I’ve been spending a ton of time on Twitter lately.
This is a direct result of the MLB postseason. See, when it comes to second screen monitoring, my iPhone and Twitter are a go-to when I’m watching any sporting event.
Along with Baseball though, I’ve been spending a ton of time using Twitter for research purposes (at least that’s what I tell myself to help me sleep at night).When looking into my iPhone’s usage, I have spent 4.8 hours in the Twitter app in the past 7 days, more than any other app on my phone.
What research am I conducting?
As a social media marketing advisor I spend the majority of my work week developing, measuring and understanding social media usage for the staffing industry. So, in an effort to understand how Twitter is currently being used by the industry, I have followed/unfollowed and observed roughly a few thousand accounts from across the industry.
My findings from the research will be out soon, but one thing I have noticed is as a whole, engagement on Twitter for the industry is very low.
Understanding Engagement Rate on Twitter
By definition, Engagement Rate on Twitter is the number of engagements (clicks, retweets, replies, follows and favorites) received on a tweet divided by the total number of impressions (number of times users saw the tweet on Twitter) it had.
Introducing Twitter Polls
Coming soon! We’re rolling out the ability for everyone to create polls on Twitter: https://t.co/pH5a8q9Ujz pic.twitter.com/ijAKEMUdf1
— Twitter (@twitter) October 21, 2015
While they are coming soon and I haven’t tried Twitter Polls out yet, I would argue that they will walk the line of being a huge spam issue for Twitter, with users posting nonsense polls causing more harm than good, and also a huge engagement driver for brands and companies. Asking a question on Twitter has always been a great way to get the feedback of your audience, now brands will be able to simplify this process by asking a question and opening it up to a poll.
6 Ways to Increase Twitter Engagement
Engagement is easier said then done. After all, you can post great resources but you cant force people to click on them. To end on an action item, here are 6 quick ways to drive more engagement on Twitter.
- Post when your audience is active and listening.
Use a social media analytics tool like Followerwonk to evaluate when your audience is active on Twitter. Tweet during peak times to make sure your message is being heard! - Include images.
Whether you reach out to the creative team at Haley Marketing Group for help and assistance with your visual creation, or use a free tool like Canva, include visuals with your tweets to increase click through rates. - Tweet @ other accounts.
Don’t just scream into the clutter, instead join in the conversation and tweet at other people and organizations. - Use Twitter as it is intended.
This might be a stretch, but if you want to increase engagement it’s important to make sure your using Twitter as it is intended. 140 characters at a time. Don’t autofeed your Facebook posts to Twitter as they will most likely get cut off. - Include a healthy mix of content.
Don’t just post available jobs. Instead, incorporate a mix of jobs, resources, company updates, client and candidate testimonials and articles from other reputable sources. - Twitter Polls.
Coming soon….
Want More Tips on Using Twitter Effectively?
How to Write a Kick Ass Twitter Bio
Social Pro – Maximizing the Value of Twitter
Sharing Jobs on Twitter Has Never Looked Better
