Twitter has been a hot topic of discussion lately, what with news of Elon Musk maybe (or maybe not) purchasing it.

There’s much to be read here on Social Setting about platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, because they’re very visual spaces that make sense for the jewelry industry.

So what’s Twitter good for, and as a jewelry business, do you even need to be on it?

You won’t scroll for ages and be inundated with gorgeous jewelry images à la Instagram or watch captivating videos like you would on TikTok. But Twitter offers some important contributions to the jewelry industry. For a lively discussion of the issues, that’s your place to be—the sanctioning of Russian diamonds, for example, is a hot topic among industry members currently, as is responsible gemstone sourcing and the Kimberley Process, lab-grown diamonds, and more. These are all important subjects many industry members want to weigh in on, and even just reading the threads of discussion might highlight important points for other tweeters.

Other topics, like red carpet appearances and other jewelry-related items, can engage users too. Twitter is an app meant for conversation, so it would stand to reason that it’s one of the more engaging platforms.

And yet, a (very unscientific) poll of JCK magazine’s Instagram users found that 0% of them use Twitter. However, a (much more legitimate) poll from Pew Research Center found that only 23% of U.S. adults say they use Twitter. What’s more, an additional study from Pew Research Center revealed that only a minority of highly active users produce the vast majority of tweets from U.S. adults. The others? They’re calling them lurkers.

According to the study, lurkers, or infrequent tweeters, are more likely to reply to a tweet than compose one of their own. They don’t visit Twitter as often as frequent tweeters do, though, when they visit, they’re more likely to do so to hear other points of view than more frequent tweeters.

So, should you be on Twitter? Certainly for a small business or independent brand without a social media manager on staff, it’s difficult to be active on every platform. But there’s certainly nothing wrong with being a lurker, especially if that means entering discussions when they make sense to do so, whether it’s a topic about jewelry design, nitty-gritty about diamonds, or wherever else one’s expertise could come in handy.

As far as making sales on the app, Twitter has been putting more effort into its e-commerce capabilities recently, but we’ll have to wait and see if it can inspire users to click “checkout” on the app. Still, even if you fancy yourself an infrequent tweeter, it’s worth having an account to be able to access if the right opportunity strikes for your brand.

(Top: Logo courtesy of Twitter)

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