Twitter as part of your social media marketing strategy can help you connect and develop relationships with your customers, drive traffic to your website content, and tell your story in a way that few other platforms can do. But most businesses aren’t seeing any of those benefits. Why? 

They don’t know how to use Twitter effectively.  

If this sounds like you, don’t worry. In her book, Everybody Writes, Ann Handley shows us exactly how we can take our failing Twitter strategy and turn it into one of our most valuable assets. And it starts with a simple writing change:  

#1 Be Human: 

Humans strive for connection. It’s in our DNA.  

When your audience members read your content, they want to feel like they’re reading the words of another human being; not some corporation talking to their future customers. 

Ann recommends writing your Tweets exactly how you’d speak them:  

“Even though you might be talking to strangers on Twitter, you’re still talking to people,” Ann writes. “So, write every Tweet as you would speak it… to your girlfriend, boyfriend, significant other, dog, cat, goldfish swimming in its fishbowl—or whoever you can imagine in the room with you.” 

Make developing your brand’s persona—how your brand talks, acts, looks and what it values—a foundational piece of your social media marketing strategy. Doing so ensures that your brand’s voice is consistent, regardless of who you put in charge of managing your social media platforms. Consistency builds trust. And in the words of sales veteran, Zig Ziglar: “If people like you they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you they’ll do business with you.” 

#2 Be Wary of Automation: 

Over the last few months, social media automation has gained a ton of popularity.  

I’m sure you’ve received quite a few auto-DMs from the people you follow. Plus, I wouldn’t doubt that 99% of the articles you see on your social media timeline are automatically curated with a tool like Quuu or Crowdfire. They’re everywhere.  

Don’t get me wrong–these tools can be super useful for saving time. But don’t go overboard.  

It’s extremely easy to tell if you’re automating your entire social media marketing strategy. And when your buyers notice this, there’s a good chance that they’re going to stop paying attention to what you produce.  

People are on social media to interact with humans; not artificial intelligence. That brings me to my next point: 

#3 Don’t “Pitch Slap”: 

When you visit other businesses’ social media pages, do you do so with the intention of making a purchase?  

Probably not. And neither does your audience.  

So, avoid slapping sales pitches onto everything you post. Instead, share value with your followers with thoughtful and personalized content.  

Keep your promotional content to only 10% – 20% (at the most) of the overall content you post on Twitter and any other social media platform.  

While social media marketing is about more than just sharing cute memes with your audience, it’s still about people engaging with people; it’s not meant to be used as a digital billboard. 

To take the guesswork out of what to post, your social media marketing strategy should include a content plan or calendar that outlines the type of content you’ll post, from what sources, and when. While your content plan will highlight when to announce your events and promotions, it should also outline industry-relevant dates and events, noteworthy holidays, and even monthly themes with topics that serve to inform and delight your customers.  

“You’re building relationships, not running a direct-marketing channel,” Ann says. “Lead with your expertise and personality. Share or solve—don’t just pitch whatever it is you sell.” 

In other words, give them a good reason to follow your page.  

As a side note, Ann mentions a few extra tips you can use to optimize your individual Tweets: 

Use CTAs: 

Whether you want your audience members to read a blog post, complete a survey, ask a question, or anything else–include a clear call-to-action to drive the best results.  

Take Spelling and Grammar Seriously: 

It can be tempting to shorten your words or use abbreviations to fit into Twitter’s character count. But in reality, doing so risks making your brand look unprofessional.   

Shorten Your Links: 

Use a tool like bit.ly to make those long, ugly links appear nice and easy to read on your audience’s devices.   

Twitter can be an amazing tool for your business if used correctly. And with these tips, you can transform your own Twitter strategy for the better. But here’s the thing:  

An Effective Social Media Marketing Strategy Takes Time: 

And if you’re running a business, there’s a good chance that you don’t have the time or resources required to optimally wield your social media platforms yourself. That’s why we’re here. 

At McAllister Marketing, we take the pain of social media off your back. With us, you don’t have to worry about designing your own content plan, creating engaging content, connecting with your audience, or building your social media presence. We do the work for you, while you get to be as involved as you want to be.  

Our team is comprised of online marketing strategists, social media marketing professionals, SEO experts, designers and website developers all working together to offer you comprehensive marketing services that help you attract, convert and retain customers.   

We’re super easy to work with, serving as a totally scalable extension of your own team. Want to learn more about how we can tailor our services to fit your needs? Let’s talk!