If you’ve already read our recent article on why Twitter should be a part of your social media strategy, you’ll know that the little blue bird can be a powerful form of communication…when it’s done right.
Twitter is a platform that many businesses use, but quite often incorrectly. A perfectly constructed and timed tweet will entice people to click retweet (thus amplifying your reach) while others get buried in the abyss of automated bots, horoscopes and foreigners in different time zones.
There could be multiple reasons your tweet was either a raging success or total flop – read on for four factors that affect your engagement on Twitter.
Tweet at the Right Time
Tweet at a time that your audience will most likely check their twitter. No one is going to stay up at 3am waiting for your late-night stroke of genius. Put yourself in the shoes of your audience and think of when you’d be most likely to check your feed. Studies show the best times are between 2pm and 6pm – typical commuting time is a good bet.
Incorporate Links, Images & Preview Images
140 characters can seem like a serious damper on both your creativity and promo-pushing potential. Luckily, Twitter allows you to incorporate images, short videos and links to other content to say things that a tweet alone can’t. There are four ways to interact with a tweet: favourite, retweet, reply, or simply clicking the included link or image, the last of which sits pretty at 92% of all twitter engagement.
Hashtags
Hashtags are a key part of any social media strategy as they mark and categorise your tweets, making them searchable and therefore widening your audience. When there are no hashtags in your post, it becomes harder for your target audience and other viewers to stumble across it. On the flip-side, studies have also shown that the ugliness of too many hashtags can result in lower engagement. To keep your toes on that fine line pick two or three (i.e #don’t #talk #like #this) carefully thought-out hashtags – it works similarly to search optimization techniques for websites.
Talk with your audience, not at them
When a business sounds like they know and understand you, it’s easier to relate and engage with them. No one enjoys information just dumped in front of their face with no sense of personality. Across your entire social media strategy, think about your business, give it a character, and carry that voice throughout. Don’t be afraid to ask questions or make a few puns and jokes.
Stay tuned for more articles on how to keep your audience engaged, or contact Liquidity today to find out how to make the most of Twitter and your social media strategy while you focus on running your operations.