Tweets That Win: Driving Traffic through Twitter

How far can 140 characters go? Quite a distance, apparently, particularly in the case of Twitter. Lots of companies have taken steps to maximize the impact of this microblogging platform to get greater brand recognition and website traffic. It truly is a powerful tool, considering it is a free platform with a massive potential for marketers – that’s something any social media monitoring expert can agree with.

The Platform at a Glance

Twitter started out in 2006. It gained popularity from hashtags and its capability to be a valuable tool in breaking news. Media outfits today make full use of Twitter in live coverages and news updates.

In the case of marketers and social monitoring buffs, what’s important are the statistics that concern the user base of the website. From its about page, Twitter notes 313 million active users, 82% of which are active mobile users. The microblogging platform also boasts of 1 billion unique monthly visits to other websites that make use of embedded tweets. Every second, about 6,000 tweets get posted – that’s over 500 million tweets per day.

 
With this many active users, it is no wonder businesses devote a lot of effort into using Twitter for marketing. But of course, there is a huge question to answer before you rake in traffic from it: how can it be done?

The Tricks of the Tweet

The starting point is the bio section of your account. It is the place where you can create an easy link to your brand. It’s also a great way to provide introductory information about your company and what it does. A compelling bio is a must if you want to draw followers.

Speaking of followers, search for popular accounts that post about your niche or trade. Facts show that the average account follows five businesses, so you should certainly check your competitors’ accounts. You want to look at these accounts’ followers and follow them. Some of these users would follow you back, which gives you an audience that would see your tweets. Do a quick social media analysis to find out which demographic you should target the most.

Now that you’re set to tweet, there are two key concepts you have to remember: composition and frequency. Both these elements are crucial in creating a good tweet, one that would draw engagement (via likes, retweets, and replies), build more followers, and drive traffic to your site.

Let’s focus on the composition first. Think of a tweet as the extension of a headline: catchy, concise, and click-worthy. You want to give your followers the idea that you have interesting content, a piece that they would want to see or read in full on your website. So when you tweet, make sure that it is well written and valuable to your audience.

To promote the visibility of your tweets, use hashtags. Create hashtags for your brand and the marketing campaigns you might start running in the account. These should be easy to remember. Incorporate images in your tweets if possible, as tweets with images have a higher click-through rate.

Vine and Periscope are both pretty useful as well, allowing you to engage your followers through video.

The second key element is frequency, which is all about the time and times you post. After a few weeks of tweeting, consult a social media analytics tool to determine the times when your audience engages with your tweets the most. Post several times a day, especially during those periods when your followers are on their phones and laptops. Make the most of these peak times to increase traffic. Schedule your tweets and automate the way every tweet gets posted to your account.

The Errors of Tweeting

One thing to note, however, is that mistakes can hamper the effectiveness of a Twitter campaign. A common error is the failure to engage the customers. When your followers have a concern or a response to a tweet, take the time to respond to them. It makes them feel more in touch with the business, plus it humanizes your brand by establishing communication.

But the biggest mistake of all is to ignore social media analytics. These data, after all, give you a detailed look at how your campaign is faring online. Are you being effective with tweeting? Are you reaching the right audience? Go and check your social media analytics tool to find out. The numbers there would do the talking. Ignoring these metrics is a mistake that could easily render the entire campaign pointless.

The good news is that there are several social media monitoring tools available online. Just like how Facebook has Insights, Twitter has its own analytics as well. Add to that other ways to check engagement and there certainly is no excuse to not be aware of your brand’s progress on Twitter.

 
Twitter can be powerful for your business if you know how to use it. With the right strategy and adequate social monitoring, your brand can make your way to the top one tweet at a time.