At first glance, Twitter might seem like a platform exclusively made for Kardashians, comedians, and politicians, but it also offers brands a unique way to connect with their audiences.
Founded in 2006, the little blue bird has been around almost as long as Facebook, so it’s well known among social media users, especially the 35-65 demographic. And while Twitter doesn’t boast as many daily users as Facebook or Instagram, approximately 20 percent of U.S. internet users do access it on a monthly basis.
Perhaps most notable: According to the Digital Marketing Institute, approximately 40 percent of Twitter users report purchasing something after seeing a tweet about it in their feed. It’s also a useful tool for business-to-business and business-to-customer communication. For B2B, Twitter is used mostly for following industry news and live tweeting big conferences and events. For B2C, Twitter has become the new 1-800 number for customer support.
Research shows that Twitter is a powerful marketing tool but, as with any tool, it’s effectiveness depends on how you use it. Here are Verdin’s tips for crafting top-notch tweets:
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100 characters is where it’s at. There’s been a lot of talk about how long a tweet should be, especially since Twitter upped its trademark character limit from 140 to 280 back in 2017. Data from TrackSocial reveals that a tweet’s shareability—coined a retweet on the platform—increases with word count. But that trend stops once you go past 100 characters. Shakespeare did say, “Brevity is the soul of wit.” In this case, brevity is the goal of Twit(ter).
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Use hashtags. You can actually thank Twitter for being the first platform to incorporate the use of hashtags for denoting keywords on social media. According to a marketing study from Buddy Media, tweets with hashtags and links get twice the amount of engagement than those without hashtags. But don’t over use them, and keep them short.
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Share valuable content and be consistent. Your followers don’t want a lecture. They want interesting and entertaining content that meets their needs. View Twitter as a way to have ongoing conversations with your audience about everything—not just your products. Stay up to date on what your competitors are doing and be part of the global discussion, as long as what you’re saying matches your brand.
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Last, but certainly not least: have fun—within reason. Twitter users appreciate humor. This platform is a great place to get your sass on. Take, for example, toilet paper producer Charmin, recently named one of Twitter’s sassiest brands for its popular #tweetfromtheseat campaign.