Chloe Mathieu-Phillips

Twitter is as pure a community as you can get. To succeed on the platform, a brand must get personal and specific. That’s because like many social networks, Twitter is all about engagement. Without engagement – without people to amplify your content by joining the conversation – it doesn’t matter how great your messaging is. Brand exposure through conversation and dialogue is critical to giving your content legs, and making sure the right people are seeing and engaging with it.

UGG commends a buddy fashionista on a look they posted to Twitter. (Disclaimer: UGG Australia is a 360i client.)

Inspiring engagement – and with the right people – remains a challenge for many community managers. When it comes to Twitter, good community managers will focus on individuals at least as much as they do on content. They don’t just tweet messaging into the great beyond, hoping that the right people see it and respond. They research. They read. They listen. And they target.

One useful tactic is to identify a group of relevant people every week, follow them and engage with them. The concept is a simple one, but it’s one that requires tact and a firm grip on your brand’s identity and voice. Here are the two most important things to keep in mind when engaging people on Twitter:

1. Go beyond so-called influencers. Half of your target should consist of your regular customers. Yes, a re-tweet from Oprah would probably help you grow. But she’s not your target audience, and she’s unlikely to get excited about receiving a tweet from your brand (sorry!). Brands have the power to surprise and delight consumers on Twitter, creating a strong emotional connection with their products. That is why you’re on Twitter, right? So, instead of simply engaging with the top five influencers in your sphere, follow some of their followers, too – just read their bio first to make sure they’re in your target demographic.

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