The elusive retweet. It’s social currency that you have to earn, not request. Many groups on Twitter view the RT as a personal endorsement of someone else, and use that to contribute to the community and recommend more like-minded individuals. For brands, getting a retweet can take more effort, more creativity, and more planning than an individual, but that time spent can translate into big value by reaching new eyes. Short of saying, “RT this if you agree!,” how can you connect in a way that translates to a share? We have a few ideas.
- Connect with fellow Tweeps. The same way a group of comedians may endorse each other by retweeting, you can tag others in your tweets to snag a share. Say you’re a small restaurant, for example, and your location is close to a local music festival. You could craft a tweet about how your food is the perfect stop before the festival, and tag their social media in the post, i.e., “Stop by Paunch Burger before hitting up the @PawneeMusicFest! Our poppers are the perfect portable snack.” Supporting other local businesses and events by adding their handles to your tweets and recommendations is a great way to get your content shared with their audiences.
- Make Responding Fun! If you use your feed to connect with customers, think about how you can interact with happy customers in a playful way. Using a tracking software like Sprout Social, you can search keywords and discover what people are saying about your business. If you find a fan, give them some love! If someone tweets they want to marry your store, it’s a great opportunity to Photoshop a ring on your product and happily accept. Responding with personality ends in a retweet much more often than a simple “Thank you!”
- Be informative, smart, and concise. Our final favorite way to get a retweet is focused more at businesses whose voices are informative and authoritative. Think about sharing helpful infographics, facts, or event information people might be interested in. If you establish yourself as a helpful, informative member of the Twitter community, people will trust and share your information with others when it interests you.
