The Ultimate Twitter Guide

Of all the social media platforms out there, Twitter has indeed made a name for itself over the years. If in 2010, the platform averaged around 30 million monthly active users, in 2018, that number skyrocketed to a whopping 336 million. But because of the enormity of its success, Twitter has also become a more competitive marketing environment.

On the one hand, this large number of users means that there’s also a broader audience to reach. But on the other hand, however, a Twitter feed will fill up faster, saying that your own Twitter posts will have a much harder time being seen. Nevertheless, the payoff is well worth the effort.

Below is the ultimate guide to Twitter for 2018.

Optimization

When looking at optimizing your Twitter account, aim for more visibility. It makes it easier for your audience to see and recognize your posts as your own. It means that you should keep your handle as short and as simple as possible. It should also match your brand’s name.

Your bio will be the first thing that users will check on your profile. With this in mind, consider adding some industry-relevant hashtags as well as a link where followers can reach you. Also, keep a pinned Tweet on your feed at all times. We recommend that you choose a favorite and engaging piece as these are likelier to get more interactions.

Scaling

At its core, Twitter is a conversation network. Nevertheless, over the years, marketers have used it primarily as a platform for mass messaging. But since a majority of your followers will no longer be able to see your tweets, as they did before, you will need to scale your messages and use the platform for reaching out to people directly.

Now, even though this process is more time consuming, it will undoubtedly generate more results than a mass message that will be overlooked by most users. By using various tools such as Sprout, you will be able to manage these personalized conversations and track your communication history for more context and engagement.

Twitter Video

Statistics show that by 2021, over 82% of all internet traffic, including consumer and business IP traffic, will be made out of video content. This trend is also backed up by the fact that 82% of Twitter users watch video content on the platform. Twitter videos have a maximum length of 140 seconds, giving you enough time to capture people’s attention and keep them engaged.

In fact, each social media platform has its ideal video length. When it comes to Twitter, in particular, the perfect video is 45 seconds with the call-to-action being somewhere in the first 30 seconds. If possible or appropriate, optimize your videos to include a human face. People generally respond well to a person’s face, evoking emotion and capturing attention.

Engage with Your Audience

To get the most out of your social media accounts, Twitter included, is to engage with your audience. Probably the best ratio between engagement and promotion should be something along the lines of 80 to 20 percent, respectively. One of the reasons for this is the fact that 55% of consumers call on brands via social channels to get a resolution or a response, while 47% address their complaints.

The best way to approach the issue is to respond to these requests immediately, retweet and mention your users whenever it’s appropriate, and ask relevant questions or run polls. These questions, however, should not be asked for the sake of conversation, but to uncover various insights related to your products and services.

Tweet about trending or breaking news, but do it creatively by giving them your insight or point of view. Build conversations as often as possible by commenting on other users’ tweets and use visuals such as video, images, GIFs, or infographics to increase your engagement rates.

Conclusion

As a great way to drive traffic to your website, Twitter is a platform that most small businesses need to focus on. These tips above will help you make the best out of the social platform, as they will provide you with brand recognition and label you as an industry expert. If you want to learn more about Twitter and social media marketing, feel free to visit our website or contact us directly.