Twitter is still a significant player in social media marketing, but many people overlook its value. As of February 2019, Twitter boasted of 321 million monthly active users. In addition to using a platform like Twiends to gain Twitter followers, you should also look for ways to boost social engagement.

You’d be remiss not to optimize your Twitter marketing efforts. Here are practical steps you can take to boost your Twitter engagement.

Does Twitter Engagement Matter?

Many brands spend time focusing on their Twitter follower count. While this is valuable, engagement takes you further. Sure, it’s good to look popular and respected, but if you don’t turn those followers into engaged users, your business won’t profit.

A high Twitter engagement rate shows your content is relevant to your audience. Let’s say you have 1,000 followers and 200 of them interact with a tweet. That’s a large percentage, proving that you provide content they want. On the other hand, if only 200 followers engage out of 100,000, there are problems you must address.

Plus, other influencers notice when tweets have high engagement rates. If you want to capture more attention, it’s an area to which you should pay attention.

Let’s look at a few simple tips to boost Twitter engagement.

1. Interact With Other Content

If you want your audience to engage with your Twitter content, start by interacting with their messages first. Take time to like and respond to your users’ posts.

As you engage with their content, they are more likely to direct attention to your posts as well. It sets you apart as most brands don’t take the time to interact with their followers.

As a business owner or brand ambassador, increasing engagement starts by building relationships. In today’s social media age, your relationships begin by interacting on various platforms, including Twitter.

As you spend more time engaging with your customers, the benefits will overflow to your other social media pages and sales.

2. Make Your Tweets Brief

When it comes to curating a tweet, remember to stay within the 280-character limit. While this is an increase over the original 140-character limit, it’s still minimal. Many brands will push their message to the limits, but they end up losing attention.

Limit your content to increase engagement. That seems backwards, but it works. In fact, many of the top Twitter experts believe the most engaging tweets are often between 80 and 110 characters. That limit includes user tags and hashtags.

When you limit the character count, you add more value to what you share. Whether you plan to share an opinion, inform your audience, or provide entertainment, think more carefully about what you curate.

Plus, if someone wants to retweet what you say, users have room to add hashtags and their own thoughts. If you use the limit, users might edit or cut back your tweet to add their input. However, the majority of Twitter users will simply skip over it and avoid the extra work.

If you want other Twitter users to share what you post, make it simple and to the point.

3. Respond to Tweets

It isn’t always easy to pay attention to when a follower tweets, especially if you are a large brand and have lots of engagement. However, you should make it a priority. Set aside time every day to respond to tweets.

Your small effort can go a long way. Sending a tweet response shows your concern and commitment. It’s an effective and powerful advertising method that other brands don’t take the time to do.

While you can respond to any tweet, make sure you give priority to anything meant for you or that you’ve been tagged in. If customers give thanks, ask a question, or share their thoughts, make sure they know how valuable they are.

You must give the same amount of attention to those that are upset. When you receive criticism, don’t ignore it. Instead, respond with immense respect and show your audience your customers are a priority.

Every time you respond to someone that tweets you, there is an increased chance you will get another reply, which starts the conversation. Showing your concern also increases overall engagement from users.

4. Utilize Twitter Ads

If you want to boost Twitter engagement right away, start with ads. This strategy is especially beneficial if you’re trying to gain new followers.

Just like with other social media platforms, you would need to invest money to run Twitter Ads. Furthermore, they are often more expensive than advertising on Facebook. Even so, it’s still a valuable tool to increase engagement.

Twitter Ads might cost you more than other platforms, but if done right, you will notice superior click-through rates. Twitter is also beneficial for increasing traffic offsite.

The best part is Twitter Ads are simple to create. The advertising dashboard is in the same area as Twitter Analytics, which you should also be taking advantage of. Utilize the reporting features for conversion tracking and watching engagement.

5. Provide Value

It’s tempting to use social media to share everything that pops into your head, but this is an ineffective strategy. Sure, regular users can get away with this practice, but brands cannot.

Offer plenty of value to your users. Your posts should either inform, persuade, entertain, and/or inspire your followers.

When you add value, you set yourself up for content marketing success. Every time you post something useful, you keep your audience interested and engaged. Eventually, your audience comes to understand that when you post something, it will have value. In return, your potential customers pay more attention.

6. Don’t Forget Hashtags

Hashtags are to Twitter as peanut butter is to jelly; you can’t have one without the other. Yet, so many people forget to use them.

Hashtags benefit brands by making it simple for your target audience to find you when you use the appropriate labels. Hashtags are great if you want to fit in and gain more followers, but it has to be done right.

Less is often more with hashtags. Consider adding just one hashtag with a post, rather than loading the character limit with everything you can think of. This tip goes back to adding value. When you have to come up with the best hashtag to match your content, you give the post more thought and are more intentional.

Tap into trending hashtags wherever you can, but only when it makes sense. When hashtags are used correctly, you will increase impressions and brand engagement.

7. Ask Lots of Questions

Above all, you want to start a conversation. Engagement-building strategies always include some way of creating a relationship; Twitter is no exception.

People want their opinions heard. They want to share their experiences and talk about what they love; they just need the platform. If your brand listens, your audience pays attention.

Ask non-threatening questions. Stay away from anything controversial. Ask for feedback on a new product or simply ask followers what their plans are for the day.

When you request feedback, you learn more about your audience. In the process, those users help promote your products without thinking about it. Asking general questions allows you to build a deeper relationship, which is vital in any business.

You can ask some fun questions when you run out of ideas. Consider these:

• What social media platform do you wish was non-existent?
• What is your favorite blog?
• Is there one item you can’t live without?
• What does your dream day look like?
• Are you doing what you always hoped?

Notice those questions don’t have anything to do with a business or particular product. They are simply meant to generate more conversation and build a relationship.

In the end, build engagement and learn about your target audience. This valuable information helps craft products and services that meet your customers’ needs. It’s a far cheaper way to learn about your customers versus expensive market research.

Key Takeaways

The majority of these tactics are entirely free, minus the Twitter Ads suggestion. Plus, each only takes a few minutes every day. With a small investment, it’s simple to increase engagement and gain more business.

With 321 million monthly active users, there are plenty of people with whom to engage. You need to get in front of them. Set aside time every day to focus on your Twitter engagement. Implement one step at a time and watch your CTR and engagement increase.

You will reap rewards on and off Twitter. As you increase engagement, your leads will grow and you trust will build. The end result is more sales and brand exposure.