For those of you who get the benefits of social media and what it can do to drive traffic to your website you have already figured out just how to be follow worthy. For others you may need a little help understanding how the social relationship works, so here are some tips to improve your friend-ability! In this article you will discover 10 ways to improve your Twitter engagement and increase your social media exposure.
#1: Build the Right Twitter Audience
Your Twitter success depends upon reaching the right audience. If all your followers happen to be friends from your softball team and you’re business is related to Big Data it is not likely that they will be receptive to sharing your content regardless of much they like you.
#2: Make the most of your Profile
First you must become follow worthy by putting your best foot forward. Make sure that your profile makes the right impression. You would not show up to a formal party wearing your pajamas. Have a complete profile that inspires people to follow you. Your profile should showcase your strengths which includes a professional and thorough bio, great images, and of course a Twitter handle that people can recognize.
Pam Moore has a great profile example, you can follow her @PamMktgNut. You can clearly see that she is a social media expert with highlights including Forbes TOP 10 Social Media Influencer. Notice how she uses hashtags and @mentions to her other Twitter handles.
#3: Be an Effective Listener and a Proactive Problem Solver
Monitor tweets and be ready to answer questions, offer advice, or just help a friend out when they need something. If you dazzle and delight your audience they will remember you with happy thoughts. Do something unexpected by going above and beyond for a customer that has a problem or a follower that needs to find an answer.
With the power of social you don’t need to meet someone in person to feel connected.
#4: Engage With Others
A great way to make a connection with someone you don’t know is by doing them a favor. This is a great way to get the attention of those much sought after influencers. These are people you probably already follow but may not follow you back. If you become an advocate by sharing their advice to others there is a far greater chance that they will take notice and follow you back. People are more likely to share your content if you reciprocate. You must TWEET, RETWEET, and FAVORITE others tweets on a consistent basis.
The power of the @mention can be very effective. Most Twitter users receive notifications when someone has included their @name in a tweet. When sharing content it is very important to give credit where credit is due. It also happens to be a great way to start engaging with the right people. Be sure to take the opportunity to pay attention and thank others when they mention you. The goal is to open the door to the possibility of a relationship.
#5: Be Human and Have a Personality
Don’t be a Twitter drone. Social media is about creating great relationships. You must treat your tweets as an opening to communicate. Don’t be afraid to have a brand personality, a little swagger so to speak. Twitter is about getting personal, not about sharing a press release.
Since Twitter serves many purposes from sharing great content to discovering your shortfalls in customer service you should always stay focused on the conversation in a very human way. If someone has a complaint about your company or product don’t just send them the email address to submit a help ticket. Jump in and get them to the right person that can actually solve their problem. This is an opportunity to turn an unhappy customer into a brand advocate simply by being willing to go the extra mile and help them out.
You can greatly increase your engagement by being the best human possible.
#6: Add Value – Don’t Just Self Promote
It is easy to get carried away tweeting all your fabulous content that you think everyone in the world needs to read right this instant but make sure that you share useful and relevant information. Follow the 80/20 rule. That is 80 percent of your content should be from sources other than yourself. The other 20 percent can be shameless plugs.
Sharing great content may seem like a lot of work but it means all the difference when it comes to increasing your engagement. Be sure to tweet on topics that your audience can relate to by learning to curate from a variety of sources. Use tools like Scoop.it or feed.ly to find articles that others will find beneficial. If you notice an article that answers someone’s question be sure to send it their way with a little explanation.
#7: Keep Your Tweets Short and Interesting
How you format your tweets can make a big difference in your engagement. Keep Tweets Short – less than 100 characters and you will have a 17% Higher Engagement rate. It is important that you leave room for people to add to your tweet.
Share useful information such as links to relevant articles, inspirational quotes, helpful how-to tips or stories from the trenches.
Tweets are not just about text anymore, mix up your content with images and videos. Using images can get you 2 times higher engagement.
#8: Use #hashtags to Make Your Point
Hashtags are a great way to quickly clarify your topic. Used wisely they can also increase your engagement, just don’t over use hashtags. Use more than 2 in the same tweet and you may see the opposite effect.
Tweets with #hashtags receive 2 times more engagement while using 3 or more #hashtags can have the opposite effect, reducing you’re your engagement by 17%.
#9: Post At The Best Times
Sending 20 tweets at 2 AM is not going to get you much results. Be prepared to make the most out of scheduling your tweets to post at times that are more likely to get visibility. Consider there is a 30% HIGHER engagement rate during busy hours from 8 AM – 7 PM!
You will need to experiment to find the best times for your particular audience, taking into consideration time zones and normal activities for your group. Using automated scheduling tools are very helpful to keep your posts going without all the work.
#10: Don’t Be Afraid To Ask
The more you help others, the more you can count on others to help you. Be reasonable about how often you reach out for help, it should be proportional to your own contributions but you might be pleasantly surprised about the reception. Occasionally ask for a “Please Retweet“ with the word ‘Retweet’ spelled out for 23 times higher Retweet Rate.
Asking for people to share, follow, or retweet is a normal and accepted request. Just make sure that you thank those that help.
Conclusion
As you build your social media with these 10 tips you will see your engagement increase. Let us know if you have any other ideas on how to improve your Twitter experience.
