By Rachel Peck

With social media offering new updates, functions and algorithm adjustments daily, it can be difficult to stay on top of it. This is especially true for small organizations who are just starting to explore these channels. However, a little knowledge can go a long way to elevating your brand – especially with channels like Twitter. If you’ve found yourself daunted by the sheer volume of information or “best practices” available you’re not alone. With that in mind, here are four Twitter hacks you should know:

Organize your feed with “lists”
If you’re like us, then you’ve probably found yourself exhausted after sifting through the daily stream of Tweets that flood your feed. With thousands published every second, we can’t be expected to rely solely on algorithms to give us relevant information. To help combat this overwhelming task of staying informed, we suggest utilizing the Lists function. Not only are you able to create categorized lists for accounts you follow, but you’re able to subscribe to public lists – eliminating the extra work of creating one yourself. Additionally, you can view any list your businesses’ account might be included on as well. Creating a list is simple – you simply click on “lists” in the left-hand side navigation bar and then create a new list. You’ll also have the option to add a description, allow others to subscribe to the list or  leave it private.

Put a bookmark on it
Have you ever discovered an interesting article, or important fact you wanted to save for a later date? Well, consider taking advantage of the bookmark function. It’s as easy as clicking on the “share” button on the bottom, far-right hand side of a Tweet and bookmarking it. This will add it to a category you can access from your Twitter sidebar at any time. This is also useful for saving any important Tweets of your own that you’ll want to come back to at a later date.

Beat the 280 character limit
Have a lot to say? You can work your way around the 280 character limit by posting a visual image with either text or an infographic with a supporting caption. Not only will this enable you to effectively communicate your message, but visuals consistently gain more engagement on social media than text only posts.

Additionally, users can post Tweets in a “thread,” creating a cohesive stream of content that can be easily read through. To create a thread, simply write your first Tweet and then click on the plus icon next to the Tweet button. This will enable a prompt for you to add additional Tweets to the stream. So go ahead and publish 300 characters!

Pin a Tweet
So you’ve written an engaging piece of content, or crafted the perfect Tweet. You posted it at just the right time and used the right hashtags. Suddenly your Tweet is outperforming all your other most recent Tweets – so how do you ensure this Tweet isn’t lost in the chronological order of your posts? You pin it to the top of your profile. By simply clicking the “ellipses” at the top-right corner of your Tweet, you can choose to pin it to the top of your Twitter profile, so it will show first before all your other Tweets. This not only allows you to showcase your engaging content, but it enables the Tweet to continue gaining impressions.

While these four hacks only scratch the surface of what users can do to boost their Twitter skills, implementing just a few of these tips can begin increasing your engagement. As always don’t be afraid to try new functions, experiment with content and posting times and evaluate what works best for your business.

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