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Have you ever asked yourself if Twitter is a social media channel where you should really be investing time, or is it just a waste?
Out of all the various social channels, and coming from one who advises businesses just which channels are best for their marketing strategy, here’s my advice:
Let’s look at seven reasons why Twitter should be a part of your social media marketing strategy:
1. Number of Twitter users
In 60 seconds, Twitter users share 277,000 tweets , There are 190 million users taking advantage Twitter each month. A surprising 43% of those don’t send tweets themselves, but watch others’ tweet. Sheer volume. We’re looking at a concentrated area of people, who you are able to segregate by industry and keywords.
2. Brevity
There is no getting around it: short and sweet wins the game on Twitter. You have 140 characters to get your point across. No talking someone’s ear off with lengthy copy. I suggest about 110 characters to allow those retweeting (i.e. sharing your message) room to add your Twitter handle and a short comment. The more you tweet, the better you become at whittling down your message while retaining its meaning. After all, don’t you appreciate when someone is on point and takes up less of your precious time?
One Twitter user who is an ace at getting his point across succinctly is Brian Fanzo . His motto is ‘Talk Fast, Tweet Faster’. He does both well and adds tremendous value to those following him.
3. Hashtags
What a wonderful component of this channel! Use industry key words (e.g. #SocialMedia, #smm (social media marketing), #TravelTips, #productivity) in your tweets to help show your audience the gist of why they should be reading your message.
Tip: Search first if you’re unsure about a specific hashtag and make sure it’s relevant in your industry. If no one’s using it, you’re less likely to get the big bang out of it. Use hashtags that are relevant and popular in your industry, and take advantage of common ground.
Another tip: Look at the trending column from your home page and see if there are any topics you can tie in with your brand’s message – capitalize on what’s already working!
4. Tweet Chats
One of my favorite uses for Twitter are tweet chats. Think of them as meet-ups you can be a part of without actually having to drive somewhere to attend. I have met so many wonderful people through these who have helped sharpen my skills by sharing their knowledge.
Typically a moderator will ask a short series of questions, and people in the chat answer them by number. You always have the option to listen and not respond. However, your answer may help someone. I encourage you to join the party !
Tip: Use a dashboard like TweetDeck to create a column for the tweet chat and follow in real time. Two of my favorite weekly chats are #SBizHour (Mondays at 2pm MT) and #TChat (Wednesdays at 5pm MT).
5. Lists
As many professional organizers will tell you, everything in your home and office should have a place. Twitter is no different. Organize your digital stream by using lists. A sample of four you may find helpful:
You are able to click on that list once created and focus on one subject matter at a time. Your lists can be public or private, so for one like “competition” I suggest making private.
Lists are also a great way to find new people to follow. You can look at an industry expert’s lists they’ve created or are a part of, and find a helpful trail of similar people to connect with. You can subscribe to the list itself or choose to follow specific members.
6. Growth
You truly are limitless (when in compliance with the 2000 rule ) with your growth potential. As you are starting out, follow 10 interesting people a day. They don’t all have to be in your industry. Follow people or brands related to an interest you have or because they offer great wit.
Tip: People / brands should be active on Twitter to be considered interesting!
Add them to a created list. One person not related to my industry, but one I so enjoy following and conversing with is Meredith Heron . She is a designer and active social media user. Not only is her Twitter stream filled with beautiful images of fabric swatches and gorgeous creations, it is also filled with how she incorporates her work into her life.
Mind you the only sewing machine in my house belongs to my daughter, and I am a smidge color blind, but this woman rocks and is plain fun to follow. I end up learning from her on how a person represents a brand on social and engages with their followers, which I then in turn use with my clients. See, we all can learn from each other!
7. Tagging
An engaging Twitter feature is the ability to mention others both in the post itself and in tagging photos. The beauty of tagging in the photos is that the character count isn’t affected. Bill McGowan and I follow each other on Twitter (we met in an industry tweet chat – he’s a brilliant mind to follow). I tagged him in the photo of a tweet where I mention his book Pitch Perfect. He then favorited my tweet.
Use tagging as a way to engage with others. You’ll get so much more out of Twitter by “talking” with others as opposed to just lurking.
How are you incorporating Twitter with your brand? Who are the influencers you follow?