Are your Twitter followers plugging their ears when you tweet? The popular social media network now offers users a way to ignore your tweets and retweets, without unfollowing you — and without your noticing. As a result, you will have the same number of followers, but your content will not show up on the feeds of those who are muting you.
That means staying relevant and compelling in your tweets is more important than ever. How can you prevent your tweets falling on deaf ears? Here are three ways to reduce the chances your followers will mute you:
1. Don’t over-tweet
There are no rules on how often to tweet. Some advisors start off their day tweeting relevant financial news, says Andrew Broadhead, communications manager at Ext. Marketing Inc. Then they follow that up with a tweet or two that shares some of their own financial planning ideas later in the day. Any more than that might be too much.
“Don’t over-tweet [to the point] where every thought in your head becomes something you feel the world needs to hear about,” says Richard Heft, co-executive director of Ext. Marketing Inc. in Toronto.
Your clients don’t care that you watched the Godzilla movie this past weekend, and they don’t need to see photos of your most recent meal. If you want to share those details, consider creating a private, personal Twitter account, where only friends and family follow you.
If you want to add a more human element to your professional account, refer to your involvement in local charities and community events, Broadhead suggests.
Shedding light on this aspect of your personality is a way to appeal to your followers on a more personal level and portray yourself in a positive manner.
2. Don’t be a salesperson
Use your Twitter account to promote your practice, but choose an effective way to accomplish this goal. Constantly referring to your products or services will only turn people off. Only one-third or fewer of your tweets should speak directly to these areas, Broadhead says.
The proper way to market yourself on Twitter is by establishing yourself as a subject-matter expert. Tweet links to your own blog posts or other articles on the subjects that your clients need to know more about. Make sure these topics relate directly to your client base.
For example, if you focus your practice on financial planning for single parents, links to articles on time management and saving for children’s education are likely to be appreciated.
3. Use visuals
Heft recommends “using fewer words and building out on imagery. From what we know, from study after study, people prefer images and less copy.”
And while Twitter is known for the short and compact statement, Broadhead says, it is becoming a much more visual medium.
“An advisor can build his personal brand through the images shared,” he adds.
Add photos from those community events to your tweets to engage your followers. You can also use infographics to introduce your blog posts.
For example, if you’re promoting a blog post that demonstrates the value of saving a small amount of money on a regular basis, you might incorporate an infographic that shows what happens when the cost of a daily coffee is saved over the course of several years. It is very likely your followers will want to learn how to make that possible.