20 tips to boost your retweet rate

Once you embark on your community management effort, the one recurring question that arises is: how can I get more followers? If you’re an avid Twitter user, you will have no doubt already wondered how to get more retweets. Here are 20 professional techniques to boost your retweet rate: read on!

1. Don’t talk only about yourself

To be sure, a restaurant on Twitter is there to talk about its latest events. But, rather like people who tirelessly talk only of themselves, if all you ever talk about is your restaurant, people are going to switch off!

2. Go out and converse with your fellow tweeps

It is easy to lose sight of the fact that social networks are just that, i.e. “social”. Adopt a two-way approach to your communication: exchange with your community, show them you are interested in what they have to say. It’s the best way for them to return the compliment!

3. You too should retweet!

On Twitter, you will soon come to realise that it’s all about “give and take”: retweeting quality content or signs of affection from your community will sometimes bring you retweets!

4. Tweet regularly

A busy restaurant life, to say nothing of life’s ups and downs, often leaves little time for community management. That’s too bad, because the more sporadic your tweeting, the less your community will take an interest in you.

5. But don’t over do it!

Indeed, on Twitter, you must find the right balance between infrequent posting, and all-out, continuous tweeting. If you post too regularly and – worse – disregard the quality of your posts, you will risk annoying your fellow Twitter users. No more than 5 tweets a day!

6. Forget about automatic tweets

Busy restaurateurs might be tempted to gain time by automatically relaying their Facebook posts on Twitter. It’s a nice idea if your Facebook posts are limited to 140 characters, otherwise, steer clear!

7. Post high-quality content

To be really interesting on Twitter, you have to adopt a proper community management strategy: you must use the same language as your customers, and know how to talk about subjects in which they are interested. This marketing challenge is decisive for arousing interest!

 

8. Learn how to bounce back on topical issues

Some say Twitter is a forum for controversy. This is partly true, since it’s the social media platform on which users like to discuss current events, whether it be the launch of a new TV series, or feedback from the latest trade fair. Learn how to make a difference by staying informed of current events and astutely taking them up!

9. Use hashtags

Hash what? That’s right, hashtags (this has nothing to do with pan-fried potatoes…). Hashtags will allow you to classify your posts and join certain newsfeeds. For example, every day, there are thousands of tweets containing the #food and #foodporn hashtags! Learn how to use them and get yourself noticed.

10. Mention your contacts!

Want to tweet a customer’s picture of your restaurant? Or post an article written by a blogger or journalist? Or perhaps you are looking to attract the attention of certain individuals? By mentioning them, you will get them to notice: use the @ followed by their account name!

11. Use links

Firstly, because 140 characters is very limited; if you are teasing about an upcoming event in your restaurant, or talking about your latest menu, you should forward your community to the suitable page where you discuss your event at greater length. It just so happens that the tweets that are the most retweeted are those containing a link, according to Dan Zarrella!

12. Watch out for spelling and grammar

Twitter forces us to be concise when speaking out. But often, for lack of time (or motivation), and rather than writing out our tweets in full, we tend to throw in all sorts of abbreviations and “text” talk. Be wary, because no one will retweet you if your tweet isn’t immediately understood!

13. Illustrate your tweets!

Your tweets will be more attractive if they include a carefully selected video clip, image or gif!

14. Try to be funny!

Even if Twitter is a place where people talk about serious issues, humour and irony are legion. Some Twitter users have even turned this into their trademark.  We all know chef Gordon Ramsey right? Well he has been pleasing the internet with his hilarious roasting of people’s food:

15. Tweet at the right time

Hint: it helps if you tweet when your community is online! While, according to Quicksprout, traffic tends to peak at around midday and late afternoon (between 5 and 6pm), you can get personalised statistics thanks to tools such as Buffer or Followerwonk.

16. Don’t give up!

You may well have tweeted about something that’s important to you, only to find that it’s not important to others. Worry not. Remember to repost your tweet some other time with a little tweak here and there, or this time including a picture, etc. Practice makes perfect!

17. Ask others to retweet

Looking for a waiter? Or planning an unmissable event in your restaurant? Tell it to the tweetosphere, and make a point of asking your community to retweet this news for you! But be careful not to overegg the pudding (pun intended).

18. Activate your network

Your community no doubt harbours some bloggers and influential Twitter users. So if you turn to Twitter for your latest communication campaign, why not ask them to give you a push in the right direction?

19. Be patient

In order to grow your follower base on Twitter, you have to be patient. Even if you apply all of these tips, you aren’t going to miraculously double your number of retweets overnight. Again, don’t fret: your daily efforts will pay off at some stage!

20. Invest in Twitter Ads!

Looking for immediate results? Good news: Twitter can bring you solutions to help you achieve your goals. But make sure you do your groundwork on the sponsored tweet beforehand in order to maximise returns! Conclusion: these tips all boil down to one thing: if you want to be interesting, you have to be interested! The more your content appeals to your target, both in form and substance, the more followers you will obtain!