Like all social media, Twitter has to be used strategically to be most effective. It is fast and it’s concise. If you want your message to be seen, and shared, then tweeting it once is not enough. The life of a tweet is short, under 20 minutes. The other thing to take into consideration is how Twitter works.
The Twitter Timeline Feature
In the interests of improving user quality, Twitter allows users to order the tweets they follow in order of those they are most likely to care about, as opposed to simply the most recent ones. These top tweets appear in reverse chronological order, followed by the remainder displayed as usual.
More than ever, using Twitter successfully as a strategic marketing tool requires building a loyal audience. Twitter believes that users of the new feature tend to retweet, and to tweet more. This is why shareability of content is vital. But it is also crucial to get your audience’s attention, which is where repeat tweeting comes in.
Repetition and Content
If you’re reliant on Twitter’s standard chronology to get your tweets noticed you may want to think again. Whereas repeat tweets help address the issue of capturing your audience, you now have to take into account whether or not they will opt for the new algorithm preference.
Tweets may end up ranking higher depending on the level that their audience responds to them and interacts with them. Audience engagement is hugely important as interactions can also substantially extend a tweet’s lifespan.
Despite the limitations of the form, tweets are, like other content, dependent on engagement through the way they appeal to and intrigue an audience.
To use Twitter as a successful marketing tool, combine:
- The right kind of content that will engage with your audience
- The frequency of your tweeting
- Your targeted repetition
