Twitter has been the go-to platform for instant news and info, but with the addition of inline images and videos last October, the social media site has become a visual playground. This is great news for brands. Including images in tweets drives engagement, particularly click-through rates. (Wired’s community director, Eric Steuer, reports that @Wired’s engagement on tweets with photos is three to four times higher than those without—and click-through rates are up more than 125%.) So, how can you take advantage of this eager audience and get better results from your Twitter marketing? Make it visual.
How to Make your Twitter Marketing More Visual
If you’re ready to revamp your Twitter presence, here are five simple tips to improve your communication and make a bigger impact in your Twitter marketing.
1. Use a Graphic to Enhance Your Message
Even if what you’re tweeting isn’t particularly picture-worthy, you can still get more eyes on your content by sharing a picture with good-looking text overlaid on it. Whether it’s the title of a blog post, an intriguing question, or a statement, focus on keeping it short, simple, and to the point. Bonus points if you can include a relevant background image.
@Buffer uses a simple image to promote a blog post.
2. Give Away a Valuable Part of Your Content
Give followers something worthwhile in visual form. Whether it’s a profound quote from an interview with a thought leader or a tip with an accompanying image, providing visual content is more engaging Twitter marketing—and encourages readers to check out the full piece. Even if followers don’t click the article itself, they can still retweet it, extending your brand’s reach.
@Buffer shares a great teaser tip to entice followers to read the article.
3. Share a Micro-Visualization or Graph
There are few things more fascinating than meaningful data made visual, and a Twitter picture offers a highly sharable way to engage your followers in data storytelling. Data helps tell a simple story in a beautiful way.
This @VisageCo graphic tells a quick story, making the most of a single image.
4. Tweet in Motion
With the addition of static pictures and Vine videos, Twitter has also added the ability to share animated GIFs, opening up a whole world of possibilities for creating moving content. These moving formats are highly under-utilized in the Twittersphere and can set your content apart.
Mixing up your visual formats allows you to connect in more creative ways.
5. Try a Visual Retweet
The retweet has always been a staple of Twitter, but doing one with a screenshot of the original tweet gives you more flexibility. Not only are you giving a solid shoutout to the account you’re mentioning, but you can also use your entire 140 characters to comment on the original tweet.
Make the most of your 140 characters with a visual retweet.
As Twitter continues to evolve, make sure you are staying on top of the latest features and best practices to keep your followers engaged.
How to Improve Your Content Marketing
- Find out how to build a stronger content strategy.
- Find out how to get the most mileage from your content by Maximizing Your Publishing with Microcontent.
- Get the most eyes on your content by reading The Ultimate Guide to Content Distribution.
