By nature, humans are curious creatures. We want to learn about the things around us. What’s happening right now? Would another person have the same interests as you? Can you learn new tricks from other people in your field? These are just some of the questions that could come to mind. And, there’s only one way to find the answer: engage in conversations.
Twitter is a platform people can use for that. Here, users can share their passions and learn about the latest news. Of course, there will be topics and trends that will be more popular than others. For example, the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics is a popular center of discussion. But people will move on to talk about other topics as it moves further in the past. On the other hand, some trends are timeless – though situational. For example, there are weekly recurring hashtags on Twitter. These include #MotivationMonday, #ThrowbackThursday, #SundayFunday, and the likes.
Now, businesses can use this to their advantage. They can connect to their customers – current and potential – by tapping into these trending topics.
However, it would not work well if it’s not authentic to your brand. It will feel forced. That will leave the impression that you are only talking about this topic just for the sake of it. People will think that you are not really interested in the topic. You are just leveraging its popularity to increase your visibility.
To be fair, that is part of what you are trying to do. But it would be best not to make that too obvious. Also, you should not be in that mindset.
Instead, this is how you should think. You want to add value to your business by showing people its personality. That’s why you want to join in public conversations and tap into trending topics. You want to do it genuinely.
Understandably, that could be daunting to some businesses. So, here are three ways you can do that. Twitter itself promotes these techniques, so rest assured that they are effective.
Always Think About Who Your Followers Are
Tweeting a generic greeting or jumping in on a timely hashtag is an easy way to create content. But is it effective? No. Not that much. Not that buying real Twitter followers would help the underlying problem with generic cross sections of any audience.
Before making a post, consider who will be reading it. You must ensure that your audience will resonate with it. You must curate the content to fit into your followers’ interests.
The best way to do this is to pretend to be one of them. Think about what you would want to see or read. To illustrate, suppose that you sell pizza. You can tweet “Happy International Hawaiian Pizza Day!” complete with an attached photo and call it a day. But, it is not that engaging. It feels rushed. Furthermore, it does not offer much opportunity to open up conversations.
Again, think about your audience. It is no secret that pizza lovers are divided on the topic of pineapples as toppings. So why not post, “Today is International Hawaiian Pizza Day! What are your thoughts about pineapples on this dish?” Now people will be talking.
Another way you can tap into popular topics is by showing your gratitude and support to your target audience. Take a look at Nova Athletics’ Tweet during the National Girls & Women in Sports Day in 2019. They greeted every female in sports in a short, heartfelt message complemented by a video clip.
Find The Connection Between The Moment And Your Product
So, you have heard of Throwback Thursdays and Caturdays. These trends dying soon is not probable. People just love these kinds of posts. Therefore, you can always rely on them to connect to your audience.
For Throwback Thursdays and Flashback Fridays, you can take a look back at your company history. Emirates Airline has done it before, and it has proven to be effective.,
Or, you can comment on a previous promo or phased-out products. Then ask your audience how they would feel if they were to make a comeback.
You can also apply that when participating in on-the-moment popular discussions. Let’s pretend #WaysToBeHappy is trending on Twitter. Why not give your two cents? Then, add how your product can make that easier.
“Taking time to rest and relax is key to being happy, despite the stressful world. We recommend doing it whenever you can. If you want to relieve fatigue as possible, you can try our electric handheld massager. It will put a smile on your face. #WaysToBeHappy”
Admittedly, that is a made-up Tweet. But you can see that it would work.
Reflect Your Values
All sorts of conversations happen on Twitter. You will inevitably find trends that feel relevant to the core values of your business. These present the perfect opportunity for you to humanize your brand. By taking part in these conversations, you’ll make your followers understand your business better. Tell them what it stands for and what it supports. Are you with them in the fight to make a gender-inclusive world? How important is taking care of the environment for you? By putting these things out, you will make your brand feel more relatable. Tweets that come straight from the heart will always be the best.
Final Notes
You’ll see these trends at the top of your Feed once you open Twitter. But, some features can help you to look for something more specific. You can use search.twitter.com or the Advanced search function. These will help you understand how people are talking about certain topics and what places they are relevant. These tools will narrow your search to help you find specific content you can relate to your business.
On another topic, if someone has already taken the words of your mouth, you can retweet or use the Quote Tweet function.
With or without using these functions, you’ll be able to create a stream of relevant content for your followers on Twitter. They will help keep them engaged and get to know your business better. As long as you keep the three ways provided above, you’ll be able to tap into this opportunity.