3 Tricks for "Twitter Traction"

Twitter traction. Twitter traction. Twitter traction. Try saying THAT quickly three times in a row.

What is “Twitter Traction?”

A definition: When your tweet gets retweeted, favourited, or attracts new followers, that is twitter traction.

Example: “Dude, I am totes getting some serious twitter traction with my tweet on industrial waste management!” (High five!)

As a small business online, is twitter traction something you want? Of course! One reason you are on social media is to gain more visibility for your brand. The more your tweets get circulated, the more people will view your business name. So if twitter traction is so important in social media marketing, how can small businesses get it?

As someone relatively new to the twitterverse, I have enjoyed figuring out what kind of tweets get attention. What distinguishes a “favourited” or “re-tweeted” message from those 140-character blurbs that just get tweeted out once, never to be read again? Why, in other words, do some tweets have traction? Obviously, some tweets just find the right receiver, the right fellow tweeter who appreciates the thoughts, sentiments or content links of that particular tweet. But I have discovered some great tricks for delivering your tweet message effectively- to get your tweet noticed, to get it TRACTION. Ahem:

Starting with the most obvious and easiest to master- the art of the hashtag for business is all about being topical to your industry, your target market or subjects relevant to your brand essence. If you hashtag your tweet, it becomes easily searched, and may find its way to the perfect re-tweeter. #twittertips! #socialmedia! #smallbiz!

Mentioning other businesses or individuals related to your tweet (by including @ followed by their twitter address) is a no-brainer in gaining twitter traction- because whomever you mention will likely retweet to increase their own brand visibility. This is of course far more effective when used authentically, positively, and with a clear purpose– for example, to thank someone, respond to their idea, or share content specifically relevant to them.

Tweets may be only 140 characters, but we’re in a hurry, man. Whenever possible, lead with the interesting information, feeling, opinion, or point of difference. This way, when scrolling down the trillion or so tweets on their screen, others in the twitterverse will be attracted to your tweet immediately, without having to read the entire message.

Again, positive messages seem to get more traction- and to create that immediate, positive tweet-attraction- you can start your tweet with engaging adjectives that invite fellow tweeters to keep reading:

Helpful #socialmedia tips: new post has twitter traction! www.todaysworkshop.com…

This hits the topic (social media!) and gives an opinion (helpful!) in the first two words. Front-loading is effective for all scroll-feed social media. Try it with your facebook business page posts to get more views!

This is a great little trick for getting your content circulated and you brand retweeted- especially if you are linking an article, either a blog post on your own site or another great piece of content you have discovered that you feel is really on message for your brand. Before the link, create a simple equation that will help readers quickly ascertain why this is a click-worthy link:

#Entrepreneurship + #Social Media = Low Cost #Marketing! (follow with link).

See how the hashtags are a natural fit as well? Add humour to get even more traction:

You can have some fun with this formula- and experiment! See what gets some wild retweet action what doesn’t.

I hope you found this post helpful. If you did, why don’t you tweet about it? (#twittertraction! @todaysworkshop!) See you in the twitterverse! ~ Erica Halvorsen, Erica Jane Consulting.

Look for upcoming Today’s Workshop posts on Reasons Why Your Small Business Should be on Twitter and Great Tweet Content Strategy for Small Business.