While promoting your business on Twitter may sound easy, there’s more to it than simply Following people and hoping that they’ll Follow you back in return.
Basics of Increasing Twitter Followers:
Branding
Choosing a Twitter username that is representative of your brand is really important. This not only clearly communicates who you are, it is often the first thing that potential followers see.
Follow Contacts
Make sure to import contacts from your business email accounts and invite them to Follow you on Twitter.
Personalization
Take the time to personalize your Twitter account. Make sure to include a picture of yourself or a company logo, background image, and a profile bio that clearly communicates your value to potential followers.
Avoid Twitter Spam
While Tweeting make sure that at least 75% of your Tweets provide valuable information. Make sure not to spam your Followers with sales oriented Tweets or ones that add no value.
Share Blog Posts
If you have a company blog, share your best blog posts with Followers. This will not only increase the traffic to your website, it will also provide Followers content that they will not find anywhere else on Twitter.
Create Conversation
Don’t be afraid to participate in conversations on Twitter. However, try to avoid conversational Tweets that are only valuable to a small group of your Followers.
Don’t Tweet Too Much
Make sure not to Tweet every few minutes. Instead focus on making a couple valuable Tweets throughout the course of every day.
Following People
After you have Followed the people you know, use Twitter’s search feature to find people who are likely to find your Tweets engaging and valuable.
When you Follow someone, they receive a notice from Twitter. In this notice, information about your Twitter profile is shared. If you have done a good job on your Twitter profile and targeted the right person, a lot of the people you Follow should Follow you back.
Cross Promotion
Make sure to include links to your Twitter account on your other social networking accounts and in your email signature.
Following Back
Check your list of Followers on a regular basis and make sure to Follow people back. Lots of Twitter users will Un-Follow someone after a short time if they do not Follow back.
Keep It Interesting
Make sure your Tweets are interesting and of value to your Followers. This will keep your current Followers engaged, as well as entice others to Follow you. A great way to sweeten the deal, is to include a few Twitter-only specials for your followers.
Conclusion
With a basic understanding of Twitter and a little work you can quickly increase your Followers and create a powerful marketing channel for your business. Twitter takes time and consistent effort, but with the right Tweets and a growing list of Followers, you’ll have a powerful marketing channel before you know it.