter’s interface to match other social media sites.
• Roll out new Twitter features and platform uses.
• Cater to everyday users rather than celebrities and public figures.
• Integrate ads to users in a form that caters to e-commerce.
• Overhaul marketing strategy to target new demographic groups of all ages.
• Re-position the platform to be synonymous with contemporary/hip ideals.

If Twitter does not implement a successful strategic marketing plan that captures the interest of widespread target markets, they will no longer be sustainable and become as dated as the seldom spoken about social media platform, MySpace.

References

Aguilar, M. (2016). Twitter is Flatlining. Gizmodo, http://gizmodo.com/twitter-is-flatlining-1758349442.

Guynn, J. (2016). Twitter growth grinds to a halt. USA Today. Retrieved from: http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2016/02/10/twitter-fourth-quarter-earnings-user-decline/80178140/

Popper, B. & Smith, L. (2016). Twitter’s earnings report shows its user base is shrinking. The Verge. Retrieved from: http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/10/10961776/twitter-q4-2015-earnings-user-base-stall-shrink