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Twitter is one of the top 3 social networking apps in the United States, with around 353 million active users. So, if you choose to utilize this platform as an advisor, there are some ways to go about networking and using it to its maximum capacity. You hear about what you should be doing across social platforms, but here are 9 things that you should NOT be doing in 2021 to get the most out of Twitter.
9 Things You Should Stop Doing on Twitter
1. Overusing Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to be found on social media and a great addition to your social media strategy. When clicking on a hashtag, you will be taken to any tweets that have used that hashtag, so it’s a great way to connect with like-minded businesses or individuals interested in the same topics as you. When used correctly, hashtags can have a huge impact on your online presence and visibility on social but make sure you are not overusing them.
Even though you want to expand your reach, you should still only use 1-2 hashtags on Twitter. If you use too many, it will come off as “spammy” and it will cloud your overall message, making it harder to read. Additionally, don’t use one just for emphasis. Be mindful of your hashtags and use ones that will be the most beneficial for your content to be found.
Hashtag Advantages:
Of course, you still want to use hashtags, as there are several advantages, such as:
- Hashtags expand your reach: Your posts will be viewable by a larger audience when you include hashtags in your Twitter posts
- They build your brand: If you set up a hashtag that is specific to your brand and business, you can include it in your posts, which will give your audience something to follow.
- They increase engagement: People are more likely to comment, like and retweet posts that utilize hashtags.
So, as you can see, you want to use hashtags, as they are a key part of boosting your online presence, you just don’t want to OVERUSE them.
2. Not Engaging with Your Audience
Social media is just about that…being social. If you are not engaging with your audience and showing that you are genuinely interested in what they have to say, then you aren’t going to grow your followers. People are looking to connect and have conversations. And when you put your content out there, don’t you enjoy getting meaningful comments? The same goes for commenting on someone else’s post. Did someone on your platform post a blog that resonates with you? You could comment and if you have someone to share of your own that will add to their post, then that would be a great idea. You will get more eyes on your content while also opening up conversations with other followers.
As you can see in the Twitter thread above, Emily Binder has started an engaging Twitter thread by posting a comment about the effectiveness of content marketing. It has opened up a conversation and allowed for her to share another blog in the thread directing more readers back to her website.
3. Not Sharing Your Content
You spend time creating awesome content, so don’t you want to make sure it gets as many views as possible? To do this, you need to share your content on your Twitter platform. When you publish a piece of content and then don’t share it, you missing out on most of the traffic and conversions it could generate.
At Twenty Over Ten, we implement the 80/20 rule when it comes to sharing content. 80% of your social media posts should inform and educate your audience, while only 20% should directly promote your business. So, work to discover your brand’s voice and see the posting schedule that best represents your firm.
Twenty Over Ten client, Mark Sharp, CFP® of Mark Sharp Retirement does a great job of sharing infographics, images and content in order to inform and keep his audience engaged.
4. Not Sharing Your Third-Party Sources/Tagging Correctly
Sharing third-party sources is a great way to bring in a different point of view, and if you find someone else’s article to be interesting, then you can share it. When you do this you are also opening up the opportunity for that third party to share your content, which in turn gets more eyes on your content.
Building rapport with a third party and inviting guest bloggers to post content on your website is a great way to build a relationship with others and enhance your website’s overall content. But if you share that content and don’t tag them, then how will they know that you shared it? When you share the content from your third-party sources, make sure you are tagging, which then will notify them so they can then retweet or share your post. It’s a great way to get even more eyes on your posts and expand your audience.
Every week at Twenty Over Ten, we post a “Five Little Things For Your Monday” article and a “Feature Friday” article. It’s a round-up of five of our favorite reads of the week, which we then post on social media. When posting, we tag the third-party sources as a way to drive engagement.
5. Not Tweeting Enough
Twitter is fast-moving, so tweeting consistently is key. If you don’t tweet enough, then your posts will be lost amongst all of the other tweets. So, the more that you tweet, the better chance that you will gain some traction and more people will see your content. We recommend that you can tweet up to ten times per day, as the average lifespan of a tweet is 15 minutes, so it’s quite short.
6. Keeping the Default Profile Picture
First impressions are almost always visual, so your profile picture can set the tone for your content. Because of this, don’t just keep the default profile picture. Your profile image and cover photo should be well lit, professional, cropped and optimized for website use.
If you want to create a strong cover photo, then Canva is a great and FREE option. There are Twitter templates that you can use that sizes everything perfectly so that you don’t need to worry about cropping any images.
Twenty Over Ten client, Mike Kelly, CFP®, CPC of Kelly Financial Planning has a strong, professional headshot along with an eye-catching banner image.
7. Tweeting Excessively
Excessive tweeting and self-promotion is a “no-no” on Twitter. Even though the shelf-life of a tweet isn’t very long, that doesn’t mean you should share your thoughts excessively. When you post too much, it starts to look “spammy,” which could cause people to unfollow you or even report you as spam.
According to Buffer, you should only tweet three times a day before your engagement starts to drop off, whereas, Constant Contact recommends a minimum of five tweets per day while suggesting there is no maximum. So, find your rhythm, as it will work differently for different companies.
8. Making your Tweets Too Long
Initially, you could only use 140 characters in a tweet. It has since then doubled to 280 characters so that users could be more expressive, but just because you can write more content, that doesn’t mean you should. While the additional characters give you more flexibility, people still expect tweets to be short, sweet and to the point.
9. Posting Via Other Networks
Every social network has its own etiquette and way that things work, so don’t post the exact same thing on Facebook and LinkedIn that you would post on Twitter. Your audience may be different across other platforms, so publishing content that resonates with your Twitter audience might be the same for LinkedIn. So, make sure you are changing up your posts based on which platform you are on.
Key Takeaways
Ready to boost your Twitter game and start gaining more followers? Make sure you are not doing the above things. Social media is all about connecting with others and engaging your audience. This is a great platform to connect with journalists and other like-minded individuals and if you are “doing Twitter right” then you should be able to connect better and boost your connections.
Related: How Can Financial Advisors Get More Quality Leads From Their Website?