Partner Article

How brands can increase engagement on Twitter

In its simplest form, social media is a tool to pass content on - whether that’s from one user to another or from one user to many others, social media is designed as a platform for sharing.

In essence, social media has been around for years, albeit in the guise of forums and discussion lists. However the buzz that has been created by social media channels of late is now not only having an impact on our everyday lives, but also in the way we do business too. So much so, that there are now companies who are completely ignoring the basic principles of marketing and are instead using Twitter et al as pure push marketing tools.

Here at Miromedia.co.uk we are often asked how to increase Twitter followers but very rarely asked how to engage the followers companies already have, this is where we believe people are going wrong. Social media should be about quality, not quantity. It’s not about having followers in their thousands who are not relevant to your brand, it’s about utilising the social media channel effectively for your target audience and engaging the followers you already have.

Understand your audience

Like any digital marketing activity, the key to engagement on Twitter is about understanding your audience. To engage your audience you need to understand their needs and desires. Start with asking yourself why they might visit your website and why they would then go on to follow you on Twitter or indeed one of the many other social media channels. Then think about your areas of expertise and how you can help them in their work or business, or even how you can entertain them and brighten up their day. The key thing to remember is it’s about them, not you.

Content is the key to any social media channel, ensure the content you produce and share is interesting and easy to pass on.

A few simple tips to get you started:

People to talk to people, not hashtags

People want to engage with people, real people, not companies or hashtags. Ensure your personality comes across via Twitter, have a personal opinion and don’t be afraid to voice it. Don’t be arrogant, rude or offensive but if you have expertise, let it shine.

Don’t spam

Don’t login to Twitter once a day and retweet your entire feed. You want to have a flutter of tweets throughout the day that are interesting to your followers. Try to space them out, one an hour or so will be just fine. And don’t just retweet what others have already posted, instead look to share unique content. As tempting as they are, don’t overuse hashtags either, a couple is fine, any more than that is #spam. Think about the hashtags you are using too, make sure they are relevant to the content you are posting.

Engage

Chat, share, engage! Rather than just using Twitter as a push marketing tool, try asking questions of your audience that are relevant to your specialism and be sure to use any information that you receive. While if you are asked questions by others, be sure to answer them, it shows that you are keen to engage with your audience.

The more effectively you use Twitter, the more effective it will be as a tool to you.

First Tweeter advantage

Tweet first, don’t just rely on retweeting on others for news. Show your knowledge and expertise by being the first to share news, create news or comment on a topic. Doing this will encourage people to retweet you, which in turn will increase your followers and engage your target audience. Be sure to also use hashtags effectively so that your content is #findable

Have an opinion

If you’re sharing other people’s content or articles, comment on it before you tweet. What do you think, do you agree? Have you got some additional statistics or experience that gives a different perspective? If so, share it!

If you think an article is sound and you agree with all the content, pick out the most interesting statistic or quote, don’t just use the headline used by the Twitter share button like everyone else – stand out.

Connect

Take your real life and align it with your digital life. Connect with people you actually know, or know of. Whether they are people you have studied with, people you have worked with or people you have met at a conference ensure you are connected. Once connected, comment on their tweets so you can build a following through their knowledge and personal network.

Retweet your content

Think of Twitter as an old-fashioned tickertape, it is something that moves very fast and with it brings a lot of information. Because of this, you will often miss the most important content. Many of your tweets will get lost in the reams of tweets from other people, so if you have some really important information to share, share it and share it again.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Michelle Hughes - Miromedia.co.uk .