One goal entrepreneurs and business owners have when they start using X (formerly Twitter) is to amass as many followers as possible. The logic here is simple – more followers mean more potential shares and more shares mean more engagement.
The problem is that it takes a lot for a X user to follow a business’s account, but all it takes is one slip up for them to click the unfollow button. Be on your guard and avoid these 10 bad X mistakes.
1. You don’t post as often as you should
This involves scheduled posting and knowing when the best times to post are – which, fortunately, we can help you with both. It’s up to you, however, to decide how frequently you’d like to schedule your content. Not posting enough make your account look stale. Utilize scheduled content to keep your X active and post these posts at the right time so your audience sees them.
2. You post too often
Posting too much may be considered spamming, which is one reason why followers will rush to remove you from their timeline. X users may mute spammy friends, but businesses that post too much simply get kicked to the curb. Again, avoid this by using a mixture of scheduled posting and posting at the right times.
3. Your content focuses only on advertisement
X audiences follow businesses to keep up with sales, promotions and to get fresh info on new products and services, not to see constant, basic advertisements clog up their timeline. The content you publish on X should be a mixture of content that attracts new followers, promotional content for current followers and related shared content to add value to your account.
4. All your posts look the same
There needs to be variety on your X timeline to both attract new followers and keep current followers interested. This includes varying the mediums of your posts (text-only, images, videos, etc) and also their purpose. Again, spice things up by including lots of reposts and replies, not just organic posts.
5. Your voice falls flat
Your audience should be able to discern your business both from your profile and your unique business voice. All businesses have a voice and personality, but only great businesses possess both of these things and utilize them in a unique way. Add personality to your profile and content and you’ll keep your followers interested.
6. You don’t respond to mentions
We encourage X users to get to know their followers, and the best way to do this is through the use of replying. When a follower mentions you, try to reply to them. Answer their questions, thank them for their kind words – this creates a personal connection that’s harder to break, thus making it harder to unfollow you.
7. You’re just plain boring
X users have short attention spans and they don’t like to be bored. Content that doesn’t interest them will make them unfollow you. Avoid this by knowing who your audience is and what they’re interested in. Also, use analytics to see which posts work and which posts flop.
8. Your competition is beating you
Always check in on what your competition is doing on X, and know that if your audience perceives them to be better than you that they will unfollow you and convert to your rivals. Always look for ways to best your competition on social media to keep your followers your followers.
9. There’s a lack of quality
You can post posts when you should and focus their content on what your audience is interested in, but quality will always trump quantity. Put a focus on the quality of the content that you publish on X in order to keep your audience interested. Look for new strategies and use analytics to examine posts that work for you, then try to replicate their success with an emphasis on their quality.
10. They were never that invested
In most cases it takes a lot for a consumer to follow a brand on X, but some X users follow accounts noncommittally. Others go through follower lists and follow every account listed with the intent of trying to get follow backs. In short, not every follower is one that offers you value, but you do have a chance to win them over.
In short, you will occasionally lose followers – that’s something to be expected. However, it’s in your best interest to try and keep as many of them committed to you as possible. Examine your current strategies and take the advice on this list. You’ll see that your follow count increases more than it falters.
Great piece. Thank you Tweepmaps.