🔊 Listen to this

Guest post by Nikolay Stoyanov 

Today, most businesses and organizations use Twitter to get their messages across. It’s as common as going to work or school.

But, besides sending messages, they require something else. They require clicks.

OK, but how do you get more clicks on Twitter?

Before we go through anything else, let’s define what “Twitter clicks” mean:

• Retweeting
• Clicking on hashtags, pictures, links, @-mentions
• Following a person
• Viewing a profile
• Expanding a tweet
• Favoring a tweet

So, why are these clicks important?

Today, social media is everything. It allows you to promote yourself, your company, and your products. Products and pages that have more clicks will lead to more shares and ultimately, more sales.

Shared articles are an important SEO signal that will help you reach the highest positions in Google. At the end of the day, it all leads to more profit.

Based on that, you may conclude that all you need is more followers and click rates will improve.

Wrong. According to research, the more followers you have, the fewer clicks you will get. Simply put, only a limited number of people will truly be interested in your content. The fact that someone is your connection doesn’t mean that s/he cares about you.

Before we proceed, check this awesome infographic by Dan Zarrella on how to get more clicks on Twitter.

In order to avoid mistakes and get the most out of your tweets, follow these simple rules.

1. Send clear and concise messages

When using Twitter, most users just scroll through content. In order to catch their attention, make your messages clear and direct.

You have a very limited time in which to leave an impression which will hopefully lead to a click. Also, it helps users understand what type of action you’re requesting and to what end.

2. Use language to your advantage

As any good copywriter knows, language is a powerful tool when used correctly. When you send tweets, there are various ways you can attract attention and elicit clicks. Here are some of the popular methods that can help your tweets go viral.

• Use questions – they make people curious
• Use exclamation points – they lead to excitement
• Use superlatives – they make your tweet more relevant and interesting
• Use easygoing language – it creates positive emotions
• Use short tweets – they’re easier to read and are more distinctive
• Use numbers – they’re easier to process than words
• Use two-sided titles with colons or hyphens – they help break down messages
• Use more verbs – they are more interesting than other parts of speech

3. Always add pictures

Humans are visual beings. It’s easier for our brains to process pictures than words. They also lead to a quicker and stronger reactions. Similarly to blog posts, your tweets also require pictures to make them standout and attract attention.

Always remember; pictures have to correlate with your topics so people know what they are clicking. Even if pictures link to your blog posts, it will be all for naught if they were expecting something else and immediately leave as a result.

4. Hashtags are a great weapon

Hashtags are a great way to point people towards specific categories. They are important because people outside your network can view them (as long as they have an interest in the topic). In other words, by using hashtags, it is possible to drastically increase visibility.

However, try not to overdo it. According to research, people share tweets with 1 or 2 hashtags more than those with 3 or more.

5. Call to action

Sometimes, it is not enough for people to like your content. Some simply don’t like sharing, clicking, or doing certain types of action. But, if you lead them, you may get the necessary clicks.

Show them the benefits of clicking on your links, how they can get fresh information, see something interesting, or participate in a topic that concerns them. If something is free, or if the offer is about to run out, you can present it in a way that seems important.

6. Don’t use too many statistics

For people who are really into the topic, statistics are important. Yet, when it comes to Twitter, stats may seem overbearing. As a result, people tend to click less on tweets that include several statistics.

It’s better if you provide a direct message. If people become intrigued, they can easily find additional statistics and information by themselves.

7. Choose the right time of the day to tweet

When you send messages, you want to reach a particular audience. Without that audience, there is no point in sending messages in the first place. Having this in mind, be mindful when you are tweeting.

The best time to tweet is in the afternoon and during the weekend. This is logical; people have a lot of free time during the weekend and after work. Of course, this may vary in some cases, but it is good as a general rule.

8. Take your time between tweets

You have to find just the right space between your tweets. You want to engage your connections and, at the same time, avoid boring them to death.

Those who are willing, should make a Twitter schedule and stick to it. By tweeting at the same time each day (or on particular days), your followers will know when to find you and they can use that time slot to interact with you.

9. Focus on your best content

When people post pictures on their social networks, they tend to use those that show them in the best light. The same goes for Twitter.

Avoid using mediocre content. Instead, opt for high quality content that will present you and your company in the best light. This way, people know what to expect and they will come back for great new tweets from you.

10. Tweet about others

People do not like individuals and companies that are excessively self-promotional. This is why you will have to mix it up, tweeting about others and sharing different content.

But, that’s not all. Even if you have a great organization, there are still articles and videos that will outshine yours.

It is better to share that content giving credit to the other bloggers. Your Twitter connections will appreciate it (as long as the topic is interesting to them) and you will also create bonds with other entrepreneurs. It’s a win-win situation.

11. Put your links at the beginning of tweets

You may think that it is best to place links at the end of your tweets after writing the message. Wrong. Links that are in the middle of the tweet are the most successful ones.

12. Use infographics whenever you can

Infographics are insanely popular on Twitter. Studies show that they can multiply the number of clicks you can get on this social platform.

13. Mention Twitter whenever you can

There is an interesting thing about Twitter users. They love reading about Twitter!

As long as your tweets are somewhat connected to Twitter (or they use Twitter as a word), they will receive more clicks.

Conclusion

With these basic tips, you can begin to master Twitter and increase your click-through rate in the process. However, you will still have to take it with a grain of salt. Professionals from different industries have different habits. You will most likely have to tweak some of the things I mentioned in order to get optimal results.

Anyway, do not be shy to test things and find your own, unique way of approaching Twitter and getting the most out of it.

Nikolay Stoyanov is a well-known Bulgarian SEO expert with over 8 years of experience. This post was first published on Nikolay’s blog, NikSto.com.