Magical vista of quality and quantity

Debating quality versus quantity takes on a philosophical air. So, ask a philosopher such as Joana Rita Sousa.
She is what one might call eclectic: a philosopher, digital strategist and live tweeter. In her words, “Nobody wants to talk to brands: People want to talk to people. And no one can resist a good conversation.”
Sousa talked with digital marketing expert Madalyn Sklar, who for more than 20 years has preached the value of quality over quantity as she strives to work smarter, not harder.
While Sklar’s mantra is “Just do it,” Sousa replies with Kant — not to mention Kotler, another philosopher. Together, Sklar and Sousa discussed how to focus on quality over quantity, including Sklar’s easy hacks that can generate more conversations on Twitter:
- Ask and answer questions.
- Use a person’s biography as a conversation starter.
- Add thoughts when sharing content.
- Retweet with comment.
- Search conversations.
- Participate in Twitter chats.
“Asking questions and doing polls will help you generate more conversations on Twitter,” Sousa said. “Just ask them.”
Nick Martin at the social media management platform Hootsuite emphasized why it is essential to know the proper Twitter image specifications.
“It’s important because tweets that include images consistently get more click throughs, more likes and more retweets than non-image tweets,” the experts said. “It pays to get images right on Twitter. A poorly sized image that is all pixelated? That’s just scary.”
To support their case, they cited the Hootsuite article, “Social Media Image Sizes: A Quick Reference Guide for Each Network.”
Frequency promotes good habits
Regularly analyzing accounts will help maintain quality.
“I check my Twitter analytics once a week and also on the days I host my own twitter chat or do live tweeting,” Sousa said “This way I can take screenshots of the results of spending that amount of time on Twitter. Schedule a routine that works for you and your brand. Remember to document everything.
“You can choose to have a specific tool to help you with a report about Twitter,” she said. “Twitter analytics — you find it on your own profile — can give a lot of information by itself. The №1 rule is to have a plan. This way you can find routines that will help you keep up with the plan.”
Sklar adheres to a routine.
“I check my Twitter analytics at least weekly and then spend more time analyzing it monthly,” she said. “If you don’t know where to find your analytics, see your desktop.”
Several metrics will help while analyzing Twitter performance.
“Pay attention to tweet impressions, number of tweets, number of mentions, profile visits, followers and engagement rate,” Sousa said. “When you use a specific hashtag, be sure to track its performance. I use SociAlert for that.”
One proviso is to have goals.
“If you don’t have your goals well defined, the metrics can’t really help you make decisions,” Sousa said.
Sklar echoed many of her suggestions.
“I pay close attention to impressions, profile visits and mentions,” Sklar said. “If you use lots of video like I do, be sure to regularly check your video metrics.”
Go to Twitter analytics, and click the “more” tab to find videos.
All about context
“Quantity is something you measure without context or having read the content,” Sousa said. “For example, you can have 50 mentions on one day. That could be a great number, but you should check the content. What if 70 percent of the mentions are about complaints? What could this mean?
“Imagine if 50 percent of the tweets that mention your hashtag are spam?” she said. “Taking a look at the quality of the conversation demands a deeper look and more time to read and evaluate the tweets.”
It helps that analytics distinguishes between types of tweets.
“Context can really define a great tweet,” Sousa said. “It’s great to see Twitter analytics with a different graphic for organic impressions and number of tweets. That helps you analyze quantity and quality.”
The context includes engagements.
“It all boils down to the conversation,” Sklar said. “Are people engaging with you? Likes are great, but they do you no good unless you are truly connecting with your audience.”
Philosophically, quality is more important than quantity.
“At the end of the day, quality tweets will attract quality conversations, and that always wins over quantity,” Sousa said. “Quality is something that requires dedication in your analysis. It can lead you to know the community around you and the conversations around your brand and profile.
“I may not tweet a lot, but I can still have a good organic performance,” she said. “The content and context really makes a difference.”
Not all metrics are created equal. Twitter quality metrics stand out.
“It’s important to check if you have new and relevant followers — like specialists or someone who means a lot to the community,” Sousa said. “Document conversations that lead to collaborative work such as invitations to participate on Twitter chats, podcasts or blogs.
“I’m a big fan of screenshots so I can follow the lead from its first step,” she said.
The case for quantity
Indeed, there are instances when quantity matters more than quality.
“Some brands really focus on numbers because it’s an immediate thing: It’s public, and everyone can see it,” Sousa said. “It’s OK to use this type of argument — number of followers, for example — but be sure to share quality arguments, too.”
Newness also inspires surges of quantity.
“When you launch a product or service, it’s important to get as many eyeballs on your posts as possible,” Sklar said. “This is when quantity becomes an important objective.”
Done well, analysis can improve Twitter accounts.
“I use analysis to see which are the best practices concerning my Twitter profile and to help me choose my evergreen content,” Sousa said. “I tweet a lot, on a daily basis, and I also schedule some of my tweets.
“This way I can find an everyday balance that can help me connect, give and share to grow,” she said.
There is also the overall plan support.
“Use analytics to constantly improve your marketing strategies,” Sklar said. “Experiment with a variety of things, and watch your analytics to see what worked and what didn’t. Always strive to improve.”
Taking everything into account, Sousa offered tips to tweeting quality content.
“Listen to your audience, and ask questions about the content that can add value and make a difference,” she said. “Be consistent with your tone of voice and the type of content you share.
“Have a Twitter list of curators and specialists who share the content you and your audience need,” Sousa said. “Think before you tweet: Will it add value to my community? Is it relevant? Don’t just go with the flow. Only dead fish go with the flow.”
Serious philosophers are overrated.
“Have fun, and be respectful,” Sousa said. “Save your energy. Don’t go along with every trending topic. Choose those relevant to your brand. Check twice if you really have something to add to the conversation.”
Sklar has compiled her tips for tweeting quality content:
- Keep Your Audience in Mind.
- Be Creative.
- Have a Clear Call to Action.
- Use Eye-Catching Imagery: Photos, Videos and GIFs.
She also shares lots of tips in her article, “8 Ways to Write Better Tweets Your Community Will Love.”
About The Author
Jim Katzaman is a manager at Largo Financial Services and worked in public affairs for the Air Force and federal government. You can connect with him on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

