Around 12 months ago researchers from Microsoft put together a study on how influence and authority plays out on Twitter, and their work went on to be one of the most talked about projects of 2012. Whilst Twitter has undergone some minor changes since then, their research remains one of the best sources of information on how to build credibility, and in this tip we’re going to pass on this wisdom to help you build influence in your own network.
The simple stuff
Traditionally people place trust in content that originates from people they know personally or by reputation. Translating this offline influence is key on all platforms, but in a situation where users are discovering you for the first time (ie. through search), they turn to other indicators to verify your credibility.
On Twitter these judgements are made quickly (sometimes within three seconds) and they’re influenced by arbitrary indicators on your profile and tweet stream. Starting from the top, researchers found that poor grammar and spelling damages credibility more than any other factor, but they note that with some audiences a non-standard approach could have the opposite effect.
Maintaining a topical focus with your tweets also increases credibility, and it’s one of the best ways to quickly build an audience. Along with this focus topical usernames (such as @SocialAdviser) inspire the highest credibility ratings, with traditional usernames (like @Andrew_Duffy) working second-best.
Drilling down further
Linking the similarity between the topic of your username and tweets is a natural way to cement your integrity, but there are other techniques you can use to build on these efforts. If you’re tweeting about something where location is important, highlighting your proximity to the event is a good way to make your content seem trustworthy. Turing on location-stamping and updating your bio is the best way to achieve this, and while few people make an effort on this front the data shows these metrics make a difference.
The description on your profile is another way to build credibility, and maintaining a topical relevance there is again the best approach. Working hand-in-hand with your description is your profile picture, and a real photo/headshot works best on those discovering you for the first time.
It’s worth noting that most of the tips above can be faked by spammers or other users, but demonstrating real interaction and a solid understanding of the subject of your tweets is something that’s much harder to fake.
On the whole Microsoft’s study showed that users still have difficulty determining truthful and valid content on Twitter, and their judgements are often skewed or biased. Nevertheless, the factors above account for most of the decision-making process when new users stumble upon your account, and if you fine tune those metrics they can have a powerful impact on your audience.
Armed with this information you’ll be well-placed to assume a credible position in your network, and most of the changes you’ll need to make should be relatively painless. Happy tweeting!