Tweeting is by no means a lost art, nor will Twitter be making its exit into the social media graveyard (like MySpace) anytime soon. Twitter is still an extremely popular social media outlet for celebrities, as well as big brands and small businesses alike. With new features being added all the time, we’re expecting to see Twitter’s popularity rise even more. While you may be frustrated with the lack of engagement on your own Twitter profile, we’re here to share some tips to help you get those pesky numbers back up!

Tailor Your Tweets to be Short, Sweet and Sufficient:

While Twitter may have just removed images from being part of your 140 character limit, it’s still important to keep your tweets shorter for optimal engagement, while still packing a big punch. Tell your story in fewer words but still make it count and make it stand out. Remember, content is always key. Don’t just tweet for the sake of it.

Be a Customer Service Rockstar:

With so much technology offering instant gratification, customer service is no exception. When someone asks you a question in regards to your brand or product, jump on it as soon as you can. Is someone having a negative experience with your company? Use Twitter to engage with them and turn their frown upside down.

Take Advantage of Twitter’s Features:

Ask your audience a question with Twitter’s awesome poll feature – they even do the calculations for you! Social media users love quizzes and polls so use that to your advantage. Do you own a bakery? Ask your fans which flavor pie you should whip up for autumn!

It’s been proven over the years that visual posts outperform those that don’t include an image. Twitter has an awesome feature that lets you create a photo collage with more than one image at a time, use it! For example, if you’re an interior designer, post a collage of some of the materials you’re using for your latest project with a collage. Your fans will love seeing a behind the scenes peek, as well as get a little inspiration of their own.

Stay on Trend:

There’s always something trending on Twitter. Pay attention to what the trending hashtags or topics are, and get involved. Is it #NationalDonutDay? Find an effective way to incorporate that into your brand’s tweets for the day and you might get discovered by a larger audience. Keep a calendar with upcoming holidays and current events to stay organized.

Engage With & Follow Others:

Let’s say you’re an up and coming fashion blogger trying to build your Twitter audience. If you were to follow other fashion bloggers that inspire you, you may find an increase in your own followers. This goes for re-tweeting and chatting with fans and potential fans. The more you engage, the more benefits you’ll find.

It also helps to pay attention to who is mentioning or chatting about your brand. Even if the user doesn’t directly mention your handle, you can use tools like Hootsuite to search for specific branded “keywords” so you’ll never miss a tweet!

As always, be consistent:

With any social media platform, consistency is your best friend and the best practice. If you’re too busy because you’re running a one-man show, use the social software to help you schedule content in advance or hire someone to do social media management for you. Social media marketing is extremely important for all brands. Letting it slack because you can’t find the time or resources, just isn’t worth it.

Happy tweeting!