twitter tips – Health Care Social Media

7 Data-Backed Tips To Drive More Engagement on Twitter

Posted on September 28, 2022September 29, 2022 by Editor

Backed up by research from Hubspot, here are seven tips to help you drive your Twitter marketing forward.

1. Use Both “Title Tweets” and “Copy Tweets”

“Title tweets” start each word with a capital letter — just like a headline. They are tweets with just the title of a blog post or article and the link to that article. There are no extra words. However, a “copy tweet” presents the article or blog post as a sentence or question.

Hubspot’s research showed that their average tweet copy got an average of 98 clicks, while headline-based tweets got an average of 110 clicks.

Insider Tip: The fundamental rule of clickable tweets is the same as the rule of clickable headlines. No matter how amazing your content is, few people are going to click through to read it if they’re not immediately captivated by your headline. Read 15 Ways To Crack Captivating Headlines to find out more about creating better titles for your tweets.

2. Include Shortened Links

A URL shortener is an online tool that converts a regular URL into an abbreviated version that is around 10 to 20 characters long. Use a third-party tool like Bit.ly to help you do this. Here’s what a bit.ly link looks like when it’s shortened.

Insider Tip: Don’t necessarily place the link at the end of the tweet. Zarrella’s analysis of 200,000 link-containing tweets concluded that putting the link approximately 25% of the way through would achieve the highest CTR.

3. Add Images To Tweets

Adding visual appeal to your tweet is a smart way to make your content stand out among a sea of tweets.

Insider Tip: You can add up to 4 images to your tweets ( all you have to do is click on the photo icon after you have added your first image, then add up to 3 more images) so take advantage of this and create a carousel of images to draw a reader’s eye.

4. Ask For Retweets

Twitter uses Likes and re-tweets as indicators of popularity in the algorithm.

Insider Tip: Though I’d be wary of over-doing this strategy (from a narcissistic viewpoint) it appears that you can also increase your exposure by liking and re-tweeting your own content. An experiment from Buffer found that retweeting their own tweets generated significantly higher click-through and engagement rates.

5. Add A Call-To-Action

What kind of action do you want your followers to take when they read your tweet? Whether it’s “Sign Up Here” or “Download Now”, adding a call-to-action to your tweet increases engagement by 13% according to Hubspot.

6. Recycle Tweets

At about 18 minutes, tweets have the shortest lifespan of any social media post. Even though the latest Twitter algorithm means that posts are no longer displayed chronologically, Twitter is fast-paced, and messages get buried quickly. To counter this, you need to share your post multiple times on Twitter to increase visibility (use a scheduling tool to optimize the times you post it).

Insider Tip: Practice writing multiple versions of your tweets. Then A/B test them by changing some keywords, playing with the structure, etc. to determine which works best for your specific audience. This doesn’t mean you should post the same update every time. Using best practice headline tips, write multiple versions of tweets to post — and don’t forget to include a compelling image too.

7. Tweet About Twitter

According to Hubspot, if it makes sense for your account to tweet about social media — do it. It found that their tweets that included links to blog posts and offers about Twitter and other social media topics received 22.5% more clicks on average than the average clicks for a tweet during a set period of time.

Insider Tip: From the Neil Patel playbook:

How can you talk about Twitter if your subject has nothing to do with Twitter? Try one of these:

Hey Twitter users….
Best thing on Twitter all day…
You needed this in your Twitter feed…
Twitter is raving about…

To Sum Up

The key to success with Twitter, as with life, is to work smarter not harder. Implement these tactics the next time you post on Twitter and watch your engagement rate rocket.

You might also like to read What To Post on Twitter: A Cheat Sheet For Healthcare Tweeters

#HCSM, Twitter

How To Use Twitter Analytics: A Simple Step-By-Step Guide For Healthcare Communicators

Posted on August 16, 2022August 16, 2022 by Editor

Twitter analytics is a simple but effective insights tool to help you analyse your Twitter activity.

It’s still surprising to me how many people who are using Twitter for marketing and communications have never checked this inbuilt analytics tool.

You can navigate to the platform either by visiting https://analytics.twitter.com/about or accessing it directly from your Twitter account under the More tab (on the desktop version).

From the Home tab, you get a summary of your account activity for the past 28 days. This includes your tweets, tweet impressions, profile visits, mentions, and follower count.

Scroll down on your account home page to view highlights of your account activity over the past few months, such as top tweets, top followers, and top mentions.

By clicking into Tweet Activity you can get a more granular view of how people engaged with a particular tweet.

Scroll back up to the Tweets tab at the top of the page to view your tweet activity.

The first thing you will see is a snapshot of the number of Impressions your tweets got over the past 28 days.

Twitter Impressions are simply when a tweet appears on someone’s timeline. It’s important to note that this doesn’t necessarily mean a person engaged with your tweet, but it does give you a sense of how many people your tweets has the potential to reach.

From the screenshot above you will also see you have the option of changing the date range – the default is the last 28 days. You can choose to view the last 7 days or any of the previous 5 months. You also have an option to specify a specific date range.

