Did you know that you can take your social media marketing campaign to Twitter? This platform of 280-character thoughts moves fast. The average tweet lasts just 18 minutes. However, with the right approach, it can also deliver some pretty appealing long-term results for your social media marketing campaign.
Don't be misled, though. Just because Twitter consists of pithy 280-character tweets doesn't mean it's easy to navigate.If you want to show up, stick in people's minds, and make your Twitter presence meaningful, there are a few things you need to do. Here they are.
Use hashtags, just not too many.
Hashtags are a great way to quickly alert readers to the main topic(s) of your tweet. They also happen to be a great way to draw attention to your tweet: People engage with them twice as often. Just don't use too many hashtags at once. Tweets with more than two hashtags experience a 17 percent drop in engagement. #whoops.
Add images and videos to your tweets.
A picture (or video) is worth a thousand words. Since you only have 280 characters to use to communicate on Twitter, you're going to want the power of images and videos. These do not have to be long or complicated, and you'll be pleased with the response. Image bearing tweets receive 89 percent more engagement, and tweets with video are retweeted six times more often than are tweets that have images.
Create hashtags to encourage engagement with your brand.
Hashtags are short and pithy, and they are a great way to get people talking about your brand on Twitter. You just have to use them the right way. Consider creating your own hashtags and inviting people to participate by adding the hashtags to their own tweets. For example, let them post images of themselves using your products and include a related hashtag. You might be surprised at how much attention those few characters earn you.
Use Twitter to create conversations, not promotions.
This is a good tip for any social media platform. The draw of social media is its ability to connect and allow wide networks of people to talk to each other. It is NOT a platform for relentless self-promotion. That is why you should use Twitter to create conversations, not promotions. For example, tweet about a customer interaction that made your day and ask others to post similar heartwarming stories instead of tweeting an ad about the item that the customer was buying.
Become part of the conversation on Twitter.
What would happen if a friend ignored everything you said and chose to only talk about themselves? You probably wouldn't spend much time with that friend. The same goes for Twitter: Companies that only ever tweet about themselves are quickly tuned out by their audiences.
Choose to be part of the conversation on Twitter instead. Respond to people who tweet about you or topics relevant to your business. Retweet great content that you find on Twitter. Be a positive conversation partner, and people will want to talk to you too.
Strategically follow others.
You obviously want people to follow you on Twitter. The more the merrier. An effective social media campaign on Twitter, however, should also include you strategically choosing other people to follow.
You can use Twitter's search function to locate candidates who are relevant and local. Then, don't just follow them. Become part of their conversation. As you create relationships on Twitter, the conversation and engagement with your own brand will grow organically as well.
Share links as part of your Twitter social media marketing campaign.
While your audience *might* be interested in your obscenely long commute to work or your new coffee shop discovery, they are really going to be more interested in amazing articles and content.
Give them these articles and content by sharing links through your Twitter-focused social media marketing campaign. The key is to share links to material that is interesting and useful to your target audience. When they can depend on you to deliver great content, then you earn more followers and enjoy more conversation focused on your brand.
Put your best foot forward.
First impressions count, especially on social media. If you want to stand out, then, spend some time putting your best foot forward with your profile and bio.
Your profile picture, for example, should be clean and simple. Often, your logo is the best choice because it will make your Twitter account immediately recognizable.
Your bio, at only 160 characters, will also need to be clean and simple. Focus on telling people what you want them to know first and foremost about you and your business. Don't be boring, though; inject some of your brand personality into the bio so people get a good glimpse of who you are.
Post to Twitter regularly.
Remember how the average tweet only lasts about 18 minutes? That means that to stay visible, you need to tweet frequently and consistently. No taking a day or, heaven forbid, a week off to do other things.
If you commit to using Twitter as part of your social media marketing campaign, you need to commit to tweeting at least daily. To help you keep up, create a content calendar with posting times and topics and hire help if you need it to get your posts done.
Get some help with your social media marketing campaign.
Finally, if you want to succeed in Twitter, consider getting some professional help. Anyone can tweet, but a successful social media marketing campaign on Twitter requires you to be strategic and informed in your approach.
To that end, consider a digital marketing agency like Distinct Web Design. We offer you the ability to develop a comprehensive social media marketing campaign that can include Twitter. We are also aware of the many best practices for tweeting. We can help you turn your Twitter presence into a money-making, brand-growing, attention-earning boon for your business.
