Twitter has profoundly changed media consumption. Even news channels tout their Twitter names and reference tweets in the news. If you No use Twitter as part of your social media mix however, you are behind and may still have Myspace.
But if you use Twitter, and your followers No involved with you, you’re really missing the point.
Here are four reasons your Twitter feed sucks (and four fixes):
Repeat Doer
More than any other social network, Twitter is today’s vehicle. People read their Twitter streams in real time more often than they read the streams of people they follow. This means they open Twitter and briefly scroll through the Tweets in their current feed. They don’t actively “look back” through the daily, week, or month’s Tweets in the streams of people they follow.
And, because many people who use Twitter follow thousands of people, their Twitter feed is active No usually back over an hour or so. This causes problems for companies trying to be visible. If their Tweets No posted at the right time, they may never be seen by followers.
To increase the chances of being seen, companies sometimes Tweet the same content over and over again. This is bad practice and will cause you to quickly unfollow.
FIX: Do not Tweet the same content more than twice in one day. If your goal is to drive traffic to a page, for example, write different Tweets, highlight different reasons for clicking and redirect all Tweets to the same URL. This increases your chances of attracting attention even from followers who reach multiple times.
All Talk
On Facebook and Pinterest, it’s accepted practice to post content for fans, and sit back and watch the activity. Facebook and Pinterest posts are meant to motivate, inform, inspire. And, while it’s good practice to engage in the dialogue that occurs on the page, it’s not mandatory.
This is not true with Twitter. Twitter is all about conversation.
If you don’t speak with your followers, you can bet they’re not listening to you. Talking means you ask your followers questions. You respond to followers who talk to you, retweet you, or mention you.
If your Twitter feed doesn’t look like a conversation, chances are no one is reading your tweets.
TIP: Check your Twitter feed, see if there is a mix of Tweets starting with “@SomeName?” If not, then you’re probably talking to yourself. Start talking less and being more involved. At least half of your time spent on Twitter should be spent interacting with people.
The World I Think
Despite the conversational nature of Twitter, it is also a means of providing valuable information. People often follow company pages because they are looking for tips, tools and resources. If you run a gym, for example, someone might follow your Twitter feed for daily exercise or diet tips.
But a Twitter feed that’s 100% self-promoting isn’t going to work. Consumers are smart; they will see this kind of self-serving behavior as commercial. They will see your Twitter feed as one long ad.
TIP: Make sure your content is balanced. Tweet a mix of your own content, and content created by other sources that your audience finds valuable. Find a balance between adding value, and offering a product or service as well. Shoot for 80 percent value, 20 percent sales.
Poser
Twitter is all about getting real; let your personality show, funny, relevant, timely. If your only goal on Twitter is to build legions of followers, if your only goal on Twitter is to chase numbers, people will know.
In the early days of Twitter, people would follow hundreds of people every day in hopes that those hundreds would follow them back. Some even buy followers. These people are after numbers, not followers.
These people are Twitter actors, and their followers are not fans, they are other actors.
TIP: Only follow people you think will add value to your Twitter feed. Try to keep your “following” count lower than your “following” count. If people think you’re on Twitter to learn, engage, and share, not to chase numbers, they’ll be more likely to follow you.
Congested
Your main goal with Twitter is to be part of the conversation. You can’t communicate with fake fans. And you can’t have a real conversation if you don’t stop to listen. Think of Twitter as a two-way street; add value and get in on the conversation and you’ll soon find yourself on a congested highway full of prospects and prospects.
