3 Reasons Twitter Retweet Feature is Great for Marketers

I noticed a new feature (albeit in beta) after logging into Twitter yesterday.  They have made it much easier to post and identify retweets.  This is great news for marketers.  Much has been said about retweeting and why it is good for you, so I’ll be brief here.  In this post, I’ll share what the new feature is, and 3 reasons it is good for marketers.  If you have other ideas how this can be useful for marketers, your ideas are welcome here.

3 Reasons Twitter Retweet Feature is Great for Marketers

So I logged into my Twitter account, and was greeted with the following notice, perhaps you have seen this as well.

I’d like to share what this new (beta) feature is, how it works, a few reasons why this features is good for marketers.

What is this Retweet Feature and What is a Retweet?

This feature makes it easy for Twitter users to forward Tweets from people they are following, to their entire following list.  It is to say, “hey, I found this useful, and I think you might as well…” it also gives credit to the source.  Needless to say, if you have a targeted following as a part of a Twitter marketing strategy the idea of your followers forwarding your messages to their followers becomes very powerful.  For more on the power of the retweet, have a look here and here.

As I scrolled down my feed, I came across this:

Essentially it is pointing out that Someone I follow retweeted this.  Nice.  It caught my attention, and it will catch the attention of those who see your retweeted tweets as well (when this feature is on everyone’s profile).

Then I Noticed a New Retweet Button On A Tweet of Someone I Follow:

After clicking the Retweet button, and selecting Yes to confirm, it sent a tweet out as a retweet, the tweet then shows up on my profile.  

Sidenote: While it shows up on my profile, I also use Hootsuite for easier management of twitter, this retweet did not, show up on Hootsuite as a sent tweet.

How is this Feature Useful For Marketers?

Retweeting Just Got easier for Novice Twitter users

Those who are new to Twitter will have the Retweet feature readily available to them, and since Twitter did a pretty good job educating users within the app itself, as to its use, retweeting will become more prevalent.  As an online marketer, as you offer valuable tweets to your market and following, there is a greater chance that it will be retweeted (again think, forwarded), extending your reach, and opportunity to get even more targeted followers.

Retweets are Now A Category on Twitter Profiles

It didn’t come through on the screenshots above, but “Retweets” is now a category on the right navigation panel when you are logged in and looking at your feed.  This showcasing of retweets makes it easier for users to see what they’ve retweeted, and what tweets of theirs have been retweeted.  Again, it is more prevalent, and will be more on the mind of users, and more likely used.

Good Stuff Spreads More Easily

As this retweet feature is rolled out and showcased, it becomes more top of mind for users.  Increased use of the retweet feature will benefit marketers who want to cast their message and brand, far and wide.  Those who are first provide the most valuable content on a given topic, will be rewarded with the retweet.

This is an complete post: Without your contribution this post is incomplete, chime in with your own ideas on this new retweet feature in the boxes below.  Oh, and feel free to retweet this post, the blue Twitter bird  (below left), makes this pretty easy.