Ask anyone who regularly tweets and they’ll invariably tell you that their biggest challenge on Twitter is how to get more followers.
Of course, there are a few dubious ways to get more followers fast. Just visit Fiverr.com or try Google-ing “Buy Twitter Followers” and you’ll find a long list of sellers who are more than willing to help you build a huge following overnight. Don’t do it though.
The best you’ll get is a bunch of untargeted followers who are not interested in what you do or what you offer. If people connect with you on an emotional level, they will be more likely to refer friends and family to your business, as well as talk positively about your brand.
It’s far more likely though that you’ll end up with a ton of worthless bots or fake profiles. This may help you look good in the short-term but if you are ultimately on Twitter to do business, network or interact with others, then these dummy accounts will not help you in the long-term. More importantly, such activity violates Twitter’s rules and could get your account suspended or even banned permanently.
What about using the “secret weapon” or “bush button” software that’s touted on the Internet or by “experts”? I admit, I’ve tried such programs myself. They rely on following large numbers of people so they follow you back. If they don’t, then you unfollow them. This strategy of “aggressive following” and the alarming rate of “follower churn” it leads to (which Twitter hates incidentally), almost put my account at risk. So I stopped using it. Then earlier this year, Twitter changed its rules and has started to ban such software altogether. Going by personal experience, I can honestly say they’re not worth it.
So, unless you are an established authority in your niche or a famous celebrity or star who has already built up a huge fan base offline, attracting a large number of quality followers takes some time and effort. But does size really matter on Twitter? Well, the answer to that is yes… and I’ve listed a couple of reasons why.
Authority
Quite simply, the more followers you have then the more social proof and influence you are perceived to possess. A high number of followers creates the impression that you are someone of authority, an expert in your niche or at the very least, someone worth knowing.
Exposure
A large Twitter following is an excellent way to extend your reach and share your message. Just imagine if you had 1,000 followers (which is not that difficult to achieve) then just by posting a short “tweet” about your new book, a product you’re launching or even a question about a business idea, you can have it appear instantly on the newsfeeds of those 1,000 followers.
The incredible thing though is that it won’t only be seen by your 1,000 followers but also the countless followers of those followers! In just a few seconds your message could be exposed to millions of people and potentially go viral.
The larger your Twitter following the faster your ideas will spread and the more exposure this will give you and your business. Twitter is therefore a powerful marketing tool that you just can’t ignore.
If you’re using Twitter to network, build your brand or sell your products and services then a large following coupled with a well-developed Twitter strategy will help you generate more leads and gain more conversions. Here are #7 pointers to help you build a large Twitter following legitimately.
#1 – Use A Photo.
People connect with people so use a photo of yourself, preferably a headshot. A picture tells a thousand words and most Twitter users just won’t follow a profile that has the default Twitter egg for fear of it being a bot or spammer. Similarly, a personal photo of you will get better results than a logo of your business.
#2 – Jazz Up Your Bio
Don’t leave this vital Twitter “real estate” blank! Just like your website’s About Page, it is the first thing that potential followers will check out. Be sure to add a few niche-specific keywords to help you show up in Twitter’s search results. Explain who you are, what you do and don’t forget to add your URL with the http:// in front to make it clickable. You only have 160 characters so be succinct.
#3 – Be Retweetable
Retweets are tweets that are forwarded on by others and are ten times more influential than a regular tweet. Make sure your messages and your name can be retweeted by leaving enough space in the character allowance once RT+ your username are added. Or use Twitter’s Retweet button so it keeps the Twitter handle associated with the status and doesn’t eat up those extra spaces.
Be generous and RT other people’s messages often too. Twitter operates under a culture of reciprocity so spread the love!
#4 – Be Generous
One of the best ways to stand out from all the “noise” on Twitter is to share value in the form of inspiring quotes, relevant blog posts or news articles. The more you reach out and share great content just because you care and want to help others, the more people will respond and follow you. On Twitter, social media and life in general, to get you must first give. So be a leader and give first. People will love you for it by retweeting your content and following you.
#5 – Post Frequently
Unlike Facebook, you need to post several times a day on Twitter. The average lifespan of a tweet is said to be around 5 minutes. That’s short! Since your newsfeed updates so quickly, then the chances are that not enough people are seeing your messages if you post once a day. Use a free service like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule your posts to go out every 3-4 hours throughout the day so you don’t overwhelm your followers and catch followers in different time zones.
#6 – Interact With Your Tweeps
Use a service like Hootsuite to manage your messaging. I can’t praise this easy to use tool highly enough. It saves me hours every day and even the free version allows you to respond to any direct messages, retweets and mentions in real-time. What’s more, by hitting the reply button rather than the DM function, your message will be seen publicly by all your followers. This makes you seem much more sociable and transparent than most Twitter users and will win you friends.
#7 -Don’t Over Promote
In most cases, people like to buy but they don’t like to be sold to. It’s also true on Twitter so don’t be too pushy in your sales messages or users may unfollow you or even worse, report you as a spammer.
The best way is to build trust first by sharing great content such as your own blog posts. This will lead people to your website where you should have an opt-in box already set up. Invite visitors to subscribe to your newsletter and craft a series of email messages to move people through your sales funnel.
These are #7 of the best ways I have found to help me build my Twitter following organically and get leads for my business. Don’t worry too much if it takes you a while as it’s not a quick process. Your perseverance will pay off though if you follow these #7 steps and keep at it.
Have I missed anything out? What has helped you increase your following on Twitter? Please leave a comment below.
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