X, the former Twitter platform, is one of the most popular social networks in the world, but it also faces many challenges and controversies. Since its launch in 2006, X has become an important place for people to share their thoughts, opinions and information, as well as follow various events and news. But X has also been criticized for its moderation policy, security breaches, misinformation spread and other issues that have negatively affected its users and advertisers’ trust.
X advertising advantages and disadvantages
Despite all the difficulties, X is still an attractive advertising platform for some brands and businesses that want to reach a large and diverse audience. X advertising has several advantages, such as:
- Flexible and affordable advertising formats that allow creating different advertising messages and targeting them according to users’ interests, location, age, gender and other criteria
- The opportunity to use X as a communication and engagement channel with existing and potential customers, create long-term relationships and strengthen loyalty.
- The ability to track and measure advertising effectiveness and return, using the data and tools provided by X, as well as integrate X with other analytics and optimization platforms.
However, X advertising also has its drawbacks, which may deter some advertisers from investing in this platform. Some of them are:
- High competition and noise, which can reduce advertising visibility and engagement. X has more than 300 million active users per month, who create billions of messages every day. Therefore, it may be difficult for advertisers to stand out and attract attention.
- The risk of facing negative reactions and reputation damage, if the advertisement is perceived as unwanted, misleading or inappropriate. X is a platform where users can easily express their opinion and criticism, and sometimes this can lead to boycotts, protests or even illegal actions against the advertised brands or businesses.
- The risk of being associated with low-quality or illegal content, which can harm the advertisement and brand image. X has problems with moderating and filtering its content, and sometimes advertisements can appear next to extremist, violent, racist, pornographic or other unacceptable content. For example, recently two brands suspended their advertising on X, after their ads appeared next to pro-Nazi content.
How to advertise on X platform effectively and safely
Despite all the risks and difficulties, advertising on X platform can be a beneficial and profitable strategy for some advertisers, if they follow certain rules and best practices. Here are some tips on how to advertise on X platform effectively and safely:
Clearly define advertising goals and metrics, which will help measure and evaluate advertising results. Advertising goals can be different, depending on the brand or business needs and expectations, such as increasing awareness, generating traffic, boosting sales, strengthening loyalty, etc. Advertising metrics can be related to advertising reach, engagement, conversion, return, etc.
