Introduction
In my last post, I explored what Netflix is up to on their other social media channels besides Twitter. I found that their best practices (and a lot of bad practices) were similar on all of their platforms. In this post, I want to see how Disney Plus, their competitor, compares on Twitter.
It’s safe to say that Netflix has not come across much competition when it comes to streaming services, but Disney Plus seems to be sweeping in on the new wave of demand for streaming content. Netflix and Disney Plus have not been competitors for very long, but now that they are, the competition is fierce. However, I was surprised to see, according to my classmate Gabrielle Frost’s audit of Disney + on Twitter, the streaming service makes a lot of the same mistakes and accomplishments when it comes to social media best practices.
Here’s how these two brands compare in three important social media practices:
- Post Engaging Content
I have mentioned in other posts that Netflix gets one thing right. And that’s content! Exclusive content on every platform is what every brand should be emulating. On Twitter, Netflix provides a variety of images, gifs, memes, and retweeted content. What you find on Netflix’s Twitter will be different throughout each platform, because they differentiate their content.
Netflix knows how to engage its audience, and Disney Plus is taking a page out of Netflix’s book. Disney Plus also posts trailers, and gifs that capture the audience’s attention. A lot of content Disney Plus provides is nostalgic content, like shows people watched and loved in their childhoods. Therefore, the platform does a lot of “Throwback Thursdays,” where they post clips from old shows specifically on Thursday. Disney Plus also takes Netflix’s example by posting exclusive content to all platforms, not just Twitter.
My classmate Gabrielle mentions in her blog post that Disney Plus uses emoji appropriately in their postings. The article, “The Ultimate Guide to Using Twitter for Business in 2020,” from Hubspot explains the importance of using emojis on media pages. Gabrielle points out that Disney Plus doesn’t overdo it when it comes to emojis. She states Disney Plus won’t put an emoji in every tweet, but only if it makes sense and fits the content.
Here are screenshots of the similarities between the two platform’s content:
As you can see, there are lots of pictures that catch the eye!
- Post Consistently
Netflix is also an excellent example of a brand with a consistent posting schedule. Sprout Social’s article, “Best times to post on social media for 2019,” provides a list of the best times to post, and Netflix adheres to this best practice. On most days, the network started posting around 10 am -12 pm and stopped their posting at approximately 4 pm. It is essential to have a consistent posting schedule so your followers know when they are guaranteed content when they log on. Disney Plus is also a pro at this best practice. Gabrielle states that Disney Plus tweets every day, and they generally post around the same time.
According to Meltwaters blog, “How Often Should You Post on Social Media?” platforms like Netflix and Disney Plus should be posting about 10 times per day on Twitter. Neither Netflix nor Disney Plus meet this requirement. However, my classmate and I agree that the request is a little unachievable. Ten posts a day, when both platforms are posting exclusive content to every media platform is asking for a lot of content. However, the article does put a high standard up for businesses everywhere. Every brand should be posting with the optimal frequency during the peak platform engagement times.
- Engage With Your Audience
According to the Sprout Social article “Twitter Marketing: Strategies and Tips to Try Now,” the best tip to engage your audience on Twitter is to make at least 30-40% of your Tweets replies to other people. Both Disney Plus and Netflix fail at this. Both brands also fail to reply to anyone who tweets to them. There is a difference between the competitors, however, as Disney Plus has an entire other customer-service account that responds to questions and complaints. This Twitter page is labeled “Disney + Help,” which is strictly used to reply to customers.
I think this is an exemplary attribute of Disney Plus’s Twitter for Netflix to follow. Sometimes, brands’ Twitter pages get cluttered with customer complaints and questions and fail to provide unique content. By having two accounts, Disney Plus leaves the fun content on one page, and the business side of the brand for the other page. Brilliant!
Netflix does not offer a help center like this. Instead, they leave customers entirely in the dark, and they only provide information on their accord. Shame on you, Netflix!
Disney Plus Does Social Media Better
After evaluating both Netflix and Disney Plus’s best practices, I think Disney Plus does a better job of using best practices. Don’t get me wrong, I think both companies could be better at using best practices, but I side with Disney Plus for one reason — Disney Plus does a much better job of communicating with its audience. The fact that Disney Plus has a whole Twitter page set aside to engage with its audience is something Netflix needs to emulate. I think it comes off as arrogant that Netflix doesn’t care to reply to its customers because it makes it seem as though they believe they are elevated above the rest, and they can get away with it.
So what do you guys think? Who do you think uses best practices better, Disney Plus or Netflix? Please, leave a comment and let me know what you think!
Hannah Jordan's Social Media Blog 