Why do people really use Twitter?
When you understand the real reasons why most people use Twitter, you can make better decisions about how to interact on social media to engage with and build your audience.
The Psychology of Twitter
There are two perspectives to Twitter usage: personal and professional.
Personal Twitter Usage
From a personal perspective, people are generally looking for the latest news and discussions about trending topics like politics, entertainment, and world events. It’s the go-to platform for staying on top of what’s trending and for gaining insights about public opinion. Most people either visit Twitter to “lurk” to stay in the loop, or they visit to actively participate in the conversation.
Twitter is also a place to share feedback on businesses and to interact with brands. When someone has a really great—or really terrible—purchasing experience, they’ll often take to Twitter to share their experience with the Twitterverse. Many people will also take to Twitter to ask questions, sing praises, or complain and condemn.
While using Twitter, people will also stumble upon other interesting content that they weren’t looking for or expecting to find. This is where good social media marketing provides the opportunity to entice people with great content that pertains to their interests. But remember: your content probably isn’t what brought them to Twitter in the first place. Unless you work in a newsroom, the office of a world leader, or you’re on staff for Game of Thrones, getting people to click and interact is usually just a happy accident.
Professional Twitter Usage
From a professional standpoint, the people who are driving business interactions on Twitter have a desire to draw attention to themselves; either to their personal brand or to the business that they represent. While they’re on Twitter, they might be gaining insights about their industry (they might even log-in specifically to find useful industry information), but never forget that their purpose is 100% self-motivated. This is only natural.
So what does all of this mean for Twitter Best Practices?
Whether personal or professional, always keep in mind that people are in it for themselves.
And most people, particularly professionals and businesses, want attention.
With that in mind:
Twitter Best Practices
Basic Concept #1 – Create Value-Rich Content
You can encourage more “accidental” interactions with Twitter users by sharing lots of great content to build your visibility and credibility. The more real value that you can share (content that’s truly useful and not salesy), and the more you’re willing to share that content openly (ie. give it away for free), the more that you can set yourself up as an expert and build trust and credibility. (Read more about content marketing here and business blogging here.)
Basic Concept #2 – Use Smart Hashtags
Hashtags expand the reach of your tweet, hook, photograph, or video beyond the people who already follow you. Anyone who is interested in the hashtag that you’re using can use it as a keyword to find you. So, using hashtags that people are actually searching for is the key to expanding your brand visibility. (Read more about smart hashtag use here.)
Basic Concept #3 – Reach Out & Engage!
We’ve established that everyone is using Twitter for their own personal and self-driven interests. So, give them what they want: attention! “Liking” people’s content isn’t enough. Twitter users love shout-outs! Tag them. Like and retweet their content. Leave meaningful comments. That’s when you can start to get some real traction. (Read more about how to boost your Twitter engagement here.)
If you need help with your Twitter strategy and content, let us know! We’d be happy to step in on your behalf to help build your brand.
