X: Should we stay or should we go now?
In many of my marketing training workshops I ask:
1. If you could only use one platform or channel for all your organisation’s marketing activity going forward, which would it be?
2. If you had to drop one platform or channel from your organisation’s marketing going forward, which would it be?
Whilst the answers to the first question tend to vary (the most common answers are Facebook, Instagram, email, website), there is usually a near unanimous response for question 2 – X, that is for the organisations that still have a presence there.
I first joined Twitter in 2009, both in a personal capacity and setting up an account for the heritage charity – Norwich Heritage Economic and Regeneration Trust – that I worked for back then. It enabled us to have direct contact with our audiences and communities who enjoyed asking us questions about Norwich’s heritage, whilst we also connected with stakeholders and shared details of our work.
For me personally, Twitter was a gamechanger in the growth of my network and profile once I became a consultant in 2013. There was a thriving, generous and knowledgeable community of museums, heritage and culture practitioners and academics back in its heyday. I joined in #MuseumHour chats, made professional connections, shared thoughts and news, stayed up to date with breaking news and sector developments, found work, developed the Museum Freelance community, met a phenomenal colleague and friend for life (Marge Ainsley), and was approached by an editor to write my book.
But we’ve all experienced, or at least heard or read about, how X has changed in recent years. Changed ownership, political priorities, a lack of moderation, and algorithm shifts have meant volatility, misinformation, toxicity, bots and hate speech have thrived. For most museums and individuals I’ve spoken to, engagement levels have plummeted and they are no longer seeing the results they once did. Coupled with an awareness of the negative impact on the mental health of social media managers exposed to the platform regularly, along with privacy and ideological concerns, many have chosen to scale back their presence on X or fully come off the platform.
In terms of deciding your approach to X (or other platforms) going forward, these are questions I’ve found useful in facilitating conversations with clients:
What do you want to achieve with your presence on X?
What is reach and engagement like on X at the moment? How does that compare to 12-24-36 months ago?
Who do you reach/want to reach there? Are there any alternatives where they can be reached?
How much time do you spend on X per week/month and what else that could be used for?
What is the impact on staff/volunteer mental health and well-being dealing with any toxicity and aggression on the platform?
How does a continued presence on X align with your organisation’s values?
What weighting would you give each of the questions set out above?
If you didn’t already have a presence on X, would you as it currently stands, choose to join?
What can you do to migrate your X following and community to other platforms?
If you stay on X, is there a particular tipping point at which you feel the negatives outweigh the positives?