Have you ever heard the saying “all work and no play make Jack a dull boy?” That’s as true for Twitter as it is for kids. Many business accounts I see (and even those of entrepreneurs I talk to) take their social media strategies way too seriously.
Yes, tweeting about promos, sales and marketing content has its place. But if that’s all you’re doing, then you’re not using Twitter to its fullest advantage. If you want to connect with the Twitterverse, you have to introduce some fun into your stream.
Mixing it up keeps things fresh
Have you ever had that one friend who only talked about work? His work? It might be interesting at first, but you’d get pretty sick of that pretty fast. Your followers might feel the same way if the only thing you do when using Twitter for business is tweet self-promotional things.
Mixing it up with other kinds of content—whether it’s your own or from other people—is a great way to keep things fresh. You don’t have to share cat videos if it doesn’t match your social media strategy or brand image. Try sharing informational articles, interesting statistics, or poignant thoughts.
Prioritize connection, not promotion
What’s the most important social media metric you should be tracking? Nope, it’s not followers or likes. It’s engagement.
If you want to get traction with your social media strategy, you have to both engage people in conversations, and put out content that encourages conversation, too. Show people that you’re not just throwing out link after link on your Twitter business account. Talk to people and get to know each other. That way, you’ll forge stronger connections with the online community and people will see you’re not a mindless robot.
Brand building is more than just “work” tweets
The word “brand” now has such a stuffy and serious connotation. But really, “brand” is just a fancy word to describe your company’s personality. And remember what I said before? A person who just talks about work has a dull personality. Commenting about your industry or sharing a quote from an industry expert furthers your brand just as much as tweeting about a sale.
So don’t be dull. Dare to be interesting. Dare to express yourself. Dare to be—god forbid—funny. Not only will you connect with people online better, but you may even start enjoying yourself on social media.
[…] The best way to engage with people on Twitter is to just be a person people want to talk with. Behave with them the same way you would behave with someone who was already your customer. Be pleasant. Be professional. Be helpful. Be memorable. Be interesting. […]