Social Media can be difficult for business owners to navigate. There are so many different platforms available, and each one seems to have an entirely separate set of rules, algorithms and culture. Twitter can be especially difficult, because it is so different than Facebook. In all other social media channels, there's no limit to how much you can say, or what kind of content is embedded into your post. However, when you use Twitter, you've got to fit your entire promotional message into 140 characters. That's no easy task. Twitter knew this was a problem for digital marketers, and they created the perfect solution, Twitter Cards. These allow you to turn your simple tweet into so much more. You can engage customers with different forms of media and summaries of your blog post, article or product right into the tweet, without taking up all of your available characters.
Currently, Twitter cards come in four different categories:
Summary Card
Just as the name suggests, Summary Cards create a summary of the original web page, product, article or blog post that you are sharing in your tweet.
Summary Card with Large Image
This card is practically the same as the first example, except that it includes a larger image in the tweet in order to gain more attention from people as they scroll through their Twitter feed.
Player Card
The Player Card allows you to embed a video or audio recording directly inside your tweet. This means if you have a YouTube channel or a podcast, people can watch and listen by clicking on the play button without ever leaving Twitter.
App Card
This card is used specifically for downloading apps. It allows Apple and Android users to immediately download an app to their phone or mobile device from a tweet, without having to be directed somewhere else.
Why They Can Increase Engagement
Out of all the social media channels, Twitter can sometimes be one of the toughest platforms to engage and convert customers. Most businesses find that they must tweet several times a day just to be seen in peoples feed. People usually have thousands of accounts that they follow, so their feed is constantly bombarded with new tweets. If a potential customer isn't active on Twitter for several hours while at work, sleeping or spending time away from the internet - there's a pretty big chance they'll miss seeing your tweet. That's why it's very important for your tweet to stand out as much as possible. While everyone else has small tweets with 140 characters, your Twitter card is full of rich media that entices and engages your followers. This makes them eager to look for your tweets and more likely to follow through on your call to action.
Twitter Cards also come with some powerful analytics. Whereas normal tweets have minimal data available, twitter cards break down in detail how many people clicked on your tweet, who they were, and whether or not they went to your site, played your video or downloaded your app. This information can be extremely useful for determining how your social media efforts are translating into sales and growth for your company.
How to Use Them
Using Twitter Cards requires a bit of work. First you have to choose what kind of card is appropriate for your tweet. Then you have to use specific meta tags and embed it in your page's source code. Then you can verify that your twitter card is working by putting your URL into Twitter's Validator Tool. When you've successfully tested that your card will show up correctly in your follower's feed, then you're free to tweet. Doing this for every tweet can be a little overwhelming and time consuming, but it is worth it if you want to get the most value out of your digital marketing efforts.
Social Media Management Using Twitter Cards
If words like source code and meta tags make your eyes glass over, you're not alone. It's perfectly understandable that busy business owners simply don't have the spare time to sit around all day making sure their tweets are optimized for sale conversions. That's why iBoost offers affordable Social Media Management Services. If Twitter is a platform that you wish to use to boost your businesses profits, iBoost can help you gain and engage loyal followers and help to build solid relationships with potential customers. Give us a call and schedule an appointment today.
