As an older social network, Twitter has long ago lost the “cool” factor enjoyed by shiny objects like TikTok. However, that’s not to say that it is no longer important. In fact, Twitter is a major forum for customer service and thought leadership, and one that we marketers would do well to take advantage of. In this guide, I will point you to some free resources that will help you navigate the platform.
When you look at the numbers, you’ll see that far from being irrelevant, Twitter remains an important force in the world of marketing. Here’s why:
Twitter still has over 300 million monthly users, and almost 49 million in the US alone. While this number isn’t as large as other networks, one should note that part of this is due to Twitter’s cleaning up fake accounts and banning abusive posters, among other things. Many Twitter users are society’s movers and shakers, as well. And, because of this fact, Twitter users tend towards the wealthier end of the spectrum. Finally, Twitter is a great place to do customer service.
Especially since Twitter requires the use of such small bits of information, posting regularly can seem intimidating. Not only that, but most marketers have an interest in listening to what other people are saying about them. For these reasons and others, a number of Twitter marketing tools have been developed to help marketers work more efficiently.
What are the cool and innovative tools that you can use to help you more effectively tweet and scale your Twitter marketing?
I decided to see what Twitter clients social media influencers were using today. As part of my analysis, I used tools to find the most influential 35 influencers in social media marketing and then monitored their most recent 100,000+ tweets for which Twitter clients they were using.
This post is a compilation of various Twitter clients and other tools that are available that are actually being used by these social media influencers. You are sure to find one or two tools that you have never heard of!
Twitter is an older tool, alright. But, like many other things it has evolved over time to include more features than it did when first released. Are you familiar with them? Have you and your team learned how to use and maximize these features?
If you’d like to know how and why to use certain organic Twitter features, I have a handy guide here. In brief, each of these features has different uses, both for corporate marketing and overall consumer outreach. First, you can quote a Tweet (called Retweet). This is a great option when someone else says something really great, and you’d love to share it with followers. Second, Twitter lists are a great way to get updates on other Twitter users that you don’t want in your main feed. Consider this one for monitoring competitors. Third, tagging accounts in Tweets. If you want to be noticed by specific people, this is a good technique. Fourth, pinning a Tweet to the top of your profile, which is an excellent way to drive traffic. Fifth, website cards encourage people to check out your website with a clickable picture.
One of the big debates in marketing is what ratio between people you follow and the ones that follow you, that your account should strive for. In this post, I talk about how there’s a wide range of ratios among successful accounts. Each set of numbers tells us different things about the account holder and the content they’re publishing. However, if you have too few followers, there’s a good chance that you will be considered a spammer and lose your account. Real people follow accounts with worthwhile content.
It stands to reason that there’s a lot more to Twitter success than just typing out a bunch of characters and hitting “tweet.” Instead, you and your brand should follow a series of best practices that are laid out in some of my other blog posts. They include tips for making an effective calendar, Tweet writing, and improved linking ability.
Are you struggling to make your Tweets compelling enough to drive traffic? Writing that kind of Tweet can seem difficult, but these tips will help. Briefly, the way to drive traffic through Tweets is to make them compelling. Specificity helps, as does statistical data. Ask questions, or pique people’s curiosity so they’ll want to learn more. Use powerful words, make promises, and, finally, include calls to action. While the best Tweets aren’t quite sales copy, they do need to engage your reader to encourage further interaction.
David Boutin is one of my experts, and he has a couple quick tips on how to create Tweets that have both links and a preview image. First, you can accomplish this by using a Wordpress plugin that promotes social sharing. This one requires that plugins be added to your website, but it’s easy. The other way to create this type of Tweet is by making a clickable website card. In this technique, you’ll create a Twitter ad through the ads platform, but never promote it. In other words, it’s free but you have to sign up.
Now that you understand more about the process of Tweeting, consider some best practices for using your newfound skills to do marketing. Like all platforms, there are options with varying levels of effectiveness.
Mike Gingerich talks about two different things in this post. First, it’s important to understand trends. These include the increasing amount of video, and the fact that Americans get a lot of news from Twitter. Also, it’s important to understand that Twitter is well indexed in search engines and has remarketing features to check out. Second, these trends can be leveraged to generate leads. Be sure and collaborate with influencers, while using your Twitter account to participate in discussions. Twitter is a great place for contests, sharing bios, and soliciting traffic to your website.
Zach Chambers emphasizes that no SEO plan is complete without considering your Twitter account. Since 2015, this is even more acute because Twitter is automatically indexed by Google. Therefore, it’s important that we share content that will remain relevant, and continue to share as necessary. Also, you need to ensure your Twitter account is automatically considered in on-site SEO, off-site SEO, and content strategy.
