Did you know you can either earn or lose a customer for life in just three tweets?
We make snap decisions all the time. Our brain, in an effort to speed things up and reduce workload, automatically creates certain shortcuts. These come in all sorts of varieties. For example, when you drove into work this morning, do you remember any of the cars or houses you drove by? Chances are you may vaguely recall some visuals or sounds, but not in a very crystal clear way. Some refer to this as "autopilot". Well it turns out that there are autopilots for all sorts of activities and thought processes. One of those is how we experience a brand. On Twitter. Let's elaborate.
3 Second Rule.
There is a concept in psychology called social cognition. It refers to a set of elements that include schemas, attributions and stereotypes. In essence, it's a shortcut our brain uses to categorize people we meet, based on our own biases, experiences and opinions. Social cognition often comes into play when we first meet someone. That first impression creates a mental image of a person that can last a lifetime and we usually do this in under 3 seconds. (Read more about Social Cognition)
3 seconds is all the time you have to create an impression that can last a lifetime. So, from a brand perspective... if you leave a bad first impression, it's not just a lost connection. Extrapolated over the lifetime of one customer, this could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost revenue. And you may never even know this happened in the first place. THAT is the importance of making a good first impression. Now let's see how that plays out on Twitter.
Your Brand in 3 Tweets.
Now that you know about the 3 second rule, I'd like to propose a 3 tweet rule. You see, when someone comes across a tweet or retweet from your brand and clicks on the handle, they see only the last three status updates. Which would be the equivalent of the first impression idea we discussed above. As you can see below, this may be the only way users ever experience your brand.
With that in mind, I've been doing some primary research (the one with lots of legwork and rejection) into what makes a twitter feed compelling and these are some insights I collected:
Conversations - Users want to see that a brand (or you, if you are the brand) are engaging with followers. This means that your feed should include mentions and @ replies. It signals that you're listening and are approachable. There are exceptions to this rule, but they come in the flavours of celebrities and news aggregators.
Links - Sharing content that is relevant to your brand and your intended audience is also important. This could be your own articles, videos or podcasts as well as those from other sources. The key is to remember to keep them relevant.
Tweets - Thought leadership comes from developing and sharing ideas and Twitter is a fantastic network to do just that. Putting together simple, yet compelling, funny or interesting tweets is a surefire way to reach a larger audience. They should be original (stay away from quotes, they are the bane of my feed) and short enough to be retweetable, which means around 100 characters.
The importance of profile images.
83% of human learning happens visually, so it's no wonder that we naturally tend to pay attention to visuals and images. In the Twitterverse, the two visual components you have to work with are your profile image and your background. These are the same two options that Target, Apple or Nike have as well. So the playing field is pretty even...
For our purposes we should focus on the profile image, as this is a key piece of a popup when users click on your handle. Again, you have only 3 seconds and a tiny bit of screen space to make an impression... so make it count. I recently had a great discussion about what these images should look like in order to increase followers or establish authority. Basically it comes down to truly understanding your brand and more importantly, how you wish to be perceived. Knowing this will guide your image selection for best results. Here are a few thoughts:
Logos signal a very cold, business-like presence. Few brands are able to get away with it (Ikea, Apple, Dell), but I would suggest staying away from using one as your profile picture. After all, these are SOCIAL networks and we want to connect with other humans (read this article).
Professional photos can be a great choice and they generally communicate professionalism and authority. On the other hand, they lose some of that personal, down-to-earth touch. So, you have to make a decision about which end of the spectrum you wish to play in.
Action photos, such as biking, hiking or painting can tell volumes about your brand. They are a great way to connect with people on a deeper level, but keep in mind that, depending on the activity, it may alienate some potential followers.
Group shots are a great alternative to the logo. They could be of your office staff, CEO, communications team or even customers. They convey a fun atmosphere and are generally inviting in a "join us" kind of way.
This article was sparked by a conversation I had with a few colleagues at a local social media meetup, as well as my recent research for a book on social media engagement and I hope this was a informative read!
What do you do to engage first time Twitter followers?
Top image credit: Neen James Middle image: Michelle Price