With 326 million active users on Twitter every month and 500 million people visiting the site every month without logging in, Twitter is a social media platform every business should consider for their marketing. But admittedly, the short form format and the speed of the platform can be intimidating to new users who aren’t sure how best to utilize it.
Today’s blog is here to help with eight tips that won’t only get your started on Twitter but also help your brand grow quickly.
1) Know Your Audience – Before you start posting on Twitter, learn what audience in your industry is using the platform. While some industries don’t have much of a difference between Facebook and Twitter, others do. For example, in racing Twitter is where more of the industry professionals seem to have conversations while Facebook has more of the racing fan base. Because of this, you’ll need to make sure your wording matches your audience when posting on Twitter vs. Facebook.
2) Short and Concise – Twitter limiting your message to 280 characters makes this rule easier to follow but just because you have those 280 characters doesn’t mean you have to use all of them. The less you have for someone to read, the more likely they are to read it. Remember, the less you say the more they read.
3) Just Say No to Threads – It can be very tempting to make a thread of tweets (using that little plus sign next to the “Tweet” button) but don’t do it. Most people will not read the thread and in my personal experience, they get less interaction than normal tweets. Unlike Facebook where you may get people to read a longer post since it is all in one place, the division of the tweets every 280 characters helps them to lose interest.
4) Just Say Yes to Interactions –Don’t just use Twitter (or any social media) as a platform where you say what you have to say then disappear. Twitter is more interactive than Facebook and if you want to build a following and get the most out of the platform, you need to be part of the community. If you post something and get feedback, be sure to reply – and maybe even start a discussion. Also don’t be afraid to banter back and forth with followers or other businesses, some of the most popular tweets from brands have been replies to followers.
In fact, Wendy’s telling a follower he could have a year of free chicken nuggets if his tweet was retweeted 18 million times is one of the most popular tweets of all time according to England’s The Week.
5) Back To Photos – These days, everything needs a visual to catch the attention of those scrolling by and Twitter isn’t any different. According to Brandwatch, if your tweet has an image it will get 150% more retweets than one that doesn’t.
An example straight from my personal Twitter, which is used mostly for Pyrois Media and horse racing business, is that a tweet about Giant’s Causewaywith a photo of the legendary stallion was the most popular over the last four weeks. The tweet earned 9,963 impressions and 932 engagements for an engagement rate of 9.4 percent (the average engagement rate for sports is .046 percent according to Rival IQ.) My third most popular during the period is a tweet with no photojoking about a horse name that received 5,427 impression but only 62 engagements for an engagement rate of 1.1%.
6) Tweet Often – While it feels like you can overwhelm your Facebook page if you post too often, that isn’t the case on Twitter. Because the platform moves so quickly – and most people won’t go to your profile to see your posts – even if you tweet multiple times a day it won’t turn off your followers. Remember that the more active you are on Twitter with good content, the more people will pay attention to what you have to say. Keep in mind that 19 percent of companies tweet six to 10 times a day according to Brandwatch.
7) Watch Your Retweets– Retweeting is a quick and easy way to stay active on Twitter, but make sure it is relevant to your brand. On the same front, make sure you aren’t only retweeting content and not putting out anything original. If you are retweeting for a reason, use the quote tweet feature to (concisely) explain why the tweet is important to your account but don’t think that that feature gets you out of putting out your own content as well.
8) Remember You Can’t Edit – It is never fun when you have a popular tweet that has a typo. Not only does it mean a lot of people will see that mistake (and it may be their introduction to your business) but you only have one choice if you want it to disappear – you have to delete it. Unfortunately, Twitter has not yet released an “edit” feature so you must live with the tweet’s mistake or delete it. Because of this, I highly recommend that you read over each tweet a few times before you send it. More than one business has been the victim of autocorrect, especially when tweeting quickly from a phone.
If you have any questions about how to improve your social media presence, Pyrois Media offers social media consulting services. See our Services pageor email Melissa@PyroisMedia.com for more information.
Have a topic you’d like to see covered here? Email Melissa@PyroisMedia.com with your suggestions and you could see it in a future blog!
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