How to use Twitter

Twitter is a social media site and app where people share their thoughts with large audiences. It’s a popular social network with more than 430 million active monthly users globally, as of 2022 (Statista).

Demographics

The audience demographics on Twitter, similarly to Facebook, are mixed, with older generations using it more than other platforms. As of 2021, the leading age group on the platform was 25–34-year-olds with 38.5%, followed by 35-49-year-olds with 20.7%, then the two groups of 50+ and 18–24-year-olds tied at 17.1% (Statista).

Content

The content on Twitter appears in the form of tweets, which are short, direct and interesting messages that are up to 280 characters long. Images can be used together with the text to drive up to 150% more retweets and encourage engagement. It’s also possible to add videos in a tweet – if the videos are catchy, they can drastically increase engagement and click-through rates and spark interesting conversations.

Top tips

Below are some top tips that can drive Twitter user engagement for your brand:

• Retweet and respond to trending tweets. If these popular tweets are related to your industry, responding to them will make your account visible to more users who may be interested in your brand, service, or product.
• Twitter may require the most frequent posting out of all other social media platforms – this is because the messages are quick, short, and might get lost in a sea of tweets unless they receive rapid engagement from followers. Don’t overdo it though – research has shows that posting between 1 and 3 times a day is ideal (Buffer).
• Be brave and humorous. Don’t polish your content too much – Twitter users prefer content that is funny, in line with current events, and even off-brand. You can even check trending hashtags and join the conversations!
• Work with influencers. They can share your tweets and pin them on their profiles, which can generate a lot of traffic.
• Follow potential customers. Research who your target audience is and what their needs are. Chances are they might just follow you back or think of you first when they need to purchase something related to your industry if you are more visible to them.
• Share links! Not only links that lead users to your website, but also any interesting and relevant content you find online. Tag the creators in your tweet – many users will appreciate it.
• Ask questions! This way you can spark an interesting conversations and get users engaged. People like to share their experiences, especially if they feel listened to.
• Use hashtags. This way, people interested in your type of content can easily find you and retweet your content. Research has shown that tweets that include hashtags are 33% more likely to be retweeted (Postcron). You can even use your own branded hashtag!

Ads

You can also leverage the power of ads on Twitter. For example, if you use promoted tweets then your tweets will be advertised even to people who don’t follow you. You can also promote your account – this way, your brand’s account will show up as a suggestion to follow on users’ timelines. Or perhaps you would like to promote a trend – in this case your unique hashtag will become a trending topic of discussion on Twitter’s homepage for all users to see. This can significantly increase traffic and engagement.

An example of a successful Twitter campaign is the #OREOscope, created by the cookie company Oreo. The company used the popularity of astrology and horoscopes with the younger generations and created their own version of horoscopes, the Oreoscope. When a user liked an Oreo tweet, the brand analysed the user’s tweets and provided a personalised insight about the user’s personality. This funny and innovative campaign increased the user engagement and received almost 20,000 likes.