To the right of the date range selection, you’ll also see the option to Export Data. Clicking on this tab gives you the option to download “by tweet” or “by day” via a .csv file which can be imported to an excel spread sheet – great for reporting.

Now let’s take a closer look at the kind of data we can see on this page. Your tweets are analyzed according to Top Tweets, Tweets and Replies, Promoted Tweets (if you are advertising on Twitter), Impressions, Engagement and Engagement Rate.

We’ve already look at Impressions earlier, so now let’s turn to Engagements. An engagement is an interaction with a tweet ( e.g. likes and retweets. The engagement rate of a tweet is the number of engagements it gets divided by its number of impressions. This is a key metric to track over time.

You can also get a graphic representation of your engagement rate as you can see in the image below.

Looking into your Twitter data in this way is useful to show you how your content is performing on the platform. It gives you insight into the best days to post and which types of content people most like to engage with. If you run a campaign, it’s essential that you track the campaign from the start right through to the end. Keeping a close eye on the data will allow you to adjust your campaign as you go.

Use the insights you gather from Twitter analytics to inform your social strategy, optimize your content, grow your following and boost your engagement.

To learn more visit the Twitter Analytics page.

You might also like to read the following articles:

Become a Social Media Ninja With These 25 Smart Twitter Hacks

#HCSM, Twitter

What To Post on Twitter: A Cheat Sheet For Healthcare Tweeters

Posted on May 9, 2021May 10, 2021 by Editor

Have you recently joined Twitter and are wondering what you should tweet beyond “This is my first Tweet”? Or have you been on Twitter for a while now but are running out of things to post?

If your tweeting needs a fresh injection of ideas, check out the following list of tweets you can adapt and post to your followers.

Link to a new post on your blog – ok this is one of the most obvious tweets to send, but if you haven’t blogged in a while, why not see this as an opportunity to revisit your website and identify your most popular posts. Pull out a quote, or a statistic or turn your headline into a question before tweeting a fresh link to your chosen post.
Share an inspiring or motivational quote – tag it with #MondayMotivation for more traction.
Post a behind-the-scenes photo of your office. People love to see behind the scenes stuff – so bring your camera to your next staff meeting, lunch or event. Sharing pictures of your employees (with their permission, of course) makes your practice so much more relatable. Furthermore, it helps to build a sense of camaraderie
Participate in Follow Friday – #FollowFriday or #FF on Twitter is a tradition in which people send tweets recommending other Twitter users they think are interesting to follow. The tweets are sent on Fridays and contain the hashtag #ff or #FollowFriday.
Use Hashtags strategically. Use hashtags to identify real-time opportunities for engagement in news and events, identify current trends and key influencers. Find trending hashtags with tools like Twitonomy, Hashtagify.me and RiteTag.
Thank a new follower – thank someone by name when they follow you. People love to be acknowledged by name.
Share a health care tip. Share a quick seasonal wellness or preventative care tip with your followers.
Tweet a “Did you know?” or “True or False” style tweet. These kinds of tweets are popular for encouraging interactions among your followers.
Conduct a poll. Ask your followers a question using Twitter’s Poll Feature. Use it to get a snapshot of readers’ attitudes on health topics like vaccination, screening, complementary therapy, mental health – the list is endless. Share the results in a follow-up tweet.
Live tweet. Live tweeting is a great way to share valuable information at conferences and events.
Post a “fill-in-the-blank” prompt. This is a fun way to engage your audience. Here’s an example: Fill in the blank: ________________ always makes me smile.
Tweet about cause awareness events. It could be Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Alzheimer’s Disease Awareness Month or Healthy Weight Week. Join in using the relevant hashtag on Twitter.
Post holiday-themed tweets (Christmas, Hanukah, 4th July, etc.) You could also join in fun holidays like National Donut Day. Check out this calendar to keep you right up to date with ideas.
Share news and updates from your practice. Are you rolling out a new program, product or service? Let your followers know about it in a tweet. You can highlight when someone on your team achieves a new certification level or when you acquire a new piece of equipment that affords better care. Patients will appreciate you keeping them informed.
Share your thoughts on an industry trend. Healthcare is constantly changing and evolving. Can you predict or comment on the latest healthcare trend? Set up Google Alerts to keep updated on emerging trends in your industry to provide the latest information for your readers.
Create a Twitter Moment. Twitter gives you the ability to create “Moments,” which allows you to curate a series, or gallery, of tweets revolving around a particular theme. Follow this step-by-step guide to create your first Twitter Moment.
Engage with your patients around relevant conversations. Join a health-related Twitter chat – you’ll find a comprehensive list at Symplur.com.

So there you have it, some suggestions for things to post on Twitter when you have run out of ideas. Of course the most important thing about Twitter, indeed any social network, is that it’s just that.. social. Don’t just engage in one-way tweeting. Twitter is a two-way communication tool. Make sure you are also taking the time to be sociable – like and respond to others tweets, retweet and comment often.

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Thursday Tip

#ThursdayTip: How To Create Live Videos on Twitter

Posted on June 18, 2020June 18, 2020 by Editor

Welcome to this week’s social media quick tip. This week I want to show you how to create live videos on Twitter.

