Imagine Twitter as a public text message: posts are short and to the point. Tweets (the posts you make on Twitter) are often only 1-2 sentences, accompanied by an image or video. Each tweet is limited to 280 characters. You can also add emoji, links, and hashtags, or you can tag other accounts. Twitter excels in short-form content, which is easily digestible in a matter of seconds.
You can use a Twitter account to attract customers from all over the world using a smart hashtag strategy and incorporating Twitter’s strengths into your marketing strategy. Many people use Twitter for the news, whether that’s a 24-hour pop-up sale at their favorite store or updates on current events. Unlike platforms like Youtube and Pinterest that are good places for evergreen content, tweets are only relevant for a very limited amount of time. Twitter is good for direct marketing and timely updates.
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Elements of a Tweet
Tweets are composed of a few different components. These elements can be used separately or all together in the same tweet.
Text: a foundational aspect of a tweet. Your text should provide context and tell your followers why you’re posting, whether that’s to advertise a sale or celebrate a team member’s birthday.
Links: help people find your website, products, blog, or anything else important to you. Most tweets include only one link, and it should be clear to followers where the link will take them.
Tags: use the '@' symbol to tag anyone with a Twitter account. You can tag brands, partner jewelry stores, or events that have their own Twitter handle (account) such as trade shows.
Hashtags: anything following the hash symbol '#' is a searchable word. Generally, use 2-5 hashtags that are highly relevant to your tweet.
Here is an example of a tweet that incorporates each element on a separate line:
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The jewelry store (14 Karat in Omaha) is showcasing their collection of earrings with an image and caption. They provided a link (see notes below), and tagged the earring brand, Gabriel and Co NYC. They included 3 hashtags to help people find this post. You can see that #FineJewelry is in bold, because that was the search term used to find this particular tweet.
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This post would have been more successful in encouraging followers to shop the store’s earring collection if they had been clear about where the link took them and included a call to action. We can infer that the link would take us to their website to shop, but it’s unclear if that’s what will happen. |
While each tweet is limited to 280 characters, only 1% of tweets actually use all 280. Most tweets are below 140 characters. Think of each tweet as a headline: what is the most important information you want to get across to your followers?
When creating links, each letter or number counts against your character limit. Long links can also distract from your content. Long links can be shortened using Bit.ly or other link-shortening apps.
Interacting on Twitter
Use Twitter to interact with your favorite brands and customers to get more eyes on your content and your site. There are many ways you can use Twitter’s features to promote your own content and help new followers discover you.
Interacting within Your Content
Using appropriate hashtags and tagging other accounts are both ways you can interact within your own posts. If you post an image from a specific brand, tag them! Give credit to accounts or brands that inspire you. When using hashtags, choose hashtags that people are actively using.
If followers comment on your tweets, you can respond to them.