Connecting People Online

Twitter

Twitter’s largest age group is older than Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, with almost half of users aged 30-49.

What is it used for?

Twitter is used as a place to ‘gather quick news’ and discuss events. This makes it a “a prime place to share content and drive discussions”.^[8]

When to post

Hootsuite suggest that the best time to post on Twitter is 8:00 AM on Mondays and Thursdays. Mornings are best for tweeting, as this is when people tend to be “getting started on their day”, catching up on articles, and scrolling social media for news”.^[9] The most-followed Twitter accounts averaged 23 tweets a day, with no decline in followers as tweet counts increased.

Setting up your Twitter Bio

What is a Twitter bio? Twitter bios are where your group gets “to introduce itself, offer an elevator pitch, and set the mood—all in 160 characters”.^[10]

Creating a good Twitter Bio… Your Bio matters, so introduce yourself and take the space. Hootsuite suggests that the more characters you use, the more followers you are likely to gain.^[11] But be wary of fitting in too much, you want your Bio to stand out.

Think carefully about tone and language… what is essential to say about your group? Can you make it catchy and fun? Twitter Bios are searchable so using ‘keywords’ may attract new followers.^[12]

Use your Twitter Bio as a ‘call-to-action’… for example through a hashtag, or link to your website, campaign, or fundraiser. If you plan to include a link in your Bio, make sure to save space with a URL shortener.^[13]

Find inspiration… look at successful Twitter Bios and what similar groups have written.

Hootsuite offers more Twitter Bio hints and tips here.

Twitter features

Pinned tweets… If you have said something important and do not want it to disappear into your feed as you post other Tweets, you can pin a Tweet to your profile. That way it will always stay at the top and be the first thing visitors to your profile see.

Use graphics to make your posts more engaging… Twitter enables images and GIFS in your Tweets. As with Facebook, posts that include a visual element are more likely to get people’s attention. One tip is that you can tag up to 10 other users in a photo. This is a great space saver when characters are limited, and makes your Tweet look neater as the mentions are effectively hidden. Please note that you cannot tag other users in a GIF.

You can now use video on Twitter too… You can record up to 2 minutes and 20 seconds of video and it does not count towards the 280-character limit in a Tweet.

Hashtags 101

What is a hashtag? A hashtag is a phrase or keyword that is preceded by a (#) symbol and used to create a thread of conversations around a specific theme or topic. The purpose of the hashtag is to categorise topics, bring ideas together, inspire exchange and encourage others to join in. It is great for campaigns where you want everyone to share a single message, such as #LGBTResilience

How to use hashtags

• Check what hashtags are trending and jump on these where you can
• Do not use hundreds of hashtags in each Tweet
• Try to keep the keyword under six characters where possible
• Use capital letters to break up the hashtag and make it easier to read (#CamelCase)
• If you want to create a campaign with a unique hashtag, you can check whether it has been used before by searching it on Twitter
• Keep a diary of Twitter days that are relevant to your group and prepare content for these in advance. This can be a great way to redirect people to your website and events e.g., to a blog you have written for #MentalHealthAwarenessDay or for #LesbianVisibilityWeek.

Engaging with your Twitter audience

Do not just broadcast, converse… Posting your own content is just one element of Twitter. Engaging in conversations, asking questions, and creating Twitter Polls can be great ways of having more impact.^[14]

To Reply or to Mention? When a message begins with a @username and is then followed by the post itself, it is a Reply. A Reply is a direct Tweet to another user, and it appears on your and the other person’s feed. Replies can only be seen by the person you replied to and the people following both of you. If the @username appears at any other part of the post, it is a Mention. Use a Mention when you want to reply to what someone has said, but you want this to be seen by more people. For example:

[Image of an Equality Network tweet with the text: ‘Hello @LGBTConsortium and thank you for your tweet, we would love to be involved in your upcoming event! #GetInvolved’]

Twitter Analytics

The ‘Tweet Analytics’ feature is available both via the web browser and Twitter apps for original tweets you have sent. Analytics lets you know each month how many impressions, profile visits, mentions and new followers you got, as well as your top Tweets, followers and mentions.

To view your group’s Twitter Analytics via a browser, click on ‘More’ on the left-hand side of your screen, and then ‘Analytics’.

TweetReach (archived copy) is a free, independent insight tool for Twitter that delivers accurate results. You can search an account, hashtag or keywords and it will generate a report (snapshot) for you. This is handy if you want to search for more than just how your own account is doing. [2024 update: TweetReach shut down its free service in 2023.]

Hootsuite has a range of real-time analytics available on their free plan, which allow you to track your performance on each social media platform. They offer a range of paid plans, which provide advanced real-time analytics that can be accessed by differing numbers of team members at the same time, based on the plan you choose.

Footnotes

7. Paige Cooper, Hootsuite (2021), ‘All the Social Media Apps You Should Know in 2021’. (Return to reference [7])
8. Brent Barnhart, Sproutsocial (2021), ‘Social media demographics to inform your brand’s strategy in 2021’. (Return to reference [8])
9. Paige Cooper, Hootsuite (2021), ‘The Best Time to Post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn’. (Return to reference [9])
10. Katie Sehl, Hootsuite (2019), ‘How to Write a Good Twitter Bio: Tips, Ideas, and Examples’. (Return to reference [10])
11. Katie Sehl, Hootsuite (2019), ‘How to Write a Good Twitter Bio: Tips, Ideas, and Examples’. (Return to reference [11])
12. Katie Sehl, Hootsuite (2019), ‘How to Write a Good Twitter Bio: Tips, Ideas, and Examples’. (Return to reference [12])
13. Katie Sehl, Hootsuite (2019), ‘How to Write a Good Twitter Bio: Tips, Ideas, and Examples’. (Return to reference [13])
14. Dominique Jackson, Sproutsocial (2018), ’26 Twitter Tips for Beginners You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner’. (Return to reference [14])