Most people who aren’t in marketing and are over Justin Bieber have an ambivalent relationship with Twitter. We all recognize its efficacy as a marketing and communication tool, but we struggle to find anything interesting or eye catching. When I scroll through my business Twitter feed I am bored to distraction. It seems like everyone uses Twitter as an afterthought, simply posting their latest blog or announcing upcoming events. If you really want to harness the full power of Twitter marketing, you need to author tweets that count.
Make Twitter a priority
Until recently, my Twitter account really was the middle child of my marketing campaign. I would always tweet my blog posts and use Twitter to advertise upcoming events, but I rarely took the time to write original content just for Twitter. As a result, my tweets had very little impact on the traffic that ended up on my website. That’s when I decided that it was time to give my Twitter account the love it deserved. Making your tweets a priority rather than an afterthought will improve engagement and the marketing clout of your Twitter campaigns.
This is not a turnkey solution
Formal tones and business jargon will not get you retweeted. The very point of Twitter was to have a conversation with friends and it’s this tone that pervades the Twittersphere. If you focus on being fun and whimsical, you are far more likely to resonate with other users. Create light, original content that has Twitter users as its focus.
Get involved
If you really want to maximize your campaign, you have to put in the time and effort. Engage your audience by asking questions, responding to their tweets and answering questions your users pose on your account. The best way to get other users to share your content is to make a connection with them. Share the content you find interesting all the time, welcome new followers and ask questions.
Make it count
In a way, each tweet is like a headline. It’s just a few characters that make you want to click on the link or retweet and you have to learn to make each one count. Ideally you should leave 20 characters free to give people plenty of room to retweet which leaves you with 120 characters. If you are sharing a link, that number should be parsed to 100 characters. If its sounds difficult, it’s really not. 100 Characters is more than most headlines and you have plenty of space to hook your audience. Here are some of the best tweets that have ended up in my feed:
Power out? No problem. pic.twitter.com/dnQ7pOgC
— OREO Cookie (@Oreo) February 4, 2013
In honor of Kim and Kanye’s baby “North West” I will be naming my first son “Taco”
— Drake Bell (@DrakeBell) June 23, 2013
Tweet Pick: Marriage Tip: don’t forget to factor autumnal gourd purchases into your budget -…: Tweet … http://t.co/u8OKGqNb9j #weird
— Weird News (@WeirdNews2) October 15, 2013
We can’t condone Mischief Night, but just make sure no Oreo cookies are harmed in your evening activities 😉 — Oreo Cookie (@Oreo) October 30, 2012
You’re doing it wrong. pic.twitter.com/WEInWf0e
— Taco Bell (@TacoBell) September 19, 2012
Would you take a holiday workshop to make this? pic.twitter.com/PBeQfyg2
— Whipped Bakeshop (@WhippedBakeshop) October 3, 2012
Avoid acronyms and take it easy on the hashtags
My aunt once followed a tweet about the details of grandpa’s funeral with lol thinking it meant ‘lots of love’ and I have always taken this as a cautionary tale about the use of acronyms. There isn’t any substitute for a well-crafted sentence with great grammar and perfect spelling.
While hashtags are a wonderful tool to keep track of conversations, they do take up valuable tweet real estate, so keep it to one or two at the most.
Spend a little time on your Twitter account this week and enjoy the interactive nature of this medium and revel in the increased traffic you are likely to enjoy.
