Many, many people and brands have Twitter accounts. More than 330 million, to be exact, although some of Twitter’s so-called monthly active users are controlled by the same individuals or companies since there’s no rule against having more than one Twitter handle.
Still. That’s a lot of users.
Many if not most Twitter users aren’t exploiting the platform’s true potential, though. Perhaps you’re among them. If you post the occasional tweet and spend a few minutes each month looking for new people to follow, you’re not alone. You’re among a huge cohort of casual users who can take Twitter or leave it.
Don’t leave it. Twitter is a valuable tool for personal and business branding. Anyway, a strong Twitter presence can lead to better career opportunities, new revenue streams, and a more interesting online experience overall.
It’s worth the effort to shore up your Twitter presence and spend more active time on the platform. It’s not as difficult as you might think, either. Here’s what you can do right now.
1. Use Your Other Social Media Handles as Funnels for Your Twitter Account
Is it weird to use your Facebook profile or LinkedIn page as a lead funnel for your Twitter account?
Absolutely not. Not if you’re serious about increasing your Twitter following, that is. Sure, it’s a roundabout way of doing things, but sometimes the long way is the best route.
Anyway, using other social media channels to support your Twitter presence is a win-win situation that reinforces the value of those channels and boosts engagement with them. Why fight it?
Your followers follow you for a reason. You’ll attract more if you lean into it.
Often, that means sharing the sort of valuable information for which your audience relies on you. The Twitter handle for this financial services shows exactly what this looks like. It’s filled with aftermarket insight — the sort of business intelligence its savvy followers crave.
3. Read the Replies (And Engage With Them Where Appropriate)
Twitter is not a one-way street. The best accounts engage with their followers early and often, making sure to follow commonsense Twitter etiquette tips to avoid blowback.
You should do the same. Steel yourself, then read the replies — and reply back when it makes sense to do so.
4. Team Up With Other Influencers in Your Niche, Even Those You Consider Competitive
“Win-win” doesn’t even begin to describe it. Yes, your followers are a seasoned bunch who can tell when you’re collaborating out of self-interest, but let’s be real. They do it too. On Twitter, at least, two brands really are bigger than one.
Stay one step ahead of the conversation around your brand by monitoring Twitter for relevant keywords, like brand or product mentions. You’ll need to use one or more Twitter monitoring tools to keep track of what’s being said about you. You’ll also need to resist the “hashtag everything” impulse that weighs down so many otherwise great Twitter accounts.
6. Host a Tweetchat Once Your Engagement Supports It
Some say it’s never too early, but you don’t want to host a party that no one shows up to. Once your tweets are consistently receiving long chains of replies and high retweet and like volumes, it’s time to think seriously about hosting Twitter’s version of an AMA.
7. Pin Your Best Tweets (And Change Them Up From Time to Time)
Use Twitter’s pinned tweet feature to showcase your very best tweets. In so doing, you’ll immediately grab visitors’ attention and compel them to continue scrolling through your feed.
One rule of thumb about pinned tweets is they need to change at least occasionally. Some prolific Twitter users, like the U.S. handle for Burger King, seem to hew to a pinned tweet schedule, posting and taking them down every few weeks. If that helps keep things fresh, do the same.
Invest in A Better Twitter Presence Today
These Twitter tips don’t require an all-hands-on-deck posture. You don’t need to, and shouldn’t, divert limited resources from mission-critical business or career activities simply to polish your Twitter presence.
Nevertheless. If you’ve read this far, it’s all but certain that you’re leaving potential Twitter engagement (follows, retweets, and all the rest) on the table.
The difference, now, is that you have an idea of what to do about it. It’s past time to invest in a better Twitter presence.
