#CreativeCanvas: How to compose effective Tweets

The brevity of a Tweet is what makes Twitter special. Having a 140 character limit canvas can be challenging if you want to include your brand, product message, branded hashtag, website and rich media. But having limits shouldn’t be seen as a restriction; in fact it creates opportunities for brands to be creative, innovative and direct in messaging through thoughtful reduction.

With this in mind, we created 8 simples rules on how brands can compose effective Tweets.

1. Keep it simple
Concise Tweet copy helps the main message cut through. Research* shows that Tweet copy with fewer than 50 characters generates 56% more engagement than Tweet copy with 50-100 characters. This example from Optus lets the image do the talking:

2. Provide direction
Don’t be afraid to ask your consumers to do something on Twitter. Whether that’s a Retweet, a Like or choosing a team, make it simple, achievable, and fun. This examples from @Maccas utilises Conversational Video and asks Twitter users to choose between #TeamFrozenCoke or #TeamWaffleCone.

3. Tap into key moments
Twitter is your live connection to culture, so map out cultural moments that your brand has a reason to play in and plan your content to join the conversation. This Tweet from @ANZ_AU utilised Valentine’s Day as a launch platform to spread their message of diversity, inclusion and respect.

4. Use hashtags correctly
Hashtags are synonymous with Twitter and are used to group conversations around a subject. They also promote search, so it’s important that the right content is aligned with the right hashtag. #TasteTheFeeling by Coke is a great example of a hashtag amplifying the feeling of having a Coke.

5. Humanise your voice
Twitter is a conversational platform, so it’s important to develop a human tone of voice for your brand. If your brand was a character in a movie or a TV show, who would it be? How would they respond to criticism and praise? These are all very important questions to answer to help you distinguish your brand on Twitter. One brand that does this well is the Queensland Police Media Unit (@qpsmedia) who have established an amazing persona on Twitter not only with their Tweets about keeping the community safe, but also by engaging with their audience with relevant cultural news and humour.

6. Listen to Understand
Content is consumer-centric and is all about creating a value exchange. By knowing what your audience wants, you can tap into consumer need states and create effective Tweets that either informs, entertains or solves a problem. This example from Samsung Australia was tweeted at 9:30pm on NYE informing consumers how to take effective photos of the fireworks at midnight.

7. Use creative stopping power
Humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish so grabbing attention is crucial to stand out in a crowded space. Twitter has a whole spectrum of sight, sound and motion media forward solutions that brands can leverage to create a rich content story. This example of a Cinemagraph from @cadburyau worked a treat (excuse the pun), as the slight movement of detail attracts interest and attention.

8. Evoke an emotional response
Content with an emotional backbone, whether it’s funny, inspiring or enlightening will be shared for self expression or human connection; two key drivers of Twitter usage. This example from @tacvictoria played towards the universal idea of family and friends, making the tweet universally personal.

*”Who Gives A Tweet? Evaluating Microblog Content Value”, Andre, Berntain and Luther 201