With the announcement of its new live-streaming option, which will enable users to add audio-only guests into their streams, I thought it might be helpful to go through the steps needed to create live videos on Twitter. I’ve also included instructions on how to add a guest to your broadcast and how to share your video with followers.

How to start a live video

Swipe left from the home timeline or tap from the composer.
Tap the live mode at the bottom selector.
To go live with audio but not video, tap the microphone at the top right. This will turn off the camera, and you’ll be heard by viewers, but not seen.
Fill in an optional description that will appear as a Tweet, and a location if desired. Then press Go live.
Your live broadcast, with description and location (if added), will appear in a Tweet in your follower’s timeline and on your profile.

How to end a live video

You can end a live video at any time by pressing the Stop button on the top left and confirming your action in the menu that comes up. Your live videos will automatically be posted as a Tweet when you go live. You can also save your live video right to your device’s camera roll at the end of your live video by tapping Save to camera roll.

How to add a guest to live video

When enabled, viewers of the live broadcast can request to join as a guest. Up to 3 guests can participate in a live broadcast at one time. Broadcasters can choose to turn off the camera, and participate as audio only. Guests will participate with audio, and can be heard by all viewers.

To start a live broadcast with guests:

Open the camera by swiping left from your timeline.
Tap the Live mode at the bottom.
To allow live viewers to request to join your broadcast, tap the icon on the upper right.
Tap Go LIVE to begin your broadcast.
When a viewer has asked to join your broadcast, a notification will appear in the chat. You can also view the call-in list by tapping the icon on the bottom bar and see every viewer who has requested to join the broadcast.
Tap the ± to add them to the broadcast. There will be a 5 second countdown before they join.
To remove a guest from the broadcast, tap the X on the top right of their avatar.

To join a live broadcast as a guest

While watching a live broadcast that has guests enabled, tap the icon, then tap Ask to join.
The broadcaster must approve your request to join as a guest.
Once accepted, a 5-second countdown will appear onscreen before you are added to the broadcast. If you choose not to join, tap Cancel.
Your audio will be heard by all viewers of the broadcast.

To leave the broadcast as a guest

To exit the live broadcast as a guest, tap on the icon on the bottom, and select Hang up, or simply tap the X at the top left of the screen. When you leave the broadcast as a guest, you can continue to watch the live broadcast as a viewer.

How to share a live broadcast or replay

Your live video can go anywhere that a Tweet can go. This means that it’ll be searchable in the Twitter app, on the Twitter website, and it can be embedded on other websites just like any other Tweet. It will also exist and be searchable on Periscope, which powers live videos on Twitter.

From the live video or replay full-screen mode, click or tap the share icon then choose between the following options:

Click or tap Share Live (when live) or Share From Beginning (when in replay mode) to Tweet, Direct Message, or copy the link of a full live video or replay from the beginning.
Click or tap Share from… to Tweet, Direct Message, or copy the link of a live video or replay starting at a point chosen using the selection bar.

How to edit your videos

In the Twitter for iOS and Android apps, you can change the title, thumbnail image, and set a custom starting point after ending a broadcast. To get started, tap on the broadcast you’d like to edit. Tap on the overflow menu, then tap the Edit Broadcast option. Once you make your changes you’ll be prompted to save.

Keep in mind that broadcast titles can only be edited up to three times. Additionally, it will take up to 15 minutes for edits to appear in Twitter, and up to a minute for them to appear in Periscope.

Here’s to your social media success!

#HCSM, Thursday Tip

#ThursdayTip: How to Create Twitter Moments

Posted on February 6, 2020 by Editor

Welcome to this week’s quick social media tip. This week I want to show you how to create Twitter Moments.

Twitter Moments are curated stories about what’s happening around the world—powered by Tweets. It’s easy to create your own story with Twitter Moments.

There are three ways to begin creating your own Moment via twitter.com.

You can access Moments through the Moments tab, your profile page, or through a Tweet detail.

Note: Moment creation is only available on twitter.com. It is no longer possible to create a Moment from your Twitter for iOS or Android app.

To get started from the Moments tab follow these instructions:

From the Moments tab, click the Create new Moment button.

Click the Title your Moment field to give your Moment a name.

Click the Add a description field to type in a description for your Moment.

Choose Tweets to add to your Moment

From the Add Tweets to your Moment section at the bottom of the page, quickly access content to select Tweets from Tweets I’ve liked, Tweets by account, Tweet link, and Tweet search prompts. To add a Tweet to your Moment, click on the checkmark.

Click Set cover to choose a cover image from one of your selected Tweets, or to upload an image from your computer.

Drag your selected image to set a Mobile preview, click the Next button, then click the Save button.

As you can see this image is cut off in mobile preview, so I might want to change it for something that will show up better on a mobile device. To change your selected image, hover over the cover image and click on Change cover media.

Once you have Tweets in your collection, click on the up or down arrow buttons to the right of a Tweet to move it up or down.

Click on the delete (x) button to remove a Tweet from your Moment.

Click the Finish later button at the top of the page to save a draft.When you are ready to make your Moment live, click on the Publish button at the top of the page.

You have the option to share Moments privately, making the Moment available to only those whom you share a link with.