While we’ve already covered the basics, there are some advanced techniques and concerns to think about. For instance, different industries have various ways in which they can make Twitter work to their advantage. Here are some of them:
One of the ways to make your Twitter posts more engaging is by holding a contest. Aaron Lee gives us some ideas. FOR instance, a fun option is looking for the fastest right answer. Sweepstakes, photo contests, caption contests, creative answers, and branded hashtag contests offer other ways to engage your audience. No matter which option interests you, Lee gives hints for implementation.
Selling real estate has a different set of challenges from most others. Not only is the product different, but buying and selling a home is very personal. Rebekah Radice gives Realtors some tips. Like any other business, Realtors need to claim their brand. Then, they’ll want to use a social media manager just like other marketers. Next, know your goals and audience, and then inspire your followers. Lastly, be sure to measure your results and adjust accordingly.
Not everyone knows this, but Twitter is no longer the Wild West it used to be. Rather, Twitter has started restricting accounts for bad behavior or spam concerns. I give my readers several reasons why this can happen. Using too much duplicate content is an important reason that people get restricted, because it can be “spammy.” Abusing trending topics and sending automated responses is another no-no. Using bots to spam various topics can get you in trouble, as does using multiple accounts to say the same thing. Lastly, be careful about following, and then unfollowing, people too often. This technique is used by spammers.
Twitter has evolved a lot over the years, and we can expect this to continue in the future. However, many aspects of the platform can be expected to continue in the future. Knowing the best practices, and having a knowledge of the latest tools, is key to success.
Although Twitter has been around for a long time, there are always newcomers. Not only do people get older and want to try something new, but Twitter is a great place to talk about hobbies, news events, and much more.…
Staying at the top of your game on social media can be difficult these days. Pay-to-play has become a major part of the social media scene, making it necessary to buy advertising on social channels. We must also post organic…
Twitter has become a powerful tool for marketers. It’s a great way to connect with new customers, build relationships with existing ones, and get noticed by influencers. But how do you make sense of all the data Twitter gives you?…
Before Elon Musk bought Twitter and made significant changes to their app ecosystem, there used to be a plethora of Twitter clients, third-party apps devoted solely to allowing its users to consume tweets. Some of these clients or apps were…
As an “oldie but goodie” social network, it’s easy to take Twitter for granted. In recent years, the network has hosted heads of state, journalists, creatives, and ordinary people. However, nowadays it’s more than just a good place to hang…
If you want to talk about the exchange of ideas in real-time online, Twitter is one of the oldest still-operating forums where this can happen. In fact, Twitter has historically been one of the most diverse discussion forums around, because…
Twitter is entering a new era after its acquisition by Elon Musk, but despite the promises of banning nobody and adhering to free speech, various restrictions continue to be placed on Elon Musk’s platform as we speak. Now that Twitter…
Artificial intelligence has allowed us the freedom to create content in many ways. While I would never recommend you write a blog post using AI, short bits of content are actually more suited to using AI. Why? Because when you…
The never-ending question of quality vs quantity of Twitter Followers is similar to the argument of how many people you should connect with on LinkedIn or “friend” on any of the social media platforms. Without enough connections on LinkedIn, you…
Twitter is a platform with lots of messages that go back and forth every day. Sometimes, the messages are a friendly debate on a hot topic, while in other situations, it’s a brand-related discussion or simply people sharing their thoughts.…
For many years, Twitter has been an excellent tool for marketers. After all, it’s older than many of the other networks. But more importantly, Twitter is one of those places where people all over the world can broadcast their thoughts…
It used to be that getting verified on Twitter was important for your credibility for your profile there. Verification meant that Twitter, and the general public, knew that you were who you say you were, rather than (potentially) an imposter.…
In the present scenario, social media marketing is at the forefront of helping brands and businesses prosper like never before. This happens because it is the main medium for budding brands to gain new and meaningful leads. Platforms like Twitter…
Do you need a Twitter account for yourself or your business? There are still lots of businesses that don’t have a Twitter account, and because they don’t they’re missing out. The good news is that it’s very easy to get…
Timing is everything. And that’s especially true when it comes to Twitter. Because you have only a small window to catch your audience’s attention. Miss that window and your Tweet could completely flop, regardless of how great it is. So,…
Wait: You’re investing lots of $$$ in Facebook Ads but you’ve never considered promoted tweets through Twitter advertising? If this is you and you want to know what you might be missing out on, keep reading! No matter what kind…
