When you Google the term “twitter strategies”, it is to no one’s surprise that 74.9M search results appear. Truth be told, like many platforms, there are a multitude of strategies to be tried, but the key is finding the right mix for you and your goals.
For this post I am going to concentrate on two types of twitter users:
1.) Those who ENTERTAIN – musicians, athletes, celebrities, etc
2.) Those who INFORM – experts, trendsetters, field interested parties, many of you reading this blog post.
There can be cross over and co-existence, but I am simplifying to focus on the differences between the fan bases.
Entertainers
For the Entertainer, as long as you engage your audience on a frequent basis, you have won half the battle. Your followers are there for an inside track from you as the person, and Twitter is the perfect medium to showcase your personality. Have fun with your posts and ask questions of your fans. The ultimate goal is to create an air of intimacy with your twitter feed, whether you have 100 or 100,000 followers.
Take note of exclusive content. Concentrate on what you can provide that no one else can, whether behind the scenes photos from a photo shoot, insight into a pregame ritual, or a glimpse into your closet. Prove to them it is you behind your tweets and not just a talking head or marketing team. Authenticity wins in this game.
Listen. Know your audience and what matters to them. When you do promotions, link together the platforms they use – whether Facebook, gaming systems, live events, favorite TV shows. Start the buzz on twitter and activate in several other social media channels at once. Your fan following will grow because they will learn that Twitter is the earliest information source.
Informants
For the Informant, insightful information sharing is what will get others to follow you and remember to stay on topic at least 80% of the time. It’s more valuable for you to mean something to a small focused audience than to try to be everything to everybody. If you want to bolster yourself as an expert in your field, or a first on the scene trendsetter, stay on point. Initially, your fan base may be smaller, but posting with consistency over time in your respected arena will lead to an incredibly loyal and responsive fan base.
Interact with others in your field and on the cusp. Seek them out and compliment them on posts you enjoyed, or answer a question they asked. What their audience seeks out has a good chance of being similar to yours, and would equally enjoy following you if introduced. In addition, seek out those with large twitter followings to help in maximizing your efforts.
Follow news sources that make sense, are specialized, and are of a wide variety of type. Switching up the types of material, and sources, you pull from gives a complete, and always fresh, perspective to what you re-tweet. In a way, you can become your own Huffington Post.
My last tip applies for both Entertainers and Informants, something that I find both helpful and a time saver, is creation of a personalized major events schedule. Your schedule should include major events not only in in your area of interest, but also events that will garner lots of eyes in the twitter world – think Oscars, Super Bowl, Political Debate (although I recommend restraint here). Being mindful of major national and international events and how you tweet on them keeps you current. When many others are tweeting on the same subject and you tweet something compelling and insightful, you utilize an opportunity to attract a lot of followers that might not otherwise have found you.
Whether a schedule, your own blueprint, or just having a general plan – your strategy will evolve over time. If one strategy doesn’t work for you, keep trying until you find tactics that work for you.
Author:
Katie Marston is President and Executive Director of DYME Branding , a personal brand development company focusing on professional athletes, celebrities, and executives. Follow her on Twitter at @ktmarston
