It seems that for brands, Twitter followers are growing faster than Facebook likes when compared on a percentage basis.

Some recent numbers from an advertising and analytics start up Optimal show that  when tracking the numbers from 4,330 brands, that Twitter followers grew at a 55% faster rate than Facebook likes.

This doesn’t mean that Twitter is overtaking Facebook anytime soon but the trend is strong and the numbers are looking good for the social media network that has made being short cool.

It is also the social media network that marketers know how to set up and brand but when it comes to effectiveness, the car is still in the garage. Many brands know what to do with Facebook and marketing strategies are well planned and executed. With Twitter the lack of self service ads until recently has made it a playmate you took out for a fun date rather than asked to marry.

Tip: Do you need help with Twitter? You can always hire an expert or a freelancer on Fiverr.

Marketing needs calls to action

It’s fun to Tweet but if you want to get results then you need to ask for some action from your viewers and readers. 

Twitter has run some analytics over 20,000 “Promoted Tweets” that were sampled over a 3 month period. The study looked at how various types of Promoted Tweet engagements differed depending on which types of calls to action were included in the Promoted Tweet, as compared to a baseline of Promoted Tweets including no calls to action.

Top 4 Twitter “calls to action”

These are the results showing the top four most effective “call to action” Tweets that the study uncovered.

#1. Ask for a download

Want someone to download your new ebook or app. The tweets that asked you to download increased URL clicks by an average of 13% when this call to action was included.

Twitter recommends the following to increase effectiveness.

• Give clear directions
• Provide an incentive to click
• Use hashtags sparingly to keep the clicks focused on the call to action
• Increase urgency by including a deadline

#2. Ask for a Retweet

If you provide an incentive to retweet such as Cadbury have done in the tweet below then it increases retweets by an average of 311%. As most marketers know that a contest or a sweepstake is a popular type of incentive to encourage a call to action.

Twitter recommends the following.

• Provide context
• Keep it simple, so people know exactly what you want them to do

#3. Ask for a follow

Growing your followers gives you more reach. Add an incentive to follow and you can grow your follower base rapidly. The study showed that Promoted Tweets  that asked for a follow increased responses by 258%.

Twitter recommends these tips to increase effectiveness.

• Highlight the exclusive content eg “You will get exclusive behind the scenes photos if you follow”
• Provide an incentive to sweeten the offer “win daily prizes”

#4. Ask for a reply

Want a response? Then ask. You can ask a question and provide an incentive to response. Your engagement will then show a significant increase. The Twitter study showed that this increased replies by 334%.

Some tips for improved responses.

• Get personal
• Be conversational
• Combine the question with a contest 

What about you?

How is your Twitter marketing strategy…. still parked? Is Twitter part of your social media marketing tactics or is Facebook all you’ve got?

Look forward to reading your insights and replies in the comments below.

Want to learn how to grow your Twitter followers?

My book – “Blogging the Smart Way – How to Create and Market a Killer Blog with Social Media” – will show you how.