Increasing Engagement on Twitter
When Berkshire-based tech consultancy BPI OnDemand asked us to help them increase their engagement on Twitter we were only too happy to put our skills to the test.
Read on to find out why they now look at Twitter in a different light and what they feel were the best bits about working with Kimba Digital Marketing.
The client
Business Performance Improvement (BPI) OnDemand are an award-winning consultancy specialising in all things Customer Experience. They help to improve the way organisations work with their customers by automating sales, marketing and CRM processes. But they don’t just provide the systems and then walk away. BPI OnDemand work to transform their customers’ entire digital journey. And they recognise that success involves improving internal business processes as much as system-led ones.
With a growing team, BPI OnDemand concentrates primarily on Oracle implementations but is equally happy to work with other software providers.
The problem – Was Twitter worth the investment?
BPI OnDemand had a problem on their hands. Their social media was lagging behind their competitors in terms of followers, impressions and engagement. They had noticed that more and more people were using social media as a kind of credibility check; a way to decide whether they should work with a company.
The team decided it was time to focus on improving their presence, but could they justify the expense of in-house social media specialists?
Having received a recommendation from an ex-colleague, Geraint Padfield decided to enlist our services. He wanted to understand:
- Could posting regular, high quality posts gain an uplift in engagement?
- Would posting more often make any difference to the business?
- Was there a business case for a more concentrated focus on social media?
What we did
BPI OnDemand were pretty confident with their LinkedIn use and Facebook was seen to be less of a traffic driver so we made the decision that Twitter should be the main focus.
Initially concerned that a digital agency wouldn’t be able to get to grips with what the company was all about, Padfield’s worries were soon put to rest. During a 90-minute strategy session – arranged as part of the social media management package –Kimba asked plenty of pertinent questions to learn as much as possible about the company and the complexities around its services.
Kimba Digital Marketing took over the running of the Twitter account for a three-month trial period at the beginning of 2018. BPI OnDemand had always tended to post on Twitter ad hoc and the majority of their posts had been very company-centric. So, the team created numerous different types of content, mixing informational posts with sales messages and even quotes. They also created bespoke branded images or sourced stock images where relevant. Kimba Digital regularly reviewed which posts were receiving the most engagement and created more of the same. All content was signed off by BPI OnDemand and then scheduled ready to post.
The results
Over the three months (February – April 2018) that Kimba Digital managed the Twitter account, there was a huge uplift in impressions, followers and engagement (likes and retweets):
But the benefits to BPI OnDemand went beyond the stats:
- The business now has a better understanding of the types of posts that engage their followers. They’ve learned what works and what doesn’t.
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They’ve seen for themselves that it doesn’t need to be ‘all about them’
(Aside: Your social media posts should mainly provide relevant content that your audience will want to engage with because they find it useful or entertaining. Although obviously you can throw a few salesy ones in too!) - The rise in Twitter followers has led to an increase in LinkedIn followers too as people move across social channels to engage with the company’s content.
- Due to the length of the sales cycle involved in this kind of service-based business it is impossible to prove that the uplift in Twitter engagement has led to an increase in business. However, Padfield is confident that it has worked to convert more potential customers who were looking to check that PBI OnDemand are who they say they are.
Ultimately the success of the three-month trial (and the analytical reports to prove it) meant that the management team was happy to agree to an increase in social media investment going forward.