Social media has become a crucial tool in the business world. It is an effective PR/marketing tool to share statistics, increase brand recognition and reach target audiences. Twitter can be an especially effective method to accomplish social media objectives. Listed below are six Twitter pointers that may help increase followers, interaction and overall audience interest.
1. #Hashtags
A hashtag is a word or phrase preceded by a hash or pound sign that is used to identify a certain subject or topic. Using hashtags to identify a product or event accomplishes two valuable objectives. One, it gives people a chance to comment or correspond in regards to a subject and two, gives companies or individuals the ability to monitor and measure content attached to that subject. Hashtags are also great to use during contests and prize giveaways.
2. Imagery
There is compelling evidence that sharing images through tweets can drastically improve follower interaction. Tweets with images average 18 percent more click-throughs to your website. If achieving retweets is the goal, images increase that probability by 150 percent. It is not only toddlers who are entertained by compelling pictures.
3. Use Analytics
There are many different programs to analyze followers and their interactions with posted content. Pick one that suits your needs, and put it to use to. This will enable you to see what type of content results in interaction, the most beneficial times of day to post and gain a better understanding of the audience’s interests and demographics. Buffer and Google analytics are both effective platforms to use. Twitter also has its own analytical platform.
4. Action Words
One of the best ways to receive results is by simply asking. Tweets that are a call to action or have actionable words such as “download” or “free trial” increase clicks by 13 percent. Along with actionable words, asking for specific feedback and precisely wording questions will both increase the amount and quality of feedback.
Bad example: “How is everybody doing today?”
Good example: “If there were three changes you could add to our product in the next six months what would they be?”
5. Respond Quickly
It seems the further into the information age we move the more impatient people become. This is not necessarily an unfortunate circumstance, as it gives companies an opportunity to improve customer relations. Fifty-three percent of Twitter users expect a reply within an hour when commenting on a business page. Seventy-two percent expect a reply from a business after they have sent a message. Speed and efficiency is the new gold standard. However, if a company has a cell phone, secretary and a social media protocol, a quick response is not that difficult unless there are thousands of responses.
6. Language Clarity
Like any other public relations or advertising platform, communication is the most crucial aspect. Posts that are clear and concise received 18 percent more clicks and 30 percent more retweets than those which are poorly worded. Tweets that are between 130 and 140 characters also have 10 percent more clicks than those with fewer characters. More words does not mean better communication; however, there is a direct correlation between engaging posts and follower engagement.
Whether it is sales, advertising or information systems management, effective communication is the cornerstone to all successful businesses. Twitter is no different. Try using these six Twitter communication tips to better engage with an audience and increase followers, likes, and retweets. If used properly Twitter can be a dynamic tool of positive change for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
