The Science of Twitter’s Sweet Spot
The Science of Twitter’s Sweet Spot
Twitter – love it or hate it, learning how to make the most of Twitter is getting a lot easier thanks to a series of robust research survey’s. Designed with social media consulting agencies in mind, the results of these recent reports suggests there is a lot of science behind a well designed Twitter campaign. Today we are going to cover a few of the most important points that are especially pertinent to the small business community.
Conversation or Distribution
The first consideration for small business owners is how to best use Twitter. Fundamentally there are two main choices; conversation or distribution/dissemination of information. If you were to ask most actual users the responses are split down the middle but in reality, the research shows distribution and/or dissemination of information slightly ahead of conversation in total effectiveness.
Tweet or ReTweet
The next focal point concerns whether or not to send out an original Tweet or a Re-Tweet. Once again, research provides an objective answer as to which is the most effective. Although original messages tend to rate higher in overall effect, those with a link received the most ReTweets. Taking it to the next step, we find that 60 to 80 percent of all Tweets is the “sweet spot” for Re-Tweets.
To Reply or Not to Reply – That is the Question
By now, savvy small business owners should notice a strange phenomena…by following the above tips, there would be a net drop in response rates. It’s not your imagination! In fact, the “sweet spot” for Twitter replies is a mere 10 percent; those without a lot of replies actually outperform those that are heavily responded to…probably due in part to the perception of being saturated.
Bottom Line
Use a distribution/dissemination approach for the majority of Tweets, include a link and emphasize quality content over conversation…but be sure to mix it up for maximum fun and impact!
Data Schedule Checklist
Sometimes what you don’t know CAN hurt – especially in an era defined by data. Social media consulting firms constantly stay abreast of pertinent information, traffic reports and other key indicators. Unfortunately, small business owners are not always as diligent – or comfortable – when it comes to accessing and interpreting the numbers. Here to help is a quick checklist of “must have” data along with a convenient schedule to keep you on track throughout the year.
Weekly
1. Who is talking about you and why? What social media links or stories are getting the most response?
2. Conduct a survey or poll. Yes – it might be old fashioned but sometimes the simple things work just fine. Not only does a survey provide valuable insight but it is a great way to engage with clients on a regular basis.
Quarterly
1. Compile a list of which sites send you the most traffic! Do you know where your back links are coming from? Without that important information it’s hard to maximize the results…or duplicate them.
2. What search terms result in the most leads? As SEO becomes more social (and vice versa) the importance of understanding the details behind the results is more important than ever.
3. Update social media channels. Remember MySpace? What about Google+? Exactly. Part of updating your social media strategy is to focus on the upcoming areas rather while eliminating those aspects which are not yielding significant results. Tune in to the right social media channels while eliminating the wrong ones from your field of vision.
Annually
1. How fast are pages loading? Not sure? Test your site using Google’s Page Speed Online tool located at https://developers.google.com/pagespeed/. Plain and simple, poor speed results in lower rankings.
2. Deactive or Fix bad pages. Bad pages can be a result of crummy content, broken links or just a lousy layout. Review your site analytics to see which pages result in the least amount of time spent on the site then perform a careful analysis to determine the problem.
3. Repair dead-ends. Move a page but forgot to update a link? It happens. Use a link sleuth program to find broken links.
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