With 500 million tweets sent out every day by over 300 million users, it’s easy for the messages you create to slip through the cracks.
And it can be frustrating, considering all the time we spend crafting social media strategies that determine our brand voice and interests. If a tweet is posted and nobody clicks, replies, or retweets it, does it even matter?
Fortunately, there are people like “social media scientist” Dan Zarrella, Neil Patel, other analysts who have measured the most successful tweets and dissected their most essential elements.
Instead of simply following vague advice like ‘Curate content’ and ‘Listen and participate in the conversation’ (true as they may be), you can be more strategic about the timing and overall effectiveness of the content that you put out.
Here are some top analytic findings from around the web that can help you hit your Twitter conversion goals.
1. Tweet links slower.
Ever see a series of headlines and links coming out of the same Twitter user all at once? It looked like a robot, didn’t it?
Slow down, personalize headlines so that they’re easily distinguished, and do not link your RSS feed to auto-populate your account. Try to space your tweet types out – a few links, a few retweets, and a few original thoughts all in a mix that feels natural.
The faster the speed links are posted, the lower the clickthrough rate, according to Zarrella’s research.
2. Be clear.
No one likes the guy who unnecessarily beats around the bush and uses jargon that means nothing to you. Tweets that have clear, concise language with an identifiable offer receive 18% more clicks and nearly 30% more retweets than tweets without a clear message, according to Patel’s research.
When you tweet, make it perfectly clear exactly what you’re saying and exactly what a user might find if he or she clicks on the link. You’ll get a more focused group of people to your content – no surprises, no gimmicks.
3. Hit on key words.
Tweets that use familiar Twitter lingo tend to have higher click rates. Using ‘via’, @, and RT can lead to higher clickthrough rates than tweets without those common phrases. Hashtags don’t tend to make a difference on whether a tweet lands, according to Zarrella’s research. Another important word to use? ‘Please,’ which also has a marked impact on clickthrough rate. Marketers and advocates make hundreds of requests to an individual each day; being polite can make a difference!
4. Use the paper.li system.
If you’re tweeting about a specific niche category, you might consider using paper.li, a tool which can help you curate the day’s topic-relevant social conversations into a daily ‘newspaper.’
Some of the most commonly shared tweets were of paper.li content. Those tweets all take on a familiar structure: “The [Subject] Daily is out today! [URL]” It can be hard to personalize and take ownership of the dissemination of the paper but there’s no doubt that people are clicking to read more.
5. Use action words.
Just like in all good web and copy writing, leading users to actions with verbs is more effective than overwhelming them with nouns. You can’t avoid nouns but try to talk about things in a way that inspires movement and interaction.
6. Tweet on the weekends and later in the day.
It’s common sense: most businesses execute their social media strategy during the American workday. The problem? Practically no one limits their use of the Internet, social media, or Twitter to weekdays.
Weekends and evenings are often ripe for brands and businesses to get their message across with a little less density in the way. That being said, make sure you know when your specific audience is online. Tweeting at 3 a.m. may give you a large playground to work in, but it’s a waste of time (and sleep) if no one’s actually there.
Do your research before you send off those late-night messages.
7. Jump on to appropriate trending topics.
Trending topics are great venues into the conversation on Twitter – you’re discussing something that has already been vetted as popular and worth discussing! For businesses, it depends what the topics are and how they fit your brand’s image.
If you’re a quirky, modern company, it might be appropriate to be witty and enter into a pop culture trend. In almost all circumstances, avoid disasters and controversial topics in the news, though. Social media backlashes often occur when businesses jump in on the wrong trending conversations.
Always think before you tweet.
Convert Confidently
Though it can be helpful to follow a somewhat formulaic routine when executing your social media strategy, it’s not always best to follow this recipe each and every time. One of the best parts about social media is its spontaneity – anyone can say anything at any time. Don’t be afraid to take advantage of this by expressing yourself and your company on a unique platform.
Do you have any social media conversion tricks that you swear by? Let us know in the comments below or send us a tweet (see what we did there?) to get the conversation started.
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