Community and social media managers spend a lot of time saying “thank you” to people online.
But how can brands deliver those two words so often and still keep the message personal?
Here are five ways to write more creative “thank you” tweets that will keep your audience engaged.
Why Saying “Thank You” Still Matters
There are so many instances where marketers dole out “thank you” messages.
- Customer has a support issue? We thank them for their patience.
- Fellow marketer retweet one of our blog posts? We thank them for the share.
- Someone gives an awesome company mention? We thank them for their support.
The list goes on and on!
Turns out, these simple words can have a big impact.
The top three emotions that influence customer loyalty are value, appreciation, and respect.
Genuinely thanking customers and community members for their time, insights, and attention is an easy way to express gratitude and make people feel valued.
But sometimes, a simple “thank you” won’t cut it.
Why?
Because without context, it can feel monotonous and impersonal—for both the sender and recipient.
Think about it. In a social community, everyone can see what people are saying to one another. So, when you spend a few hours responding to tweets, mixing things up is important.
Doing so ensures your messages come across as unique and genuine, providing a deeper value to the community at large. Plus, it can make your work more exciting (who wants to type the same thing for hours on end?).
To not dilute the “thank you” spirit, brands need to get creative about thanking people on their social profiles. Here are some ideas your brand can try on X, formerly known as Twitter.
1. Create A Custom Meme
If you want to add flavor to your next “thank you” tweet, try using a meme.
Memes are a type of media—image, video, text, or a combination—that capture an audience’s unique feelings or experiences.
Expressing yourself in a meme offers a visual and relatable touch to your social efforts. We use memes quite a bit here at Semrush.
And it pays off!
Memes garner 13x higher engagement than any other social content we produce across all platforms.
Why are they so successful?
- They make your brand relevant. If you’re creating custom memes that tie to what your audience is experiencing, as a brand, you appear more in touch with the people and communities you want to attract.
- Companies become human. Marketers know that people buy from people—not brands—and engaging with audiences via down-to-earth, funny, or all-too-relatable memes adds a human spark to a sea of monotonous corporate speak.
- Memes are cost-effective. Finally, what every marketer was waiting for! Creating a meme won’t cost you much—you just need creativity and your graphics software of choice. You can also create them in bulk to schedule your company’s content ahead of time. Check out the Social Poster from Semrush Social to draft, schedule, and post your content (step-by-step instructions for how to do so in a bit).
So next time you get a brand mention on X, consider replying with a well-curated, custom meme to boost engagement.
2. Get Giffy
If you don’t want to create a custom meme but want to convey a similar emotion, try using GIFs to respond to your audience.
GIFs and memes are similar, but there are some notable differences.
While a meme can be static or animated, a gif is always animated. GIFs are short clips of trending pop culture content that you can sprinkle into your next thank-you note, reply, or mention on X.
GIFs are awesome options for brands because they are quick, simple, and entertain people—the trifecta!
Another perk of GIFs (and memes) is that they can help continue the conversation.
A typical “thank you” might mean a natural end to the thread, whereas a GIF or meme pulls readers in and encourages them (or others who come across it) to respond. And responses forge connections, which is what good social media is all about.
Interacting with your audience in this way makes them feel more comfortable and connected to your brand because you’re meeting them where they’re at and putting in the effort to make a genuine connection.
To post a GIF on X via Semrush’s Social Poster,
Open the Social Poster and select “New Post”
Then, click the social profile you wish to post from—your X account.
After that, you have a few options.
Start by composing the text or link to the pre-written copy you’d like to accompany your meme or GIF.
For a meme, select the photo icon.
And for a GIF, hit the “GIF” icon, which will populate a library of options you can choose from to suit your content needs.
The smiley face icon allows you to add an emoji. Speaking of which…
3. Make It Personal With Emojis
Today’s theme is personality.
And emojis are just another way for your brand to show up in an honest and human way online.
It’s been found that using emojis in conversations feels similar to face-to-face interactions. That’s because emojis bring a sense of familiarity and relatability to the digital space. They can even help form trust between strangers—and what marketer doesn’t want to turn strangers into friends?
Emojis are a mainstay of modern communication, and brands shouldn’t be afraid to embrace them regularly in their social media communications strategy.
Since people perceive emojis as a sign of friendliness, they’ve even been shown to soften the blow of bad news, which could come in handy if you’re navigating negative customer feedback.
A word of caution: Be careful using emojis in delicate situations. You don’t want to come across as downplaying an issue or making light of someone’s concerns. Check with your brand’s internal style guide so you can craft an informed, on-brand response to your audience.
Social Poster from Semrush Social makes adding an emoji to any social media content super easy.
Just click on the smiley face (shown above) and select the emoji that will make your message come to life!
4. Give Your Mascot A (Real) Voice
Your company’s mascot presents a fantastic opportunity to personify your brand. But too many companies limit their influence to swag or a logo.
An often untapped opportunity is letting the mascot talk, and represent your brand on social media.
Giving your mascot a name, personality, and unique voice, allows you to treat your brand like a person.
One brand that does this well is MeetEdgar:
They even use their mascot as their X handle to introduce audiences to their product in a casual and friendly way.
Who would you rather chat with—a software company or a cute octopus?
The copy takes it a step further by using the first-person point of view—Edgar the Octopus is going to help you with your Pinterest needs, not the company.
This clever strategy makes interacting with your brand simpler and more lighthearted, plus it can make a dense, technical industry feel familiar.
If you have a mascot, using it in an intentional and interactive way can entertain your customers and strengthen their connection with your brand.
5. Write In An Engaging Tone
Meaningless jargon should have no place in your social media approach.
Instead, adopt an engaging, friendly (and even funny) tone of voice in your social communications.
If you’re worried about using humor, consider this: people want your brand to make them smile.
It turns out that brands that find their funny bones attract more customers. 91% of people prefer funny brands, and 72% would choose a brand with humor over a competitor that doesn’t—who’s laughing now?
Relaxing your tone of voice on social media gives you space to form stronger connections and relationships with your audience because you’re speaking to them (not at them).
Your brand shouldn’t be a corporate robot—no one wants to advocate for, buy from, or connect with that.
Instead, your brand should be a place where your audience feels seen, heard, valued, and appreciated. Remember, that’s why they’ll stick around.
If you want to up your social media game, check out Semrush Social. It’s a complete social solution that allows you to manage every aspect of your social media content (post, schedule, respond to comments, track performance) and keep a watchful eye on your competitors.
You’ll thank us later. 😏