What Jeremy Paxman Doesn’t Know About Twitter Best Practices
On June 18, English broadcaster and journalist Jeremy Paxman stated on Newsnight that Twitter is for people who “nothing going on between their ears, or nothing going on in their lives” as he left the show after 25 years on air. What would content marketers say in response to Paxman’s comments?
Power is in the numbers, and there is a slew of statistics behind the effectiveness of Twitter marketing. Here are some quick facts:
- Companies that have 1,000 or more Twitter followers receive 800 more website visits per month, according to HubSpot.
- Consumers are 64 percent more likely to purchase from brands they follow on Twitter, according to KISSMetrics.
- About 85 percent of people feel more connected to a small business after following it on Twitter, according to the official Twitter blog.
That being said, there are certain best practices associated with Twitter that yield ROI for content marketers.
- Keep it short. Tweets that are less than 100 words are more likely to be shared and encourage engagement, according to Twitter for Business. Short tweets are appreciated by those who receive updates via mobile.
- Follow your interests. This means following accounts that report on relevant industry news so you can find noteworthy updates to retweet and share with your own followers.
- Space it out. Between three to five tweets per day is ideal for building an audience and attracting an audience. A content calendar can help you schedule your posts and ensure that you’re being consistent.
- On a similar note, use the “quality over quantity” rule. While Twitter certainly gives you the option to sound off quickly and frequently, Social Media Today reports that you can establish yourself quicker as an industry leader by posting insightful updates.
- Utilizing hashtags can help you join industry-specific conversations happening across Twitter, according to Forbes magazine. Hashtags can also help you draw attention from people in your industry, as well as potential prospects.
- Mashable recommends coming up with a strategy for tweeting, as well as a way to measure your impact. For instance, you can track your number of followers, retweets and favorites over time to gauge where you’re making a splash.
- Be timely. According to Steamfeed, posting relevant tweets according to what’s happening on Twitter at the time can be your key to getting noticed.
- Don’t forget about pictures. If possible, try to include a photo with your tweet to better portray your update.
According to The Daily News, Paxman went on to say, “I have no thoughts that I would like to share with people…I don’t want anyone to follow me.”
Twitter reports that 255 million people are active monthly on the website, sharing their thoughts and following each other every day.