6 Reasons Why Twitter Is A Key Marketing Tool

Posted January 23, 2019

In Increase Engagement, Utilize the Technology

If you’ve used Twitter before, you already know it’s a completely different animal than other social platforms. Most tweets consist only of text– and not a lot of it (280 characters maximum, to be exact). Compare that aspect alone to Facebook and Instagram, both of which are mainly used to share photos and/or longer updates, and you’ll notice the very different dynamic of using Twitter. We know that learning how to use different social media sites can be overwhelming and confusing, but don’t worry, we’ve put together a guide for you on how to use Twitter to engage your audience.

According to Business of Apps, the site has about 326 million active daily users, and more than 500 million tweets are posted per day. That means that a lot of information is out there, being processed by your potential consumers right now. Don’t miss out on your opportunity to reach these users. Get started now!

First, let’s talk about the features that make Twitter a unique and useful way to connect with your followers:

High number and frequency of tweets.

The number of tweets it is “acceptable” to post in a given period of time– let’s say, a single day– is higher than the number of posts you would make in a day on other social media platforms. Most followers of your Facebook page might get annoyed if you’re flooding their feed with statuses every few hours, but Twitter is a different ball game. It’s actually necessary to post more often because of its faster algorithm. The frequency of your tweets helps keep you from getting lost in followers’ feeds and at the top of their minds, which is basically the whole point of marketing, isn’t it?

Sponsor your tweets.

Much like Facebook and Instagram, Twitter advertising entails promoting one of your posts, which is then displayed on the feeds of users who do not already follow you. Sponsoring a tweet is an affordable, effective way of getting the name of your business out there, helping you to gain followers, brand awareness, and publicizing whatever topic you choose to promote in your sponsored post (a big sale, new product arrivals, a cause that is important to your company, etc.). Sponsored tweets look exactly the same as regular tweets, except for a tiny “promoted” icon in the corner, which is why they are harder for users to avoid. They sneak up on readers as they scroll down their feed, viewing them without realizing it’s a post by an unfamiliar account until after they’ve already read it.

Create Threads.

A thread is a unique feature of Twitter. It’s basically a series of tweets about one topic that are all stored in one place. When you make the first tweet, you have the option to add to it in the form of a thread. In doing this, you aren’t editing the original tweet at all (unfortunately, once you tweet something there’s no way to change it). Instead, Twitter created a way for you to attach a chain of new tweets to it, like pages in a book– each tweet is a different page. This is useful if you want to tell a longer story because it makes it possible to keep related tweets connected, considering that tweets can’t exceed 280 characters. It can be confusing for readers to have a mass of individual tweets about the same thing that are all separate from each other, so the thread is really ideal for keeping tweets that belong together organized and all in one place.

Now, here are a couple of best practices to keep in mind when it comes to putting these features to use:

Be responsive with your followers.

Twitter is known to be a place where consumers go to express themselves to the companies they buy from, whether that’s voicing complaints, singing praises, or asking questions. By replying, you are showing that their input matters to you, which, in turn, attaches a memory and forms the beginning of a relationship with your consumer while also boosting the quality of your business’ customer service. People appreciate it when companies acknowledge them and make them feel that their voice has been heard.

Mixing up your content helps draw people to your page.

Twitter allows you to hold polls, attach photos, videos, and GIFs. It is important to remember to keep a consistent “look and feel” to your profile, but don’t be afraid to mix things up and have fun with it– that’s much more interesting to your followers. Posting eye-catching images with your tweets almost guarantees that more people will stop scrolling to read your post, and maybe even give it a favorite or retweet. The same goes for polls. Getting your followers to interact with your post causes them to stop and think about your question, creating an experience for them that involves more than just reading something. As a best practice, include a link to your website whenever and wherever possible in order to drive traffic there, allowing readers to learn more about what YOU do.

Know your target audience.

For example, companies like Nike know that the people they want to reach are into sports, so they post not only about their products and promotions, but also things like spotlights on star athletes (ie: Lebron James, Tiger Woods, and Serena Williams) and provide motivational quotes to match their “Just Do It” tagline. Because tweets are short, it’s better to make a strong statement that resonates with your followers.

As you can see, Twitter is truly a unique platform for communicating with people. When used correctly and creatively, there’s no limit to the ways you can engage with YOUR audience. So, what are you waiting for? Start tweeting today.

Social Media, Social Media Marketing, Twitter