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March 1, 2021 Content Chat Recap: How To Build Community And Drive Ongoing Engagement on Twitter

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Twitter has evolved as a social networking platform since its 2006 launch, and a consistent rollout of new features and capabilities—except an edit tweet button, which could become problematic—means that marketers often have new avenues to explore and ways to engage their communities.

In this #ContentChat, we’re joined by Twitter marketing expert and host of the #TwitterSmarter Chat Madalyn Sklar (@MadalynSklar) to discuss how to build community and drive ongoing engagement on Twitter. Check out the full chat recap below, where we share how brands can use Twitter Lists, Twitter Fleets, and Twitter Spaces to support their communities, as well as our favorite tools for Twitter and the metrics we use to track our success.

Q1: How has Twitter evolved as a community engagement platform over your time as a member?

Twitter has come a long way since its launch. Originally, things like Twitter Chats did not exist, hashtags were in their infancy, and tweets were limited to 140 characters.

Since then, Twitter has released new features like Periscope, Fleets, and Spaces to help connect users.

The site has become a go-to (or only) news and information source for many people.

And it is now a space where brands and individuals can showcase their unique voice and values.

Q2: What tools do you recommend to manage a Twitter account and keep up with the community conversations?

Madalyn and the community share their tool recommendations below. Consistently, we recommend Agorapulse, Buffer, or  Hootsuite for most content posting and community monitoring needs. MeetEdgar, Social Jukebox, and Sprout Social are alternate options to explore for capabilities like social monitoring, 1:1 conversations, and sharing evergreen content.

Did we miss your favorite tool for Twitter? Let us know in the comments!

Q3: What metrics should brands monitor to measure the success of their Twitter activities?

Follower count can be valuable to track, but don’t obsess over it. The quality of your followers—meaning, are they a part of your target audience—is more important than a follower count, which can be padded by bots or followers that have no intention of engaging with your brand.

Engagement is important to track. It can show whether your content sparks a conversation, which is essential for community building.

Impressions can inform if you are sharing content at the right time.

Click-throughs and conversions show whether your social content is driving action. Drive your Twitter community to your site and track how long they stay on that specific page.

Remember that Twitter has a robust (and free) analytics feature.

And use your social media goals to determine which KPIs you track.

Q4: How can brands build engagement within their Twitter community?

Our tips for building engagement on Twitter include…

Start conversations and engage with your community. Reach out to your community members to ask questions. Retweet, comment on, and quote tweet their content.

Use GIFs that reinforce your brand personality.

Consider video replies as a personal way to connect with your community and build engagement.

Join Twitter chats that your community loves, if you have a natural way to add value in that space. You can instead consider hosting your own Twitter Chat, but that is a significant investment and generally not recommended unless you have a considerable and loyal Twitter following.

Twitter polls can provide a wealth of information on your community.

Focus on the value of your content. Spend time to understand the needs of your audience, and provide well-researched content that reinforces your brand as an expert in that space.

And Shruti provides a concise overview of best practices to build engagement on Twitter here:

Q5: How can brands leverage Twitter lists to drive community engagement?

Twitter lists help organize your feed and group individuals however you’d like. Lists are a powerful way to cut through the noise, take a focused look at your feed, and spot potential engagement opportunities.

Just remember that anyone you add to a public list will be notified. Ensure your list is named appropriately, and make any confidential lists private.

Erika recommends tools like Nuzzel to get even more value from your Twitter lists.

Learn how to create Twitter lists in this post by Madalyn:

Q6: What is Twitter Spaces? What should content marketers and community managers know about this capability?

Twitter Spaces is an audio-only chat feature in Twitter. It is essentially Twitter’s version of Clubhouse. It’s a great place to host conversations with your target audience.

You can join one of Madalyn’s #TwitterSmarter “after” chats to get an idea of how Twitter Spaces works.

Madalyn feels that Twitter Spaces is easier for people to use because it is audio-only, compared to Facebook Live’s video function. You should prioritize whichever channels your audience is most active on, though.

Q7: What are Twitter Fleets? What brands have been doing a great job using Fleets to build community engagement?

Twitter Fleets is the equivalent of Instagram Stories. You can post pictures or videos that expire after 24 hours. This creates a sense of urgency for your community, and brands can explore limited time offers, behind-the-scenes peeks, and more.

Q8: Open Q&A: What Twitter questions do you have for @MadalynSklar?

Which Twitter feature is best for growing an audience? Madalyn recommends video content, and add a CTA link and metadata if possible.

How much content should brands post on Twitter? Experiment with different volumes of content and test each for about two weeks. Each social audience is unique, so you will need to test how much content your community prefers (while keeping a focus on those KPIs and goals you previously determined).

About Alek Irvin

Alek Irvin is a content marketing professional with a rich history in social media management, executive thought leadership development, and media relations. As a consultant at Erika Heald Marketing Consulting, he creates human-focused content and thought leadership platforms that help brand leaders connect and engage with their communities. Alek has worked with a range of startups and Fortune 500 companies across the B2B technology and consumer spaces, including IBM, Dell Technologies, Hitch Works, Emtrain, Integrate, and Frameable. Connect with him on Twitter @AlekIrvin.

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