Optimizing tweets
- 1. Optimizing Tweets The world media order has changed after Twitter happened in 2006. If the world was glued to Google, Yahoo and CNN on when 9/11 was playing out; Twitter was the place to be during the Mumbai Attacks (November 2008) or the Iran unrest 2009. Looking back at these events purely from the Media perspective I feel Mumbai was the first full scale Social Media (Twitter) Testing and Tehran was Social Media (Twitter) Perfection. Today the marketers certainly know the immediate gratification Tweets get.The relevant question today is do tweets have life beyond the initial few minutes? Google Algorithm is dating Tweets for sometime now; Tweets are indexed and blended with search results (though not in real time). There is a strong Buzz that Google will soon offer Real Time Search results by indexing Micro Blogging Data (Tweets included). Borrowing from William Shakespeare.. To Tweet, or not to Tweet, that is no longer the question! From the Search Marketer’s perspective the pertinent question is ‘How to Tweet’? How to Optimize the tweets to help boost website’s visibility and aid brand building? Twitter Optimization essentially consists of Optimizing the Twitter Account and Optimizing the Tweets. Here are my suggestions for Optimization: A. Optimizing the Twitter account 1. Tweet Handle (The User Name): Select a short, easy to remember, brand relevant User Name also called the Handle. Your Handle is integral part of your twitter URL e.g. Twitter.com/mywebsite or Twitter.com/Name. 2. Twitter Account Name Twitter Account Name comes with your profile and can be different from the Handle. Let it talk about You/ Your Brand. 3. Twitter Bio Your Twitter Bio is your story for Twitter, Your Followers and the Search Engines. You can have a maximum of 160 characters Bio. You can use the bio to connect the context of your tweets to your Handle and provide perspective to your Profile. 4. Twitter Photo Give yourself or your Brand a face in the world of Tweets. Adds to your credibility and may be used as a filter by Search Algorithms. 5. Link Back URL Add your website’s URL, your Blog Url or your profile page on other social media platforms ( LinkedIn FaceBook etc. in the Link tab in the account settings). There Links are great for Visibility, Branding and Traffic. B. Optimizing The Tweets. 1. Initial characters are akin to Web page’s Title Tag.
- 2. The first few words of a tweet is akin to Title Tag on a web page. The weightage Search Engines give to the Title Tag is no secret. The first 35-45 characters (including the Handle (User Name) get the Title Tag treatment by the Search Engines. The opening words of your tweet could have the maximum impact on the Search Rankings and Life of the Tweet. P.S. Shorter the Handle (User Name) the more characters you get for your Tweet. 2. Keep the Tweets “ Buzzing” Add Key Phrase and the “Buzz” words to your tweet ( Do not stuff, though). The idea is to communicate with your followers and bait the Search Engines (in that order). 3. Keep the URLs Short and Sweet Provide Link backs to your content using Shorter, Tweet friendly, Customized URLs. TinyURL and bit.ly are two popular services. 4. Make it Viral friendly (ReTweetable) Keep your Tweet short to allow ReTweeting (a.k.a RT) and viral spread. You need to provide for adding a few Handle names. If you are looking for 1st order spread ( 1 ReTweet in exact form) allow for RT:YourHandle i.e. Limit your Tweet to 140- #Characters(RT:YourHandle). 5. Avoid Frivolous Tweets This is a must for corporate tweets and if you do not want your personal itinerary popping up in the search results. Evaluate the content value and shelf life of your Tweet before you publish the tweet. About the Author Bhaskar Thakur is Entrepreneur, Digital Business and Social Media Evangelist. A seasoned marketer and entrepreneur with over 13 years experience, he is founder of www.worldwithoutme.com, www.initiative31.com. Bhaskar is among the first wave of Internet Marketers in India and specializes in creating Strategies, solutions and slatforms for Social Web. He enjoys mentoring businesses and coaching the young.