If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a noise? The same questions can be asked of Twitter. For businesses to have a real impact on Twitter, their clients must be listening. How do you get people to listen to what you are saying? Listen to them first.
I reassure a lot of my clients that Twitter is just a conversation. It’s an exchange of information between two or more parties. If we look at Twitter like this, then we know how to make friends.
Twitter is more than just a numbers game, but it is important to have people listening to your message. Here are 4 simple things business owners can do to increase their following.
Listen First
While you are waiting in line or on hold with your cable company, get on Twitter. Look the tweets that are coming across your news feed. Retweet and favorite the information that people are publishing. After you have sent their information to your followers, send them a public tweet telling them thanks for writing it. This type of engagement will draw people to want to read what you are saying.
| Are you listening? |
Utilize Resources
Sites like Hootsuite and Tweetdeck allow you to schedule your tweets. You can also use these resources to watch for keywords, handles and hashtags. Consistently tweeting can help build engagement as it increases your content sharing. Tweet chats are a great way to join in conversations with like minded professionals. Following the twitter chat, send some of the attendees a note of thanks.
Show Your Personality
Be open and positive in your tweets. People like to see friendly statements. Consider sharing an inspirational story or quote. With all of the negative events and emotions in the news, encouraging and motivational tweets perk up people’s days like a fresh cup of coffee, especially when they come from a company. Even #FF (follow Friday) can be used to build your following. It let’s people know that you are publicizing them and their content.
Content
Social media success begins and ends with the content you provide. Tweet unique and interesting information. Twitter is a micro-blogging site, and blogging is a great way to brand yourself as a subject matter expert. If your company specializes in vegan recipes, tweet news recipes (with pictures) that you find.
By a margin of 64%, people are more likely to buy from brands they follow on Twitter (infographic). The same trend holds true for Facebook. Even though people may buy from you, don’t oversell. Brands that consistently info about their products and services are quickly “unfollowed.”
Scientifically Speaking, of course.
Next Week: Forgotten Social Media Platforms