Hashtags are currently used and recognized by billions of people worldwide, and they should be an integral element of everyone’s social media strategy. When launching a campaign, releasing, or marketing a product or service, hashtags are proven to get outstanding…
As important as Twitter marketing may be, there’s no such thing as content that will automatically be seen by everyone. In fact, one of the weaknesses of Twitter is that it’s easy for things to get lost because of the…
With over 1 billion registered and 386 million active users, Twitter is one of the most popular social media platforms that can be truly beneficial for your business marketing worldwide. Twitter can boost your brand awareness, allow you to communicate…
No matter how much social media, in general, has changed, one thing has been the same for a long time: Twitter is an important source of information and a place to exchange ideas worldwide. In addition, we marketers and corporate…
Social media has always been thought of as a real-time place to share what you’re thinking or doing at the moment, but smart marketers know that while there is a time and place for tweeting at the moment, being able…
One of the biggest challenges on social media is getting your organic content discovered. After all, social networks are more inclined than ever to prioritize paid or boosted content, to the expense of high-quality free posts. While Facebook is the…
Ask me what social network I recommend to B2C companies, and it would be Facebook and/or Instagram followed by Pinterest and/or Twitter. For B2B businesses, it would be LinkedIn followed by Twitter or Facebook. Clearly it’s easy to lose site…
If you’re on LinkedIn, you’re probably seeing a lot of polls in your newsfeed and the engagement that they can bring when done right. This isn’t surprising, especially since the labor market is very tight right now. Companies want to…
These days, there’s a lot of temptation to avoid Twitter, or at least deemphasize it, for marketing. After all, the younger demographics often favor TikTok or Instagram, while Twitter is more of a place to talk about things and announce…
Although the news in social media these days seems to be dominated by TikTok and Instagram, others have chosen Twitter as a way to generate buzz. This isn’t surprising, especially when you consider that TikTok and Instagram aren’t for everyone.…
If you check the Twitter accounts of many reporters, influencers, and business leaders, you’ll see that they have pinned a Tweet. Just like “pinning” a computer program to your task bar, when you pin a Tweet it means that the…
Once upon a time, social media was primarily a written forum. For instance, Twitter was mostly the 140 character limit, though there was an opportunity to add a link. However, Facebook has always allowed for more media on the platform,…
Sometimes controversial, often misunderstood, the Quote Tweet is a phenomenal functionality that Twitter has that allows your tweet – specifically your ReTweet – to cut through the noise and add additional perspective that can help benefit both your followers and…
Twitter has been an important forum for marketing over a long period of time. Whether you try to jump on the latest trending stories, create your own, or employ some other strategy, Twitter is a fast-paced place to engage with…
Do you ever see different looking fonts on Twitter and wonder where they came from? The answer is a Twitter font generator. These days, it can be quite difficult to get yourself noticed on social media. After all, everyone is…
As a social media marketer and consultant, I’ve been using Twitter since 2008 and have seen Twitter’s evolution. But some things stay the same, such as old-fashioned manners. Thus, my attempt to teach you all the rules of Twitter etiquette…
The days of carefree Tweeting, at least for brands, is over. For several years, social media marketing has been an arms race with everyone chasing customer eyeballs. And for social media managers, it’s often tough to know which Tweets are…
If you enjoy green trees, you might be a fan of evergreen Tweets without your even knowing it. I like evergreen trees because I know that I will always have some fresh greenery in my backyard regardless of the season.…
There’s no denying that Twitter is one of the most powerful social networks out there. This is true, even though it doesn’t have some of the “cool” factor enjoyed by networks that allow more elaborate content. One of the reasons…
As one of the oldest social networks still in existence, Twitter has a relatively storied history. As part of this history, Twitter has been a major source of news, thought leadership, and political wrangling. However, like its younger counterparts, Twitter…
We all know how vital SEO optimization is to the success of your website and brand. Having the best game plan is critical to achieving the desired outcome from your SEO efforts. However, writing quality content and promoting your site…
Have you seen Tweets where the image has a description on the bottom and clicking the image actually takes you to a website? Ever wonder how to tweet a link with a preview image on Twitter? They’re the ones that…
There are a zillion and one tools to help you manage your Twitter account. Trust me, I work for one of them. And while they’re all helpful and awesome in their own way, there are some nifty features built right…
Are you struggling with your Twitter marketing and writing tweets that get clicks back to your content? It can be a challenge – trust me, I know. But driving Twitter website traffic is often the number one goal of businesses…
As a real estate professional, creating a strong social media presence is an essential part of your overall marketing strategy. Not only does it create visibility, but it can also lend credibility and authenticity to your business, thereby positioning you…
