If you want to get more Twitter followers, you’re going to have to work at it. People won’t buy into your social media marketing campaign unless you give them something in return.
There’s no secret formula – like improving your fitness, it’s all about committing to the exercise and putting in the effort. That means carefully considering what you post. Your content has to appeal to the people you want to turn into customers.
What you want is to get more Twitter followers engaging with your brand. The more engagement you get (loves, comments, retweets) the further your tweets will spread and the more followers you’ll get in return.
We’ve got some hints and tips that will supercharge your social media marketing on the platform.
Picture perfect
Twitter is a very visual medium, so every tweet should have a static or rich media image – rich media would be something like a GIF, animation or short video. A static image attached to a humorous comment works well.
People scroll through Twitter quickly so you only have moments to capture their attention. Go for something bright and colourful.
You can experiment with the tone of your jokes, but what you say would depend on who is in your main audience. Remember who your readers will be.
Magners Cider cleverly uses humour and images together and keep it in line with their brand’s voice.
Image is everything
If you’re sharing content from your website as part of your social media marketing strategy, be sure you upload a fresh image so that Twitter doesn’t automatically pull an image from the website straight into your tweet on your behalf.
Gif and receive
Gifs are great for grabbing people’s attention – that flicker of movement attracts the eye as people scroll through a feed that’s packed with sensory information. Video content’s only going to become more prevalent once 5G internet arrives on mobile, so get ahead of the curve.
Tesco pulled off a cracker during the recent heatwave involving frosty glass clearing in the summer sun to reveal a tasty treat.
When not to engage
Don’t get het up about negative comments or tweets – people have their opinions and you’ll come across all sorts in your quest to get more Twitter followers.
If someone’s tweeting about you negatively but hasn’t tagged you or used your hashtag, simply don’t engage. It’s only by replying to their tweet that it links to your profile – why would you do that to yourself? Otherwise, it’d get lost in the fast-moving twittersphere. If it’s untrue or defamatory, get expert advice.
In general, be careful who you engage with if you have been tagged. Check out their profile to get a handle on their attitude and tweeting habits before getting involved.
If they’re complaining, tweet back and ask to take it to direct messages – away from the public eye, it’s the place you should begin resolving disputes. This protects personal data as you may have to ask customers for their phone number or email address.
There are several faux pas you can make if you don’t think through your social media marketing strategy. Find out more here.
Drive interaction
You’re trying to engage people in your message or brand – introducing interactive content does that. So ask questions or run polls.
Running a quick survey on your Twitter feed is a fantastic way to conduct real-time customer research. Trying out a new brand colour scheme? Ask your followers what they think.
Walkers has been doing this kind of engagement well with its #chooseorlose campaign, pitting family favourite potato crisp flavours against new flavours. Who’s not going to vote to save their favourite snack?
Rules of engagement
Let people know you’re there. Staying active keeps the twitterati engaged, so post regularly. Hop aboard news events and national days, if they fit with the business you’re in. Start conversations and contribute to them. If there’s a weekly live chat in your industry sector, get involved.
Twitter’s algorithm works by pushing content down so that the most recent Tweets are featured towards the top. That provides lots of tweeting opportunity without worrying about disengaging your audience with too many posts, like on Facebook.
Don’t forget to include hashtags that are relevant to your tweet. Hashtags group conversations together so will help increase your reach, engagement and secure more followers.
Short and sweet
Although Twitter has doubled its character count to 240, you need to keep your tweets succinct and easy to read. People thumb through the app on their phones – and you’re looking to grab a moment of their time.
You’re in there among hundreds of tweeters they’ve chosen to follow, one voice among the roar of the crowd. They have to be engrossed in what you have to say if they’re to read more than 20 words. If your tweet can’t be read in three seconds, ditch it and try again.
Everyone in the Only Digital team is a specialist - whether it’s strategy, search, web design, content or advertising. Call us now on 0800 612 9890 to find out how we can help your business.