With 330 million active monthly users, Twitter is an obvious part of a well-developed digital marketing strategy. While it’s essential to grow a Twitter following, you also need to implement actionable steps to increase engagement and brand awareness. Here’s the top four strategies for a successful Twitter marketing plan for 2020.
Step #1: Twitter Chats
To develop effective Twitter marketing, you have to encourage your current followers to become more active. With Twitter chats, you have the tool you need.
Twitter chats are productive because people who participate in them enjoy social media engagement. They aren’t looking to solely consume content and distribute their own agenda. These people hope to interact, which is precisely what you want.
Search for Twitter chats related to your industry. For example, in the marketing realm, you want to target entrepreneurs and business owners.
Be more than one of the spectators. Add value and set yourself apart in the group. Start by using Canva, which doesn’t require advanced design skills, to create a unique Twitter image.
Make sure you reply to the other chatters. In fact, most of what you write should be in response to other comments. As you respond, include their Twitter handle to @mention them, so it doesn’t get missed.
If you can’t find something that appeals to you, start a new Twitter chat. You can create an event by setting specific meeting times for an active chat on a specific topic or issue. Invite your friends or colleagues on Twitter and other social media platforms. Announce the chat on Twitter and in emails to your colleagues and customers a few days before the planned chat.
Step #2: Plan Ahead
You can’t curate content if you don’t have a schedule in mind. Flying by the seat of your pants will only go so far. For a Twitter marketing plan, map out your content for at least a month, if not longer.
So, if it is September, it’s time to think about the Tweets you’ll be making during Halloween. By November, you’ll have your holiday and other special event information prepared, and so on.
Once the time comes, make sure you add any relevant trending hashtags to your post. By having the information prepared in advance, you’ll be ready if the topic goes viral before you were scheduled to post.
But don’t be constrained by your scheduled content. Be willing to react immediately to interesting opportunities to add your voice.
Step #3: Utilize Twitter Video
Twitter might not be your primary platform for digital video marketing, but don’t overlook its possibilities. With Twitter, you have several video options that could be successful.
Start with the Twitter native video feature. With this setup, you can record videos lasting up to 140 seconds and upload them to your stream.
There’s also Periscope, which is owned by Twitter. Periscope lets you integrate your live stream into your followers’ feeds. Even when the streaming is over, your followers can watch the recording.
Brainstorm ways your company can integrate video into your current Twitter marketing strategy and get started. Trial and error might be required to figure out what your audience enjoys.
Step #4: Set Goals and Follow Through
A quick search online shows countless Twitter marketing success tips you have heard over and over again, yet few people talk about goals. You can’t have an effective marketing strategy without goal-setting. Without milestones and objectives in place, you don’t know what you’re aiming for. This step is where many companies fall short in their social media marketing efforts.
For many companies, marketing on Twitter becomes auto-pilot without a lot of thought or care. However, to adequately improve the brand image and increase engagement, focus on some of the following goals.
- Build a larger following
- Improve brand reputation
- Respond to complaints faster
- Generate more leads
- Acquire more website traffic from Twitter
- Network with more influencers and bloggers
With these objectives in mind, you can establish more specific milestones to gauge success.
For example, consider turning those goals into actionable objectives, such as:
- Increase retweets and @mentions by 20%
- Maintain a customer response time of fewer than five minutes
- Acquire a response rate of more than 90%
- Generate 30 new leads from Twitter
- Add 200 new contacts from Twitter
- Improve referral traffic by 25%
These goals are measurable, but should also include a deadline. You might choose to set your goals weekly, monthly, or quarterly. Do what works for you and your team, but make sure to track results to determine what can be improved.
With the right tools and strategies, you’re more likely to develop an effective Twitter marketing plan.
Bottom Line: Twitter has become a key social media platform for marketing and public relations. Successful marketing on PR requires a thoughtful strategic plan with specific goals, proven methods to grow a Twitter following, a well-planned schedule of tweets, and appropriate use of Twitter chats and video.
Brian Jones is the former owner of an IT corporation, which he sold several years ago. He now uses his knowledge to inform others about using technology to become successful. In his spare time, he enjoys traveling with his family and tinkering with his various websites.
