Twitter tips
If you're new to entering the world of 140-character limits and emojis, we have some
tips to help get you started. P.S. The 140 character limit is the maximum
amount of space you have for a single tweet. And emojis are these guys 💛💙
Get started with these tips:
-
Pick a user @handle that is simple, intuitive and consistent with your other
social media platforms. For example, if you use "WVUStudentLife" for your
Facebook profile, try to make your Twitter handle @WVUStudentLife.
- Choose a profile photo that includes your face, if possible. Others like to interact with people and know there is a person on the other side of the Internet. Profile photo dimensions are currently 400x400.
- Choose a header photo that is 1500x500. Pick something that that provides a solid secondary image - whether that's for your brand, personal use or otherwise.
- Add a Twitter bio. This is your 160-character chance to tell the world a little bit about yourself. What can people expect you to Tweet about? What affiliations do you have? Include information that would best make a person decide to follow your account. Add your location and a website to direct other Twitter users to find out more.
- Check your settings to see how often you'd like emails or notifications from Twitter. Do you want to know when you have a new mention? Do you want an email about it? What about when you have a new follower? Customize it to best suit your needs.
- Don't forget to take a look at the privacy settings, too. Is this a public account (probably) or a private account (Remember: Even if your account is private, others can still gain access, so be careful about posting)?
- Limit access to the account; the fewer people who have the username and password, the easier it is to maintain a similar tone and voice.
- Once your page is set up, let us know here.
Once you've created your account:
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Create a content calendar with specific events, dates and other things happening
that you'll want to draw attention to.
- Determine if a content management tool works for you. If you are managing multiple accounts or have a need to schedule posts in advance, consider Sprout Social, Hootsuite or Tweetdeck.
- Figure out your voice. What kinds of things will you be tweeting about? Who do you want to be? Find out more about how to do that here.
- Write the perfect post. We have some tips to do so here. Quick tips: localize large stories, share information relevant to your account and comment on trends.
- Try to include photos in your tweets, which shared photos are 1024x512 and in-stream photo previews are 220x400.
- Tweet 2-3 times per day throughout the day at different times. Try tweeting at various hours to see when your audience is viewing and tailor to those times.
- Follow users who are tweeting about topics interesting to your account. If you're tweeting about wellness, seek out top experts in wellness and follow them.
- Retweet tweets to your followers. If another account has a good tweet that you would like to share with your audience, retweet it. Similarly, you can favorite tweets to show appreciation for the tweet or to bookmark it for later.
- Engage with your audience. Ask questions and converse back and forth. Respond to questions. Remember: This isn't a megaphone to broadcast your message; it's a conversation.
- You may choose to "pin" a tweet at the top of your feed, so it is the first tweet people who are visiting the Twitter website will see. Click on the “more” option on the Tweet you want to pin and select “Pin to your profile page.”
- Cross promote your Twitter account on other, already established platforms.
- Consider a separate Twitter app for your phone if you are managing multiple accounts. That way, you won't accidentally tweet from an account you did not intend to.
Once you've posted:
- Take a look at the start of each month to see how you did by clicking on "tweet activity." Specifically look for posts that did well and others that didn't do so well. How many impressions did that tweet receive? Engagements? Link clicks? You may begin to see trends for posts your audience likes and doesn't like, and that will allow you to tweak your content month-to-month.
- If you have the social media budget, think about promoting your account or tweets to improve reach. For more information, click here.
More Twitter resources: