Twitter is claiming that the site gets about 50 million tweets a day, spam not included. That’s great for Twitter, but as Patricio Robles
points out, the news is less than stellar for users who are trying to use the network to do their jobs.
Of course, there are some holes in the data. We don’t know how many of the 50 million messages are retweets. The announcement didn’t come with fresh data about the average user. We don’t know distribution curve looks like when you take spammers out of the picture. But even allowing for all that, marketers need to face that there’s a growing number of tweets out there drowning out your message.
So what do you do? It might be tempting to double your number of tweets, but that’s only making the problem worse. Or, you could try making your tweets more tantalizing. That’s a fine idea — except if your customers never get to see your messages because they’re simply getting too many tweets a day. The problem isn’t with your tweets. It’s the noise.
First, recognize that this isn’t just your problem. There’s a good chance that some of your customers aren’t thrilled about the deluge of tweets, either. It’s so easy to feel like you’re missing something, no matter how often you check your account. Your strategy for dealing with Twitter overload needs to be centered around helping customers deal with that problem.
- Use Twitter lists. Twitter lists allow users to group accounts in logical ways that make can’t-miss accounts easier to follow. Don’t just ask your fans to follow you — ask them to add you to whatever list they use most. One way to encourage people to do this is do include some of your more engaged fans in a Twitter list of your own.
- Use hashtags. Start an interesting conversation and use a hashtag to encourage folks to check back in. You can tie the conversation to your brand, but resist the temptation to make the tag, “#yourcompanyname.” It’s also a good idea to chime in on established conversations that are relevant to your brand. Being part of a meaningful conversation is an organic way for unfamiliar users to stumble across your account — as well as a reason for longtime fans to keep checking in.
- Use direct messages. I know you don’t want to hear this. Twitter is supposed to be about broadcasting information, right? Well if you want to build personal bonds with your customers, you’re going to need to step away from the megaphone and do a little one-on-one every now and again. If it feels daunting, clients such as HootSuite are a great way to make sending direct messages more efficient. Resist the temptation to auto-message people. That’s just more noise. Talk to your followers like real people — and give them something worth talking about. That’s the easiest way to stay on anyone’s radar.
What other pitfalls does the level of Twitter noise present? How is your organization rising above the din?
Image credit, sturti, via iStock