You’ve got your Twitter content strategy down. You make sure you post the perfect image with each post, you’re posting the occasional meme/joke, but people are still not interacting with your tweets. Once in a while, you get a favorite, but no likes, retweets or responses. That’s because you’re doing the bare minimum. You need to fine-tune your engagement strategy and stop using Twitter as a dumping ground for links. If you’re ready to increase Twitter engagement, read on!
How to Increase Twitter Engagement
1. Engage
It sounds simple, but you need to initiate the engagement with those you want to engage. I always say Twitter is like a party. First, you buy the apartment (claim your handle), then you decorate (add your profile image & header), then you stock party supplies (tweets, images, videos). Then, as people arrive, you begin to greet them and start to chat. This is exactly how Twitter works.
2. Address All Comments
I know you’re thinking…what if I get a bad comment? Well, you need to address those as well. Let’s break things down to make this easier on you.
Negative Comments: If they are bad comments…you especially need to reply so that you can control the conversation and show your community that you care about your brand/community.
a. Try to Handle Privately: Follow the commenter, reply to their comment with a simple message that you’ve followed them and would love to chat with them over email to get details in order to better assist them. The last thing you want is a public spat on Twitter.
b. Follow up: If they give you their email, make sure to reply in a speedy manner. Address their issue, chat with your staff, and do what you can to rectify the issue.
c. Re-engage: Once the issue is solved, re-engage the user. You may have a brand advocate on hand if you’ve handled properly.
Positive Comments: Woah, you’re doing something right. @JustinBeaverLove said how much they love your brand. Follow these steps for the perfect engagement.Take a few seconds to first Favorite their tweet, then comment on their tweet. I suggest a thank you. Then schedule a follow-up for a few days later. Make sure that when you comment, their handle is not the first thing on the tweet. Tweeting “Thank you @JustinBeaverLove for the sweet comment” will get you more visibility than “@JustinBeaverLover – thanks for the love”. After this, retweet them so that everyone sees how much you are loved. Finally, add this person to lists…this way you can engage them later.
a. Favorite the tweet.
b. Comment on their tweet. I suggest a thank you. Make sure their Twitter handle is not the first thing on the tweet. Tweeting “Thank you @JustinBeaverLove for the sweet comment” will get you more visibility than “@JustinBeaverLover – thanks for the love”.
c. Schedule a follow-up for a few days later. This can be anything from a retweet, an interaction on one of their tweet, or if you are a business…how about a special offer?
d. Finally, add this person to lists…this way you can engage them later.
Neutral Comments: Neutral comments are great. Keep in mind that each time your Twitter handle is mentioned your social influence goes up. Go ahead, engage that person. Check out their profile and see what they are interested in. There’s nothing better than feeling like there’s a real person behind a brand. The above image is an example of a reply to one of our neutral comments by Robert Caruso. Great example of how to engage someone who leaves a more neutral comment on your tweets. Click thru for the entire interaction.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LXCxSMWxSw[/fve]
3. Share Content Created by People You Want to Engage
This is the easiest one. People want to have their content shared on Twitter. Schedule shares of content created by those people you want to engage. Make sure to tag them. This is a surefire way to grab their attention. Then, up the ante by scheduling this content as recurring posts. It will save you time and keep you in their minds.
4. Participate in Twitter Chats
There are tons of chats for almost every industry on Twitter (if there isn’t, maybe you should start one). This is a great way for you to get more content out there, establish yourself as an industry leader, and get more followers and engagement.
5. Ask Questions
People love to put in their two cents. Ask questions to get answers. Need some ideas?
You can try simple yes/no questions, more engaging questions like “Where do you get your news”, or this vs. that. If you want an answer from a particular person or brand, just make sure to @tag them on your tweet.
a) Yes/No – “Yes/No – Do you love the new @Facebook layout?” “Taylor Swift’s dress at the Grammys – Yes/No?”
b) Simple Questions – “Where do you get your #news?”
c) This vs. That – “Coke vs Pepsi, what’s your fave?”
6. Answer Questions
Do a search on Twitter to see what questions people are asking about your industry. This will give you access to potential followers/customers AND help you increase engagement and reach. It also allows you to be seen as an expert or a go-to person in your industry.
7. Thank & Interact with those who follow you
It’s a pretty big compliment when someone follows you on Twitter. That means they like you (or at least that they are interested in what you have to say. The least you can do is follow them back, add them to lists, and interact them so you can strengthen the relationship.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZVJ_mGP8hI[/fve]
8. Engage the Right People
This can be hard to do when you get tons of people engaging your tweets. Luckily, there is Socialdraft SmartID. Just click on your tweet, and we’ll give you the most influential people to engage with that tweet, why and what they are influential in AND links to their other Social Media accounts so you can cross engagement. That’s a powerful tool!
9. Don’t just Favorite/Retweet
That’s just lazy. Sure, everyone loves a retweet, but you need to go beyond this. Respond to the tweets, then favorite AND retweet.
Remember, Twitter is all about being social…so stop being a broadcaster and start being social.
