Less ME in Social Media
Gonna go #OutToLunch with @Sarah? Going to #SanFrancisco this weekend? While we’re sure you’re living the #goodlife keep your daily To-Dos off Twitter. A recent study of 60,000 Twitter accounts by marketing scientist Dan Zarrella shows that the more you tweet about yourself the less you engage your followers.
The two main goals of Twitter are to get more followers and retweets. Right? Right.
- Self-centered tweets disengage followers
- More “me” talk can mean less followers
- To get retweets, talk about your audience, not yourself
No One Likes a #MeFormer
Zarrella explains Twitter accounts that take an “All About Me” approach statistically have fewer followers than those whose posts are more informational, educational or entertaining. In addition, tweeting “me – me – me” all the time can cut your retweet potential nearly in half. Zarella looked at tweets that have been retweeted compared to those that had not. The big difference? Tweets that went viral had half as many self-references as those that weren’t retweeted.
A simple tweak to your tweet can easily change you from a meformer to an informer and take your Twitter strategy to the next level.
MeFormer: “Gonna go #OutToLunch with @Sarah” is B-O-R-I-N-G. But eating out is a great way to connect with others. Instead, try to make the tweet informational by giving advice or a review.
Informer: “While #OutToLunch today the service @ThisRestaurant was excellent. #10of10 recommend their Cobb Salad.”
MeFormer: “Going to #SanFrancisco this weekend.” It’s not horrible but can easily be transformed into a great conversation starter.
Informer: Instead, try “What up in #SanFrancisco this #weekend?! I’ll be visiting and need some #recommendations!”
The “Informer” tweets are much more engaging for your followers – and be honest – which would you rather read? Rather than just updating them on your plans you are leaving it open for them to engage with you. Communication is a two-way street and if your followers are not engaged you might need to make a U-turn.
Top tips & tactics that work, according to Sprout:
- Focus on others by starting a conversation with your followers. It’s okay to use Twitter like a phone, not a bullhorn. So strike up an individual conversation.
- Tweets with videos get 1.9 more favorites and 2.8x as many retweets. Videos with a one-on-one component work best.
- Tweeting more frequently helps engage followers. Gone are the days of one tweet a day. Twitter is a leading social media platform. With so many users one tweet quickly gets lost in the abyss.
It’s essential to create your own voice in the real world and on your social media. Talking about yourself every now and then is a great way for your followers to get to know you. But make sure to be authentic and true to yourself while focusing on others. So pose questions, start a conversation, and find a common ground. That’s much more interesting than reading about your love for Taco Tuesday chips and guac.
So what did we learn?
To engage your followers and add new ones, take that old saying and turn it on its head: It’s not me, it’s you.