Elon Musk taking on Twitter, however most entrepreneurs not fearful

It’s the top of Twitter as we all know it. And a majority of entrepreneurs really feel effective.

One week in the past, Elon Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion. And if his tweets maintain any reality, he has large adjustments in thoughts, akin to an edit button, long-form tweets and defeating the spambots. 

So how are entrepreneurs excited, fearful or meh about all of it? We polled our viewers to seek out out.  

Why 58% of entrepreneurs aren’t involved. Verification of accounts. Eradicating bots. Free speech. These have been among the many causes entrepreneurs are feeling optimistic about Musk proudly owning Twitter. Right here’s a sampling of feedback: 

• “I hope to see the option to let all users Verify their account (if they want to). It would be good to let all users have the option to view only Verified Accounts Tweets.”
• “Elon will bring people back to Twitter and remove bots, sounds like a great opportunity for advertising.”
• “I think a politically neutral approach to content moderation will broaden the user base and make more audiences reachable on the platform. Making the algorithm open source should make the factors that affect marketing success more transparent and testable. I also think the commitment to removing bots and spammers will make it a place that more people want to spend their time. This is great news.”
• “Everything Musk touches turns to gold (PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX). I’m not worried. If he can get the rampant bots/spam under control, it will be a boon to users and marketers alike! Higher signal to noise ratio would help ad CTR and other metrics, I’d think.”
• “Allowing for the free and open exchange of information and ideas does not bear any negative weight for brands. In fact, brands should celebrate this.”
• “Twitter ads have never worked great for us, so any change feels like a good change.”

For what it’s value: former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey tweeted in help of Musk’s imaginative and prescient of Twitter (“having a public platform that is maximally trusted and broadly inclusive is extremely important to the future of civilization.”)

Why 42% of entrepreneurs are involved. Model security. Much less customers. And “free speech” (which many consider is code for “hate speech”). These have been among the many causes entrepreneurs are feeling not so nice about Musk proudly owning Twitter. Right here’s a sampling of feedback: 

• “If Twitter becomes increasingly known as a mainly political motivated environment populated by ‘alternative truths’ (aka lies), ultra-radical outpourings and dubious conspiracy theories, then I can see a risk of brands getting caught up in the maelstrom and have difficulty maintaining authority and brand integrity, Or, simply losing their voice in the general noise.”
• “As a marketer, I’d be worried, not because I dislike the idea of Elon Musk owning Twitter, or that he might make Twitter more moderate on how it handles speech on the platform, I’d be worried simply because change is always worrisome, especially one that is as big as the one he seems to be aiming for.”
• “I’m concerned that the ban on bots makes industry tools harder to manage – but more significantly that Elon’s statements about ‘absolute free speech’ mean that hate speech will be allowed to proliferate even more. A platform of wild hate speech is not a place people should advertise.”
• “We are concerned that in his crusade for ‘free speech,’ Musk will turn a blind eye to harassment, hate speech, disinformation, and other vile expressions. We would not recommend any brands that we represent to be associated with the Twitter brand.”
• “If relaxing the rules on Twitter, there is also concern over the spread of misinformation and blatant lies. This may cause issues related to safety and well-being of its users.”
• “Worried that there could be a serious exodus of users from the platform. A premium version without ads would also be concerning, especially if metrics on what kinds of audience are lost to this ad-free version were not available. Also concerned about brand safety with what else could show on the feed surrounding our ad.”

And from the “nothing will change” division. There have been some responses that have been laborious to categorise aside from “harsh, but not wrong.” Every part from “nothing will change” to “how can a cesspool get any worse?” Right here’s a sampling:

• “After all is said and done, I don’t think much will change from a marketing perspective.”
• “Twitter’s value as a platform for message distribution and engagement has already changed significantly over the last 5 years. In some cases, it’s still a valuable tool, but in many instances, we’ve found its impact has decayed.”
• “Twitter has been a cesspool for a long time. I honestly don’t believe it could get worse.”
• “It’s always possible to change the channels you use as marketer, and new ones are on their way already. After all, we have the money they need – even Elon Musk.”

Why we care. The sale of Twitter is a serious change on the planet of digital advertising and marketing. We’ll all really feel the influence in some unspecified time in the future. When? That’s the query. Regardless of some large issues, Musk has a confirmed observe file of investing in or working in style and worthwhile corporations like PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX. On daily basis we’re getting nearer to seeing whether or not Musk can unlock Twitter’s potential. The query can be whether or not manufacturers and entrepreneurs select to stay round and proceed investing time and promoting cash into the platform as soon as they see Musk’s imaginative and prescient for Twitter. 

About The Writer

Danny Goodwin is Senior Editor of Search Engine Land. Along with writing every day about search engine marketing, PPC, and extra for Search Engine Land, Goodwin additionally manages Search Engine Land’s roster of subject-matter consultants. He additionally helps program our convention sequence, SMX – Search Advertising and marketing Expo. Previous to becoming a member of Search Engine Land, Goodwin was Government Editor at Search Engine Journal, the place he led editorial initiatives for the model. He additionally was an editor at Search Engine Watch. He has spoken at many main search conferences and digital occasions, and has been sourced for his experience by a variety of publications and podcasts.