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Can I Get a ReTweet?
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06 November 2012
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Twitter Tips Social Media ReTweet Social Media Management
So you’ve made it onto Twitter and sussed out the lingo (not got that far yet? Check out our previous blog post).
Now what?
It’s time to venture into ReTweeting territory…
If you’ve already had a few RTs, you know what an ego boost they can be (or is that just us?). Dedicated Tweeters will tell you that ReTweeting is an integral part of the Twitter experience: it allows users to share the best and most interesting tweets from those they follow with their own followers, spreading information, knowledge, news, entertainment and jokes throughout their social spheres and beyond.
ReTweeting the tweets of those you follow can help to establish you as a well-connected member of your industry community, and draws you to the attention of the experts and entertainers you’re ReTweeting, but you also want your own points to be ReTweeted and shared with followers’ followers. Why?
Now what?
It’s time to venture into ReTweeting territory…
If you’ve already had a few RTs, you know what an ego boost they can be (or is that just us?). Dedicated Tweeters will tell you that ReTweeting is an integral part of the Twitter experience: it allows users to share the best and most interesting tweets from those they follow with their own followers, spreading information, knowledge, news, entertainment and jokes throughout their social spheres and beyond.
ReTweeting the tweets of those you follow can help to establish you as a well-connected member of your industry community, and draws you to the attention of the experts and entertainers you’re ReTweeting, but you also want your own points to be ReTweeted and shared with followers’ followers. Why?
Increase your exposure. Getting your content ReTweeted exposes entire new audiences to your message and can be a great way to drive traffic to your website or blog if you include a shortened link in the main body of your tweet.
Boost your rankings. Greater visibility throughout the social sphere boosts your SEO rankings.
Be an expert. ReTweets show that people respect and value your contributions, helping to establish you as an expert in your field.
Find new followers. ReTweets can increase your audience as followers of your followers are made aware of your profile. Fill your feed with quality, useful content, and they’ll want to follow you direct for up-to-date information and insights.
- ASK! There’s a common saying the North East that “Shy bairns get nowt”. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. Include a “please ReTweet” or “pls RT” if space is limited, to encourage readers to share your Tweet with their community.
- Keep it short and sweet. ReTweeting a message can take up a chunk of your limited characters so aim to keep your original Tweet to around 120-125 characters to allow for @mentions, #tags etc. When posting a link, use a URL shortener (Twitter and most management dashboard will have a link-shortening option built-in) and try to include a brief summary of the article/blog content or the title. Avoid posting URLs at the end of your tweets as these are the most likely to get cut off in a RT or QT (Quoted Tweet).
- Be easy to find. Make it easy for people interested in your chosen field (and the SEObots!) to find your Tweets by using industry-relevant hashtags, key words and terminology.
- Politely ask well connected tweeters to RT your messages to their followers. They might; they might not, but if you don’t ask, you won’t get.
- Jump on industry and business hashtags. Twitter communities can be great for getting RTs and shout-outs to wider communities. Avoid using too many hashtags, though, as they can clutter up your message and look like spam.
- Be relevant, be creative and be informative. Tweets that offer up-to-date information and interesting, knowledgeable insights are far more likely to get a RT than an update on your breakfast.
- Follow-up if your ReTweeted messages spark a conversation. Monitor the path and spread of your Tweet and engage with other members of the Twitter community.
- Be gracious. Remember to say thank you or find another way to show appreciation to those that share your message with their followers – consider a weekly shout out to your most active sharers.
