Twitter Marketing Strategies: What You Need To Know Today?

A few days ago, I came across a post from the one and only, Chris Brogan and he was asking about Twitter marketing. The topic was simple: is Twitter marketing still worth it in today’s world?
I have been on Twitter longer than I could remember. If my memory serves me right, it should be around 2008 or 2009. Twitter during those days are much different compared to now. Back then, all you need was to share a link and you are 99.99% guaranteed to get a click if you have the right call-to-actions. But now, even with excellent wordings, you may just get a few clicks for every 1,000 followers you have.

Before we even go further down on this interesting article, take a moment to think about it. Would you still focus on Twitter marketing beyond 2015?
 

Twitter marketing strategies 2015
 

The top 3 Twitter marketing strategies you shouldn’t be using

 

1. Posting non-stop

Imagine you are watching an action-packed movie. The enemy was on a helicopter and firing hundreds of bullets at the hero using the mounted chain gun. And not even a single bullet hit the target!
The biggest problem for many is that Twitter is used for update bombing. I am sure you have schedule 5 to 10 posts a day using Buffer or HootSuite in the past. After that, everything goes on automation. Sounds familiar?
Those days, more posts means more visibility but nowadays, it doesn’t guarantee clicks and people may even consider you as spamming.
Make no mistake; this trick still works but on a smaller scale in today’s world.

2. Number of followers

I came across an arrogant dude last month by telling me that he has over 10,000 followers. After taking a look at his updates, I realized that there is zero reshares and mentions. Just plain social updates – and as a disclaimer, it is pretty much boring.
The moral of the story is the number of followers count is important if you have build a good following. This means that while you have over 10,000 followers, they mean nothing if they are not interested with the topics you are sharing.

3. Abusing hashtags usage

Hashtag is said to double / triple your reach on Twitter – but this doesn’t mean that you have to maximize them all the way. Imagine using them on every post. That’s really annoying and trust me on that.
The few common mistakes using hashtags are:

  • Using too many hashtags
  • Using unrelated hashtags
  • #Hashtag every #other word

The next time you plan to use a hashtag, think hard about it and make sure it (or they) are relevant to the topic.
 

What type of Twitter marketing strategy you should be using?

 
You are probably looking for proven Twitter marketing strategies; not just those one-time-off type of thing, right?
Let’s face it. Twitter is forever changing in the face of Earth, but it doesn’t mean that those old marketing techniques doesn’t work anymore. What you need is being more ‘relevant’ and practice to think out of the box.
Here are a few to start with.
 

1. Using two hashtags would provide better results

using hashtags
 
According to Kevin Lee from Buffer (full article), the number of hashtags will indirectly affect the engagement level with your followers.
This is particularly true especially when you are using laser-targeted hashtags. Focus on hashtags that make sense, relevant and have a certain number of popularity to ensure a larger reach.

Disclaimer: It is true that my personal favorite is 3 hashtags per tweet but again, that’s just me!

2. Engage to continue the conversation

When was the last time you received a retweet and you engage with your followers? If you have done that, that’s great and here’s another question for you:
Did you take the conversation to the next level or just letting it ending with something like, “thank you for tweeting” type of stuff?
Most of the time, we only take the conversation on Twitter that far ahead; usually with a thank you and that’s pretty much it.
The next time someone tweet and mention about you, get the conversation going by throwing a question. Trust me, you’ll be surprised on the feedback that you will get!
Yes, there’s no denial that this requires a lot of time. You can easily manage them using tools like HootSuite which is pretty much free to use. Of course, you can also automate your reply using SocialBro.

3. Double your Twitter influence and followers using Twitter chat

Last week, I was invited by SEMrush to participate in their weekly Twitter chat and the results were amazing. I gain tons of followers and most importantly, I was able to increase my influence level in the search engine industry.
Twitter Chat is not a waste of time. Involving yourself with any Twitter Chat would give you a huge chance of success in terms of creating connections with others.
But why?
The answer is fairly simple. If you are not serious in Twitter, you probably won’t give a d*mn about involving in Twitter Chat.
If you want to have a list of Twitter Chat schedule, you can check out this post by Lauren Dugan on AdWeek.
 

Takeaway

Twitter marketing in 2015 is no longer about building followers. Instead, it is all about building relationship with your followers. If you want to make Twitter works for you, start practicing to be relevant to others.
The next time you share something on Twitter, make sure it is really personalized to your audience and giving them what they want.
After all, who are you without your audience, right?
 
See also: 5 Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Twitter Conversion Rates