A:
There are many reasons why someone would want more Twitter followers, but
the first thing to realize is that sometimes, quality beats quantity. When
you see some of these people with tens of thousands of followers, one
wonders what it means. Do people really follow this fellow, and if so, how
closely? Maybe they don't and maybe it's a charade.
So for starters, far more important than the
actual number of followers you have is the quality and connection you have
with those people who do in fact follow you. Social media is all about
making connections, networking. Think of a mixer at your local chamber - is
it more valuable to come home with a lot of business cards in your pocket,
or having had one long, great conversation with a potential new business
associate? Of course the latter is preferable, and that's the point. Lots of
connections may look good, but actual connections are probably more
valuable.
Having said that, having an increased number
of followers can also have its advantages. For instance, having more
followers offers you the opportunity to meet more people; people you would
otherwise not meet. That, in turn, can open up new business opportunities.
So while having quality followers is Job 1, it is also true that have some
quantity of followers is also important as it spreads your name and brand to
new and varied people.
Indeed, one other reason to get more followers
is that there is some brand equity that comes with having a lot of people
follow you on Twitter (or similarly, be your friend on Facebook, or your
connection on LinkedIn.) Shallow yes, but true nonetheless: having thousands
of followers looks better to some people than having scores of followers.
So here is how you build up your Twitter
follower base:
1. Tweet well. The first and most
important thing you need to do is tweet smart. Business people use Twitter
to learn new things and meet new people, so be someone that people want to
meet. Tweet interesting articles (using a tool like
Tiny URL to reduce URL address length), insights, tips,
quotes or pictures.
2. Follow more people. The "twitaquette"
is that people follow people who follow them. That is, if you follow
someone, they should follow you back. This is not always true of course, but
you can tell if someone follows this unwritten rule if their number of
"followers" and "following" are roughly similar. If they are, it is a pretty
safe bet that if you follow them, they will follow you.
3. Follow the leaders. Here is a great
strategy: You know who the leaders in your industry or area of interest are,
so go over to their Twitter homepage and see who is following them. Click
their link of followers and you will find a goldmine of people interested in
what you are interested in. Follow selected people on that list and again,
because you already know that they follow people in your industry, the
chances are high that they will follow you too.
4. Use hashtags. In the world of
Twitter, hashtags -- # -- are used to create discussions. For instance,
#SmallBiz is where you can find lots of great small business
tweets. People add hashtags to their tweets so as to drop them into the
proper Twitter stream. Therefore, by searching Twitter for hashtags related
to your business, you will again find good people to follow. Follow the ones
you like, and they will follow you. It's really that simple.
And before you know it, you will have met a
lot of new people, made some new connections, and built your online cred.
Need a speaker for your next
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