Lately I’ve been assisting our office betta fish Pluto with the Widefoc.us Twitter account. Having Pluto manage our Twitter means we bring a unique perspective to the social media world. Every morning, I pop open my laptop next to Pluto’s fabulous fishbowl and we scroll through the trends and news of the day. After weeks of working with our pun-filled fish friend, he and I have found that perfect mix of the funny, informative, and engaging.
Here are Pluto and my five tips to improve your Twitter effectiveness:
Hashtags
If you’re tweeting about a hot topic (which you should always do!), the best way to catch the eye of an important influencer is by using a trending hashtag. A solid example of this is Wendy’s accidentally successful campaign NuggsForCarter. After a 16-year old asked the fast food chain what it would take for him to receive a lifetime of free chicken nuggets, Wendy’s responded with “18 million retweets.” And so began the most engaged tweet of all time, surpassing Ellen’s Oscar selfie. Although he only received 3.5 million retweets, the nugget lover went from 138 followers to 100,000, the hashtag NuggsForCarter was used 234,000 times, generating 330 million impressions, and he managed to score a lifetime supply of the tasty treat from Wendy’s, thus becoming my ultimate hero.
Build Relationships By Tagging
Whether you have a deep need for chicken nuggets, or wonder how much extra that Chipotle queso is going to cost, it’s always important to tag the brand/person/influencer you’re referencing. Pluto and I found this tip most successful when Chipotle’s queso was first announced.
Before the national upset over the cost of the side ensued, Pluto and I awaited the cheesy goodness with baited breath. All ‘Potle lovers know that the guac is extra, but what about the queso? Would I have to take out a student loan to enjoy the majestic melted cheese? After a conversational tweet asking about when the Mile High City would be able to test the highly anticipated side, a representative responded within minutes, letting us know Denver would soon be blessed by the queso. Little did we know the dip would be less than “grate”.
Have A Conversation
You don’t have to slide into DMs to create a relationship. Pluto works hard at starting conversations with our betta buds, Denver foodies, and social media influencers to build our community of followers and network of sharing among our fellow tweeters. Each morning, Pluto and I scroll through our lists to find new friends or influencers in order to begin a discussion.
One example of conversational success comes from Pluto complementing an artist’s watercolor painting of a betta fish. After we tweeted kudos about the art, Lady Loki was so moved she retweeted our retweet and has since become a loyal follower on the WideFoc.us account. Conversational tweets don’t have to cause chaos! Just compliment a joke or a photograph to get the relationship started.
Lists, Lists, and More Lists
The best way to organize your thoughts and strategize your retweets is to create and subscribe to lists of thematic influencers, reporters, and more.
By organizing who you follow into lists, you’re able to keep better track of who and what your brand retweets. Pluto and I cover Denver news, Colorado business partners, fish friends, social media news, and, of course, Denver restaurants. It’s so easy to peruse our lists and make sure we aren’t focusing on the same news outlets and influencers every day.
Don’t be afraid to be funny!
If you’ve ever read a tweet from Pluto or me, you know we love puns. One of Pluto’s punny responses caught the eye of the town of Collierville who announced a renovation to their school bells via twitter.
Also, don’t be afraid to make the obvious dad joke when responding to tweets. Silly responses add personality to your profile much more effectively than retweeting and favoriting throughout the day. People love humor, and, on a platform overrun by chatbots, a spark of creativity allows individuals to actually imagine the person (or office fish) behind the tweet.
Whether you use your Twitter account for “Game of Thrones” rant sessions or are creating a brand voice for your company, have fun with it! If the idea of editing down your thoughts into 140 characters is overwhelming, our team at WideFoc.us will help.
And don’t forget, the internet is forever so write something your grandchildren would be happy to retweet someday.
-- By Kaleigh Myers
Community manager Kaleigh Myers has lived in New Jersey, Las Vegas, Amish Country, and Chicago before finally settling in Denver. When not coming up with a clever caption for her Instagrams, you can find Kaleigh binge watching Real Housewives with her doggo Doc.
