Amanda Clark
Do your company tweets fall on deaf ears, or do they actually make an impact? Are they soundly ignored, or are they retweeted once, twice, ten times, a hundred times over?
Retweets are among the most precious currency in all of social marketing. Even a single retweet represents the significant amplification of your brand’s message, the penetration of audiences you may otherwise not be able to reach. So clearly, anything you can do to get more retweets is going to be valuable.
But how can you boost your RTs? It’s not as easy as snapping your fingers—and yet, there are some fairly simple steps you can take to make your tweets more shareable.
- First, keep them brief. Yes, this is sort of an odd thing to say where Twitter is concerned, since it requires a slim 140 characters anyway. However, if you can, it’s smart to keep your tweets even shorter—120 characters or less—to allow your followers some room to RT and add their own commentary. Often, the chance to editorialize a bit is exactly what people need in order to retweet!
- Another way to boost your retweet game: Add some splashy images. Never underestimate the power of color! Study after study confirms that tweets featuring colorful images get more retweets than those without.
- Make sure your tweets offer something of value. You don’t even have to make it a link; try tweeting out some quick tips, tricks, or words of advice. Grammar Chic’s Twitter account offers occasional grammatical, editing, or marketing tips, and these little nuggets often get the most traction of anything we tweet—because they offer immediate, actionable value.
- Finally, try making your tweets personal. Customized hashtags, behind-the-scenes company photos, friendly faces—all of these can make tweets more inviting, more appealing, more shareworthy.
Retweets are invaluable. They’re worth seeking out. You may not be able to boost your RTs right off the bat, but stick with it. Try different approaches. Track what seems to work and what doesn’t.
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