Benefits and Limitations of Advertising on X
X Statistics for Marketers
X has 245 million daily active users, which is nearly 4% less than before Elon Musk took over in 2022
As of July 2023, X is the 14th most popular social media platform on the planet
Ads on X have the potential to reach 8.8% of all internet users
X’s Demographics
X is used around the globe, with millions of users logging in every day from nearly every continent. (We’re not counting Antarctica, though we imagine those working there need to get their daily social media fix from somewhere!)
The country with the most X users is the US, which, in January 2023, had nearly 100 million people on the platform. With 67 million users, Japan is in second place, before India, Brazil, Indonesia and the UK - all with around 25 million users.
Over half of all X’s users are under the age of 34, with the largest demographic aged between 25 and 34. Despite this, the number of teenagers who use X is decreasing in favour of platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Back in 2015, a third of US teenagers used Twitter - but as of last year, less than a quarter of teens were using the platform.
X has the largest gender gap of any social media: 63% of X users in the US identify as male, and the gap is only getting wider. Last year, 56% of X users identified as male.
X’s Key Marketing Features
X Creator Program
The Creator Program is X's advertising revenue program which provides you with the opportunity to directly make money from the platform by receiving a share of the ad revenue generated through you content.
Whenever a user sees an advertisement, the platform generates income from that view, and a portion of this income is then given to you, the creator. This program enables you to monetise your presence on X and be compensated for the value you contribute to the platform through your content.
To qualify for the Creator Program, you have to meet specific requirements. You need to be subscribed to X Premium and have a minimum total of 5 million impressions on your posts within the last 3 months. You also need to have at least 500 followers on the platform.
X Premium
Previously known as Twitter Blue, X Premium is the platform's paid subscription service which adds a blue checkmark to your account and allows you to use X’s Creator Program.
Other features of X Premium include:
Ability to make longer posts containing up to 25,000 characters
Upload longer videos up to three hours long
Add highlighted posts to your profile (often known as ‘pinned’ posts)
Prioritised rankings in conversations and search results
View 50% less ads
Edit your posts for up to one hour after publishing
Create communities, dedicated places for users to connect and share
X Pro
Once you’ve subscribed to X Premium, you can subscribe to X Pro, formerly known as TweetDeck. X Pro allows you to delegate access to your team members without the need to share passwords, as well as view multiple customisable columns which can display your timeline, mentions, direct messages, trends, favourites, search results, hashtags and more.
Other features of X Pro include:
A post composer which allows you to create threads, adding photos, videos, GIFs etc
Schedule posts
Advanced search tool
Ability to switch accounts without having to sign in and out
Less competition
Using a top social media platform like Facebook enters you into an incredibly competitive advertising landscape, which means you have to work a lot harder to have your adverts seen amongst those created by top companies. Many brands discount X as a key advertising platform due to its position outside the top ten most used social media. This means less competition for you!
Demographic targeting
Advertising platforms like Facebook and Google Ads target users according to basic demographics and interests. X allows advertisers to target users based on specific interests, behaviours, keyword usage in tweets, and even the devices they use. This allows for even more personalisation in ads, meaning you can reach the people who matter.
Limitations of Marketing on X
Uncertainty and Controversy
We don’t need to tell you about the amount of controversy that has surrounded X since Musk’s acquisition of the platform. After Musk bought Twitter, it didn’t take long for the uncertainty to start impacting advertising decisions of top companies. In fact, over half of Twitter's top advertisers quickly halted their ad spending, including Apple, Chipotle and General Motors, and whilst some of these advertisers have since returned, the majority are no longer spending as much as they used to. Many are deterred by X's acceptance of less "family-friendly" advertisers to compensate for their massive revenue losses. After all, you wouldn’t expect to see an advert for Disney+ beside one for an online gambling service.
This begs the question - if Twitter’s top advertisers are steering clear of X, what does this mean for the future of the platform? Should you avoid it too?
Resources
There are a lot of things to juggle when advertising on X, which means you have to dedicate a lot of resources to getting it right. Your X advertising manager should be well trained in the intricacies of the platform, as your strategy will differ from others like Facebook and Instagram. Maintaining an effective presence on X requires a lot of time.
Public complaints
X allows direct, two-way communication with your customers, both privately through DMs (direct messages) and publicly through posts. These public interactions allow you to demonstrate great customer service, but they also allow disgruntled customers to complain publicly. These negative comments can reflect badly on your business - however, if you deal with them correctly, it can actually have a positive impact on your reputation. No risk, no reward!
Spam accounts
X is notorious for the amount of spam accounts littering the platform, making it difficult to sort the real from the robots. This means you may actually end up paying to reach thousands of bots, rather than actual potential customers, limiting the tangible impact of your ad campaigns. This is an issue across all social media, but the issue is more visible on X, though it’s impossible to figure out exactly how many spam accounts exist on the platform.
UNBXD is a Creative Digital Agency which specialises in social media marketing using platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn and Instagram to create exciting, innovative solutions for breakthrough brands. We are experts in supporting brands to outline clear objectives, develop strong communication strategies and create unique content which truly engages their audience. Come and see what we can do for you
