Next Steps

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

September 10, 2009 @ 3:11pm

Updated — September 10, 2009 @ 3:14pm

by Mason Razavi

I’ve had a few people ask me about the frequency of tweets lately. Usually they’re wondering how often their business should tweet, and if they really need to let the world know that they like the sandwhich from Vinnies, but could have done without the pepperoncinis. Of course I tell them that would be ridiculous…the word ‘pepperoncini’ takes up far too much real estate in a tweet.

Poor humor aside, the question of how often you make contact on Twitter is a valid one, particularly for businesses who count each tweet as a marketing effort.

As a general rule of thumb, if you’re unsure, play it safe and tweet less. People on the web are usually pretty sensitive to spam and information overload, so if you overdo it, you’ll find people quickly losing interest.

Let’s say you have a new promotion that runs for a few days. Let people know no more than 2-3 times a day. Make sure you phrase your messages a little differently each time. This is a subtle indicator that there is an actual human being on the other end, which is always well-perceived by consumers.

What if your promotion is one day only? I would recommend no more than once per 2 hours tops throughout the business day.

Then there are tweets that describe events in your personal dealings throughout the day. Depending on the size of your company, and whether or not your Twitter strategy focuses on your personal brand or the company brand, you may want to post tidbits from your personal daily life. When done judiciously, it adds a human element to your company and allows people to more closely identify with your brand. When done in excess, you look like an attention-starved teen without a prom date. Feel free to post a tweet about things like your business lunch, a conference you’re attending, your graduate level classes, or anything of the like. Suffice it to say, personal talk should be present, but kept to a minimum.

Of course, there are many other times you’ll want to communicate through Twitter, and there is just not enough space here to break it all down. If I were to summarize it is the most boneheaded way possible, I’d say to tweet when you have something interesting to say. Advice so simple, it’s frustrating. However, if some companies (and individuals for that matter) would keep that little nugget of wisdom tucked away in their noggins, Twitter would be a better place.

All that being said, it’s important to remember that there are no hard and fast rules. The best way to figure out the optimal rate of contact is to keep your finger on the pulse of activity, monitor how people respond to your messaging, then make adjustments on the fly.