How to Use Twitter’s Advanced Search Feature

With its introduction of Fleets in November, Twitter made it clear that beyond Stories playing a central role in social media communication in 2021, the platform is working towards restoring the original stream-of-consciousness style dialogue that catapulted the Jack Dorsey co-founded platform when it launched in 2006. Twitter's wildly successful 15-year run is anchored largely by adaptivity and its ability to give everyone a voice no matter when and no matter what they have to say.

There are more than 6,000 tweets sent every second. Meaning that there are roughly 500 million tweets sent daily. The larger percentage of Twitter users are men, measuring approximately 65% of all users. Women account for 35% of all users.

Given Twitter’s longevity in the social media landscape, its audience is a bit older than that of its competitors. While Instagram, TikTok, and Snapchat typically entice a much younger demographic, 63% of the Twitter user base ranges between 35-65 years old. 

Twitter, by most estimations, is untapped territory for marketers and creators. Some might consider it an afterthought. They’d be wrong. 40% of all Twitter users report having purchased something after seeing it on their timeline. Because of this staggering success rate, nearly 70% of all B2B businesses are using Twitter as a primary marketing tool.

Ultimately, when you couple the Twitter Advanced Search with statistics that garner your participation, it’s all about using the search feature to generate leads for your business or brand. According to Brand Watch, roughly 80% of users have mentioned a brand by name on Twitter. Also, 54% of that same user base has retweeted content that mentions a brand. 

So imagine optimizing the advanced search to find those leads, shape them how you see fit, and craft a marketing approach that is specific to your audience. That’s how you can maximize the Twitter Advanced Search. 

Twitter’s advanced search isn’t only effective – it’s easy to use. Distinct filters quickly cut through the clutter allowing users to search key phrases to ensure that searches are specific and subsequently successful. Here’s what to look for when you’re tailoring your approach in an Twitter Advanced Search:

Words

Among the first and most effective ways to attack the advanced search feature is by word. It’s broken down by keywords and phrases. Let’s review those options:

• All the words: this query is ideal for optimizing keyword search. You can enter in two or more words and the search will find all tweets containing those words in no particular order. You can also use quotations to separate phrases and broaden your search.
• This exact phrase: this field does place an emphasis on the exact placement of your search terms. For example, if your search query is “Twitter marketing,” you will not receive search results for “marketing on Twitter.” That said, this field is best used for specific phrases, quotes, and names.
• Any of those words: here, users can enter multiple words in any order and Twitter will display results with any one of those search terms. This is a very broad search option so you can be a little more general in your inquiry.
• None of those words: you would use this option if you would like to exclude terms from your search. You want to use this option in conjunction with the above features to narrow your search. If your search term has multiple meanings, this option is especially helpful.
• These hashtags: this is where you can hone in on specific hashtags. So if you want to search for #fashiontrends or #summerrecipes, here’s where you would do it.
• Written in (Language): here, you can select from the 50 Twitter languages you want to be included in your search queries.

People 

Advanced search provides an option to find specific accounts or a group of accounts. From there, you can find tweets from those accounts.

• From these accounts: where you will be shown tweets only from the account you enter into the search field.
• To those accounts: enter the username from one or more accounts and you will be able to see tweets from those accounts.
• Mentioning these accounts: this is where you’ll want to find your brand or business mentions. Here, you can find any and all mentions or your brand and that of your competitors. This is a highly productive tool.

Places

• Near this place: this feature allows you to see tweets from a person while they were in a particular area.

Dates and Filters 

• From this date to that date: quick and easy way to add a particular date range to your search inquiry. You can actually find tweets dating back to March 21, 2006 – the date of the first public tweet.

Engagement

• The engagement tab allows you to see how certain tweets perform based on the minimum number of replies, likes, and retweets each one garners. You can also create search options to find popular tweets, as a bit of market research to see which tweets are most influential and why.

For an even quicker method to find desired results, users can opt for using Twitter Advanced Search Operators. This approach allows Twitter users to refine their search even further, and get to their findings with even more specificity. Here’s how search operators works:

• Exact phrase - double quotes: find search results containing an exact phrase with double quotes
• All of these words - Or: if you want to find tweets that mention either the words  Twitter or Search, here you would type "Twitter OR Search"
• Excluding a word  - minus sign: If you would like to exclude a term from your search, for example, here you would use the minus sign in your search query like (food -pizza)
• From an account - From: If you want to find tweets sent from a particular account, you would simply use the term "From" followed by a colon and the account name (From:PLANOLY)
• To an account - To: If you want to find tweets sent in reply to a particular account, you would use to the term "To" followed by a colon and the account name (To:PLANOLY)
• Mentioning an account - @accounttname: To find tweets mentioning a particular account, simply add the @ sign followed by the account name (@PLANOLY)
• Asking a question - keyword + question: To find tweets questions a particular keyword, create a search query by writing the keyword followed by a question mark (PLANOLY?)
• Negative sentiment - keyword + emoji: To create a search query that will find a negative sentiment, add a ☹️emoji after your keyword (PLANOLY☹️)

Gaining valuable consumer insights is where Twitter Advanced Search offers its biggest reward. Joe Rice, Twitter’s EMEA Data & Enterprise Solutions, once spoke, “Twitter is the world’s largest focus group because, at its core, Twitter is a consumer insights engine. What do people think about a certain topic or trend?  What are their needs, moods, and mindsets?”

Those insights make Twitter a goldmine for market research. Here a few other value marketing best practices to seek out and implement with Twitter’s advanced search:

Find & Generate Leads

Ultimately, the Twitter Advanced Search should help you better understand the needs of your consumer. What they talk about, what they desire, how they feel about your product, and how you can help create solution-based products and services based on their findings. Effectively using the search will shine a light on these findings. You can ideate, execute, and build based on that insight. 

Local Market Consolidation

If you’re a local business owner, finding potential customers in your area is critical. Twitter’s Places search feature helps you single out those individuals and gives you the opportunity to market direct to them.  

Customer Service Opportunities

Want to know what you customers around the globe are saying about you and your brand? Moreover, want to tap in and answer questions, resolve issues, and help troubleshoot all from Twitter? Use the search feature with intention and make sure that you’re finding your customers and fielding their questions and inquiries. Let them know that you’re listening and that their concerns are a priority. 

Identify Potential Influencers

Seeking up and coming nano influencers to help grow your business? A great way to identify potential influencers is by using Twitter Advanced Search to see who is talking about you and/or advocating for your brand. Finding brand partners doesn’t have to be as difficult as it once was. The partners you’re seeking are easier identified with advanced search. 

Sentiment Analysis

Looking to conduct a temperature check on a recent launch or brand partnership? Twitter will tell you everything you need to know! Dive deep into the searches after your launch or branded partnership and use keywords and hashtags to get sentiment analysis. This feedback can be critical to how you move forward, make changes, or simply identify what works. 

Twitter, at its best, is us at our best. It’s where our creative thoughts and ideas come to life. It’s where we introduce clever content, share our cultural critiques, and communicate with like-minded individuals. 

Cultivate Brand Community 

Considering it’s so easy for brands and consumers to communicate on Twitter, finding your consumers through search and interacting with them can help build community and brand loyalty. Being engaged in dialogue with your community on Twitter strengthens your voice and your ability to separate yourself from your competitors.

Searching Twitter helps shape and refine your marketing approach. It offers insight into a massive audience which provides value to your marketing mix. Using Twitter for business is essential for your brand growth in 2021. 

Start optimizing the Twitter Advanced Search today and use PLANOLY to auto-post directly to Twitter! Learn more here.

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