13 Dec Creating An Authentic Social Media Presence

Jack Patrick Dorsey is an American technology entrepreneur and philanthropist that many of our readers may have heard of. He’s the co-founder of Twitter, and the founder and CEO of Square Inc., a financial payment processing company. Up until November 29th, 2021, Dorsey also acted as the Twitter CEO. His recent resignation from Twitter has been making headlines given that he’s not just leaving his CEO position, but the board as well. 

However, although he helped create one of the most used social media platforms, he has had a hot and cold relationship with social media, as seen on his Instagram account, which hasn’t been updated since 2012. 

His Twitter is a study on how social media can be used in an impactful, tailored, and personal way without necessarily following all social media conventions. Continue reading as we explore how Dorsey uses his Twitter profile to share newsworthy information in a thoughtful way.  

A Headline-Making Twitter Presence

Unsurprisingly, the platform he’s the most active on is the one he helped found in 2006. His Twitter profile boasts over 5.9 million followers, and his followers are highly engaged with his content, with many posts reaching tens of thousands of retweets, likes, and comments.

An interesting thing to note about his Twitter content is that he doesn’t use hashtags in every post. Although he shares content fairly regularly on his Twitter account, he doesn’t use hashtags in every post. We always recommend using at least one to two hashtags per post to help improve post reach. 

Hashtags are critical for most Twitter users because they help draw in new visitors and produce new followers. Dorsey chooses to use hashtags occasionally when spotlighting a project or something newsworthy and timely. 

Even without using an effective hashtag strategy, Dorsey’s content still manages to garner a lot of attention and engagement. Why? For social media users with millions and millions of followers, ignoring social media practices isn’t as detrimental since their content will be pushed out to their large following. Compare this to a user who only has a thousand followers. By following best practices, they’re ensuring their posts reach more people beyond their immediate network.

Dorsey uses his Twitter presence to share important topics. For example, on November 29th, 2021, he used his Twitter account to announce his resignation from the company. He knew that his exit would require a lengthy statement, so he chose to draft a brief Tweet and then enclose an image of his resignation letter for everyone to read. With Twitter offering a very limited character count limit compared to other social media platforms, Dorsey effectively utilized the platform’s image-sharing features to share his complete statement on the platform.

not sure anyone has heard but,

I resigned from Twitter pic.twitter.com/G5tUkSSxkl

— jack (@jack) November 29, 2021

Dorsey shows that he’s familiar with all of the features Twitter has to offer. For example, he frequently retweets content from other accounts. At times, he won’t include any additional new content, as is seen in this retweet of Strong Black Lead, where they spotlight Jay Z’s accomplishment of being the most nominated artist in Grammy History. 

most nominated artist in the history of the grammys ‼️ pic.twitter.com/mZUR1itWiR

— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) November 23, 2021

In other posts he shares a short comment or emoji. When resharing content, we always recommend that executives add some original content to their post.

Other Twitter features he uses include sharing videos and pinning a post, which is a feature found on other social media platforms as well. Pinning places a post at the very top of the profile, which is effective if there’s a content item that executives want to share with their audience.

Similar to Dorsey, executives can use social media to share important information, such as a new product launch or simply to create a conversation around a topic they’re passionate about. 

Improvements: Using Social Media More Effectively

If Dorsey chose to use hashtags more frequently, he could be able to reach new audiences because not everyone who uses Twitter knows him as the co-founder and former CEO of the platform. Twitter’s algorithm is partly based on accounts that users interact with often. Any executive who wants to increase their engagement should use hashtags strategically to ensure their content is reaching the right audience.

Twitter’s algorithm also impacts a number of sections on the app, including Twitter trends, Twitter Topics, and Twitter Recommendations. They are all shared to users as push notifications, and if an executive wants their Twitter page to be boosted on Twitter then using relevant hashtags is one way to achieve that. 

Another aspect Dorsey can improve on is his long periods of inactivity. Consistency is king on social media, and when you post regularly, not only do people remember you and your page, but they also  check your content more often and engage with you more. Executives who want to grow their social following should post regularly so their audience can expect to hear from them. On Twitter, we recommend posting once per day or, at the very least, three times per week. 

Additionally, we strongly recommend tagging other users if mentioning them. For example, in this Tweet, Dorsey includes Jay-Z’s handle, but it’s incorrectly tagged. Correctly tagging an individual gives both parties mentioned the opportunity to retweet the content and thereby engage their audience on a higher level.

Effectively Using Twitter’s Many Different Features

Dorsey is a trailblazer in the social media industry, having co-founded one of the most popular social media platforms of all time. However, executives don’t have to create a social media platform in order to build an effective online presence!

Executives who are looking to use their social media presence to drive towards business or personal objectives can connect with their in-house marketing team or a third-party agency. 

Are you an executive who feels you need help navigating and leveraging the benefits of social media platforms? Then, we can help you plan and execute a strategic plan that will take your content further and help you achieve your engagement goals. Click the button below to learn more about our social media marketing services!

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