Has your Twitter engagement been a little lackluster lately?
Twitter's value can vary immensely by industry and niche, but for some businesses, it's essential.
But sometimes, posting on Twitter feels like shouting into a megaphone, in a crowded room full of other people with megaphones.
It doesn't help that the half life of a tweet is measured in hours, not days or weeks.
How do you stand out and get noticed? How do you get people to actually engage with your brand?
One way to “hack” your way to a spike in engagement is to use Twitter's built-in polling feature.
Believe it or not, people love these things.
Because it's anonymous, they can speak out without worrying about stepping on anyone's toes.
Clicking an option on a Twitter poll takes seconds, and you'll find that tons of people end up participating.
It's a way to remind your followers that, “Hey, my brand exists. Come by and see us sometime.”
In a recent blog post, Hootsuite explains the reasons why Twitter polls can reliably produce higher-than-usual engagement rates.
Why polls increase engagement
People can respond to a question without the fear of being wrong
People are shy and don’t want to risk being wrong, especially on a public forum like social media.
And that’s the beauty of a poll—there’s technically no wrong answer.
It’s an open question simply asking for participation with a select number of answers to choose from. Without the pressure of coming up with something unique on their own, users are less likely to be deemed “wrong.”
People want to help
According to Martin, people like knowing their opinion is contributing to a greater cause.
Especially within an online community, being able to help one another is big motivator for audiences to share their thoughts on social.
As brands use polls to collect some kind of audience insight, participants help by taking the time to respond.
With that in mind, polls appeal to those wanting to make an impact.
Participation is easy
You know that feeling when a company is trying to get you to fill out a survey that will only take “five minutes”? Most of us will verge on saying no and our excuse is that we’re busy.
The same applies to your audience.
Your audience is busy—as are most folks—so getting people to take the time out of their day to provide your brand with feedback is hard.
Unlike a survey, polls require little effort. A vote is casted with a single click.
Not only is the format straightforward, but participation comes easy when the answers are set.
It’s a learning opportunity
Not only do polls provide you with better insight on your audience—participants can get information from your poll as well.
As Martin explains, one of the biggest benefits to social media polls is that it offers both parties—the pollster and participants—information from a wider audience.
Ultimately, a poll turns your brand into an education resource on social, by showing how others operate or what they think and feel.
It’s anonymous.Since individual answers aren’t disclosed, users tend to be more honest.
Users are more likely to be straightforward if they know they won’t be judged for their opinions.
You can read more about how to set up a Twitter poll over at Hootsuite.
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