To learn more about all those active Twitter users and their relationships with brands, we analyzed hundreds of brands in over a dozen industries for our 2023 Social Media Industry Benchmark Report<\/a> earlier this year. We found that brands posted least frequently to Twitter, a little under 4x a week, and came out with the lowest engagement rates of any social media channel at 0.035%. Given these stats, it\u2019s not a bad idea for brands to reflect on their content strategies to better connect with their target audience.<\/p>\n Luckily, we\u2019ve got some suggestions (backed by data, of course).<\/p>\n When we talk about engagement at Rival IQ, we\u2019re referring to the measurable interactions on a post, such as likes, retweets, replies, and bookmarks. Add all these interactions up to get the total number of engagements. If you divide that figure by the total number of followers, you get the engagement rate. Here\u2019s the formula:<\/p>\n Twitter engagement rate<\/b> = [Likes + retweets + replies<\/i>] \/ [total number of followers<\/i>]\n When looking to understand how well your content is working, it\u2019s better to focus on your engagement rate rather than total engagement. Think about how much more significant one thousand likes and retweets are to a brand with 3,000 followers than one with 300,000. The higher your engagement rate, the better you connect with your audience.<\/p>\n Obviously, we want our brands to receive more attention than not. But what specifically does engagement do for your brand on Twitter? Here are a few benefits:<\/p>\n Last year, Sports Teams and Higher Education brands were the frontrunners on Twitter<\/a>, with engagement rates at .078% and .058%, respectively. We\u2019ll take a closer look at some strategies they used to grab those top two spots along with other leading brands. Let\u2019s get into how to increase engagement on Twitter.<\/p>\n \n \n Want to analyze how you stack up on Twitter?. <\/p>Start a free Rival IQ trial <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/span><\/p>\n It feels as if hashtags<\/a> have been around since the dawn of Twitter itself. In 2023, they\u2019re still one of the best ways to get your content in front of a wider audience, opening yourself up to more engagements and connections. The key is knowing how to find the right ones.<\/p>\n One way to find hashtags organically is to head over to the Explore tab on Twitter. If there’s a trending topic relevant to your brand, jump in on the conversation. Another option is to browse your competitor’s content to get an idea of the hashtags they use on their more popular posts.<\/p>\n Or, consider using a hashtag analytics tool<\/a> like Rival IQ that instantly sorts through the data to show you the tags and terms most likely to boost your engagement numbers.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at an example with D2 colleges and universities<\/a>.<\/p>\n In this case, schools looking to leverage hashtags for engagement might consider kicking off new semesters with #WelcomeBack or celebrating #WomensHistoryMonth. Not only were these tags used by multiple schools in this landscape, but they managed to pull off engagement rates several times higher than the all-industry average.<\/p>\n Another great way to use hashtags is to build brand awareness and shape brand image with signature taglines. You might be familiar with campaigns like #MyCalvins by Calvin Klein<\/a>, encouraging\u00a0supporters to share user-generated content (UGC).<\/p>\n Going back to our D2 colleges example, schools have long used branded hashtags like Virginia State University<\/a>‘s #GreaterHappensHere to represent their brands and spread school spirit. These tags paid off in the engagement department, too. Plus, branded hashtags can be a great introduction for new audiences who can simply click a tag and be brought directly into your community.<\/p>\nUnderstanding Twitter engagement<\/h2>\n
Why does Twitter engagement matter?<\/h2>\n
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\n How to increase engagement on Twitter<\/h2>\n
1. Use hashtags<\/h3>\n
![\"Hashtag](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/increase-twitter-engagement-image8-700x751.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Tweets](\"https:\/\/www.rivaliq.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/increase-twitter-engagement-image6-700x203.png\")
<\/p>\n2. Use competitive benchmarking<\/h3>\n