My friend Maria Reyes McDavis recently interviewed me to ask how I get people to respond to my Tweets. (You can get the audio and downloadable action guide HERE)
In that interview, I covered a few of my strategies such as asking a great question and watching how people respond.The interview and action guide go into greater detail with steps how you can do this yourself, but I wanted to point out a few tips as I get asked about this strategy frequently.
Here are 3 tips (and 1 bonus video!) to show you how to effectively ask questions on Twitter and get great responses.
1. Stay curious
As soon as the Tweeples sense a hidden agenda, they’re not going to respond. So phrase your questions in a way that keeps the perspective simple and curious.
Examples of simple and curious questions:
“What do you think about XYZ?”
“Has anyone ever tried ABC?”
Don’t be too vague, either; then you won’t stand out. So if your question is simply “How’s everyone doing today?” it conveys friendliness but anyone could ask that.
You’re just a collector of information at this point. Watch who responds, click over to check who they are and what relevance they have to your question.
2. Build trust
Everyone’s out there hawkin’ something on Twitter now, so naturally the resistance levels in the Twitterverse are rising.
You need to build trust. Make sure your Tweets, or even the questions you ask, are varied. It’s perfectly fine to go off-topic.(I’ve been known to Tweet requests for recipes, home remedies, etc. Not related to my marketing, but keeps the trust levels high. And I truly Tweet those requests in the moment, Twitter is my new 411)
Trust builders can ask about the little things in life and not necessarily relate back to your business. In essence, you’re giving your followers opportunities to read and respond to you.
3. Avoid questions that sound like veiled pitches
Read the following questions and ask yourself whether you’d want to click:
“Want to make gr8 money? Click here I’ll show you how!”
“What’s ur single biggest challenge to selling more of ur stuff?”
The “single biggest challenge” question and the obvious “get rich quick” are big turn offs. They sound more like classified ads than Tweets.
Here’s an alternative: try asking questions to find out the likes and dislikes of your followers. People love sharing their opinions, and when posed in a non-salesy way, they’ll respond.
If you sound like you’re trying to sell, people will pick that up right away and put up their walls of resistance.
Keep things simple. Use questions to connect, to learn, and to provide value.
Video Bonus:
I posted this video on a related post in October 2008, but am including it here so you can see even more examples of how to do this. And for a more detailed approach, be sure to check out the audio and action guide I created with Maria Reyes McDavis.
About Nancy Marmolejo
