A good tweet should have a memorable headline, a shortened link and hashtags.
The first social media platform most businesses join is Twitter. That’s because it’s the most popular network, and from a social media management stance, it’s considered one of the easiest platforms to use. It is a great social messaging platform to send news briefs, to get quick answers and to engage with potential customers. A good tweet should have a memorable headline, a shortened link and hashtags. However, with only 140 characters to play with, it can be difficult to come up with the perfect tweet. Here are seven more tips to writing better tweets.
1. Hashtags – Do you know how many hashtags you should be using within a tweet without being annoying? The answer is you should use no more than two. If you include more, it will look like spam to your Twitter followers.
2. Slang and Abbreviations – Though you may think using slang in your tweets makes your brand look cool or more appealing to Twitter followers, it doesn’t. You should avoid using slang and abbreviations such as AFAIK (as far as I know) or LOL (laugh out loud). You may know what the abbreviation means, but it’s likely your audience doesn’t. Instead, stick to something simple and to the point like “I think…”
Also stay away from using all caps on your tweets. It makes you look like you’re shouting at your Twitter followers.
3. Grammar and Spelling – Along with staying away from slang and abbreviations in your tweets, you should make sure to proof read updates before you post them. Grammar and spelling may be somewhat looser on Twitter than on other social media platforms, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore it altogether. With social media management you want to make sure your brand is shown in the best light. Grammar and spelling mistakes just make your brand look bad.
Not only that, but there are actual vigilante Twitter followers such as @capscop, who use automated bots to target grammar and spelling offenders on Twitter. If you want to be safe, check out Grammarly Lite, a plugin designed for web-based proofreading that will help keep everything in check.
4. Link to a Source – If your Twitter update is stating an opinion about an article, video or image, or if it’s referring to something, make sure to link to a source such as a news article, website, blog or social media account. This is one of the keys to a successful social media management strategy. Also make sure you are linking to something that is click-worthy.
5. Keywords – Just like you should be using keywords in your blogs, it’s a good idea to use keywords in your tweets. One tip is to use Google Adwords’ keyword planning tool to help you generate a list of keywords based on a topic that’s related to what you’re posting about.
6. Engagement – Twitter is about starting a conversation with your followers. If you really want to create better tweets, consider replying to some or creating tweets that trigger a response. A good way of doing that is to ask open-ended questions, retweet interesting tidbits and connect with your Twitter followers.
7. Make it Shareable – Finally, make your tweets shareable. What makes people share? Funny, helpful, newsworthy or inspiring content. Make sure when you’re writing your tweets that you write them with purpose. The more excited you are about your own content, the more likely it will be that others will get excited about it too.
What are your social media management tips for writing better tweets? We want to hear from you!
Special Offer: Complimentary Consultation
Three Girls Media, Inc. is a public relations and social media management agency with teams in Silicon Valley and the Seattle area. We love working with small and emerging companies across the nation to raise their brand awareness and name recognition. We offer a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation with our CEO and can answer your questions and discuss your specific marketing needs.
Call 408-218-2391 or Contact us today to arrange yours!
Photo Credit: MDGovpics