Brands still don't get Twitter: Buddy Media

‘Strategies for effective tweeting’ found many brands globally are not using Twitter effectively and outlined the top tips for engaging with consumers.  

It showed Twitter engagement rates for brands are 17 per cent higher on Saturday and Sunday compared to weekdays, but only 19 per cent of brand tweets are published on weekends.

The report highlighted weekend engagement rates are particularly high for sports brands, but that fashion, entertainment and publishing brands could also benefit from weekend tweets.

Brands are also missing out on a “huge opportunity" to engage with consumers because many are not using the hashtag function, the report said.

Tweets with hashtags receive two times more engagements than those without, but only 24 per cent of tweets contain hashtags.

It recommended brands must limit hashtags to one or two per tweet. Using more than two hashtags actually show a 17 per cent drop in engagement, it added.

Meanwhile, the study also found that tweets perform best when kept short, with tweets containing less than 100 characters receiving 17 per cent higher engagement than longer tweets.

It added that brands should tweet four times per day or less, use images to drive the highest engagement and add links to tweets to encourage higher retweet rates.

The report concluded, “Twitter is a great way for brands to quickly and easily engage in two-way communication with a massive global audience. As more and more people use the social network, it is critical to understand the best practices for engaging with followers on Twitter.”