If you have a Twitter account and it is just not working, you need to take the time to read over these 4 different ways to grow a following. Not just any following but one that consists of followers that will help spread the word about you, your products and services and that will actually pay off.
Twitter is a very powerful tool when used correctly. By building up a strong following of relevant followers you will see a much better engagement which equals more sales.
Check out these 4 ways to grow a powerful Twitter following:
Yes: more engaged followers are better than fewer engaged followers. So, let’s focus on getting more engaged followers.Building a relevant Twitter following comes down to four core concepts:
- Find and follow relevant people.
- Tweet content that will be interesting to your target audience.
- Engage with your audience.
- Promote your Twitter account through other channels.
With that framework in place, here are some tips, tools and tactics to attract relevant followers on Twitter.
#1: Find and Follow Relevant People
Your audience is out there… Now, how to find them?
Start with a strong profile. Because most people will check out your profile before following you, it’s important to put your house in order and present yourself in the most engaging way possible.
This includes:
- Profile photo: Make sure you’re using a photo of your face for your personal account or a logo for your business account. Research has shown that people trust faces more that they’ve seen multiple times, which is why a photo of your smiling face works best.
- Detailed bio: You’ve got 160 characters, so get creative! Let people know why they should be following you.
- Location: Because so much of business is local these days, make sure you include your location as appropriate. It can be the make or break for follows.
Strong profiles increase your followers. Blue hair doesn't hurt.
Discover new people with third-party tools. One of the first places to start your search for relevant people is at one of the many Twitter directories out there. Social media marketer Paul Wylie recommends Twellow (for the clean interface) and WeFollow (for finding influencers). You can search by industry, location or keyword for starters. WeFollow has many categories. Thus, whether you're targeting personal trainers or WordPress trainers, you'll find them here.
#2: Tweet Interesting Stuff
Easier said than done, right? How do you find interesting content? Here are some ideas.
Use Google Alerts. Set up Google Alerts (or a similar service) to get daily email updates about all of the things that are of interest to your audience—from “vegan recipes” to “grilling product reviews”—and share them through Twitter.
Share media. Photos and videos are a proven way to engage your audience. Use photos to share your activity or events so your business will get click-throughs and comments. Photos engage, especially if you tie them into a giveaway.
Talk to people, not at them. Chances are, what is of interest to your audience is what they’re already talking about! Rather than trying to get the ball rolling, why not keep it rolling? See what your audience is talking about and engage them in that conversation. Ask questions, answer them, retweet and respond.
#3: Engage
People on Twitter who don’t talk to other people are significantly less engaging and less likely to get followers. Just because someone didn’t immediately follow you back doesn’t mean that you can’t engage them. Check out their conversations and see if you can jump in with relevant comments, or retweet some of their links. Also, being part of conversations will get you in front of more people, increasing your chances of being followed.
Get involved with #chats. Anyone can start a chat on Twitter by using a hashtag. You can find a long list of chats in this Google doc, along with days and times. By joining the conversation at appropriate chats, you can quickly build your relevant followers… Assuming you have something valuable to add! If you're looking to engage bloggers, you could chime in at the #BWEChat.
Schedule chats to reach a wider audience.
#4: Promote Your Twitter Account Through Other Channels
Leverage the following you’ve built elsewhere by promoting your Twitter account. Talk up Twitter at your website, blog and through email.
At flyte, we include our Twitter handles—with clickable links—next to all of our bios. We also include links to our Twitter handles from all appropriate blog posts. People can follow you without having to leave the page they're on. You can also include a “follow me on Twitter” call to action in your email signature file, email newsletter and all other correspondence.
Leverage your social media outposts.
Get more visibility with a Paper.li newspaper. Paper.li is a free service that allows you to create “newspapers” out of your Twitter feed (as well as some integration of Facebook and Google+). Your daily paper.li can pull from the people you follow, your lists, or specific keywords or hashtags you include. Paper.li can also tweet out your daily paper, including which people contributed your “top stories.”
By sharing valuable content and gaining retweets you will truly elevate your brand. Don't forget to promote other people as well to keep the positive engagement flowing at all time.
What Twitter tricks do you have up your sleeve? Are you willing to share any of them with our followers below?
Article Source: Social Media Examiner
Image Source: Slava Murava Kiss on Flickr
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