There are over 1.3 billion registered users on Twitter. In the US alone there are 65 million users. If you’re active on Twitter but are not seeing significant business results, a few simple shifts in your strategy could help.
When used correctly Twitter is an effective tool for promoting your business. If you’re struggling to get the hang of marketing on Twitter, or aren’t sure whether you’re ready to dip your toe into the Tweeting pool, we’re here for you.
Time To Shine On Your Twitter Timeline
Twitter made an announcement recently that was music to our ears at Marketing Samurai. They have launched an algorithmic timeline to make it easier for users to discover great content.
Why did that sound so sweet to us? Because the new timeline really makes it easier for businesses to catch the attention of followers and potential buyers.
This new and improved timeline allows users to see Tweets which are important to them first instead of in chronological order as they did before. Tweets relevant to the person’s interests now appear at the top of a user’s timeline before the rest of the Tweets. For businesses using Twitter to promote content, the new change is encouraging.
Your followers will love it too. They’ll see more of your value and less of their friend’s fluff. It’s a winning situation for both sides.
With this new and improved approach, comes the need to refine how and what you’re sending out into the Twitter universe. Remember, the new improved timeline puts even greater pressure on businesses to produce valuable, share-worthy content.
We’re here to help you take advantage of the new timeline and reach more buyers. Here are 5 steps to promoting content on Twitter.
Step 1: Understand Your Audience
Twitter developers have certainly had their nose to the grindstone lately. Another recent development from the Twitter gurus: a new tool to help advertisers better understand key audiences.
This tool was introduced back in May 2015. It gives you unique insights into who is following you and engaging with your organic Tweets. You can also use this to identify new, relevant audiences to target for any upcoming campaigns.
To find these insights, click on your logo in the top right corner and select “Analytics.”
On the top, you’ll see a bar in light grey. Click “Audiences.”
Then, you’ll arrive at your audience dashboard.
The audience insights dashboard aggregates information about user demographics, interests, lifestyle, purchasing behavior, TV viewing behavior and mobile footprint to give you a complete profile of who your audience is.
This is a great tool for learning about your potential customers and helping to build your buyer personas. With the new timeline now in place, it will also help you to produce the right content and keywords to get found.
Step 2: Generate Core Content
There are two ways you can generate leads on Twitter: Directly and indirectly.
Direct Tweets happen when you’re promoting something. For example, if you Tweet “Download Our Latest E-Book” and link back to a page with a form where people can sign up and get your ebook, you’re using a direct lead generation strategy.
Indirect Tweets are far more common on Twitter. These tend to be friendly, easy-to-consume and not overtly promotional. An indirect promotion could be photos of your office, a retweet to carry on a conversation, or links to your blog posts without an opt-in. These take a softer approach, so they’re a slower, more gradual way of attracting customers. Still, they’re essential to building the trust with your brand and appealing to the new algorithm in Twitter’s timeline.
Using the direct approach too often could push your content further down in Twitter’s algorithm. This is the type of content that many people don’t interact with as eagerly, so Twitter will see it as irrelevant. Sprinkle it in between a larger percentage of indirect friendly content.
Step 3: Plan What You Are Posting
With any social media channel it’s important to plan your posts ahead of time. This will ensure what you are posting remains consistent and engaging at all times. Make sure you set up a social media publishing schedule for all your social media channels – not just Twitter.
Twitter updates should be posted on average three to five times a day at frequent intervals. This might sound daunting, and it can be, but with a little bit of planning and scheduling, you can make it happen.
While planning your posts, consider this:
- There is a character count limit – it’s 140 characters. This includes any links you might be posting so keep them short.
- Include consistent brand or keyword hashtags. This will make it easier for your audience to find and search your Twitter content.
- Take advantage of Twitter’s Lead Generation Cards. They let you generate leads directly within a Tweet in exchange for some sort of offer, like a demo.
I recommend using a tool such as Hootsuite or Buffer to schedule your Tweets in advance so it’s out of your head and off your to-do list during the day.
Step 4: Beyond the Post – Respond, Like and Retweet
Once you posted a Tweet it doesn’t stop there. You will need to monitor your posts and reply to your followers Tweets. This is done for you automatically by Twitter.
The social network will send you an email notification to the address associated with your account anytime someone mentions you. Or, you can see these mentions and engagement in the same tool you used to schedule your posts.
When replying to a Tweet the trick is to be responsive, no matter the type of comment. For example, it’s easy to want to ignore criticisms, but letting them go without a response could spell disaster down the road.
Likewise, if someone shares your content or Tweets about you in a positive way, make sure you like the Tweet by clicking the heart button. You might also want to mention or Retweet what they posted. This encourages advocacy and loyalty.
Step 5: Boost Your Tweets With ‘Quick Promote’
Want to get even more bang for your Twitter buck? Check out another tool within Twitter called ‘Quick Promote.’
The Quick Promote tool lets you pay to gain more attention. It is a fast and easy way to promote your favorite or most successful Tweets and reach a wider audience.
As the name suggests, Tweets can be promoted in just a few clicks, directly from the Twitter app or website.
Simply click on a Tweet you want to promote and select the bar graph icon (which shows you the performance of a Tweet). Then click ‘Get Started.’
You will be asked to set a budget and target location. Go through all of the steps until you’ve finished.
The Tweet will be promoted until your budget runs out.
The best time to use the Quick Promote feature is anytime you see a post doing well. These are the posts that have caught the most attention by your followers, so they’re the ones that will be most effective in attracting new followers.
Takeaways
Twitter is so much meatier than a simple 140 characters. With the recent developments, businesses have plenty of opportunity to reach new customers via this platform.
Want a little extra help getting started? Let’s talk. Contact our marketing experts for a free business consultation and find out how you can promote your business on Twitter more effectively.
