Most people know that getting followers on Twitter is no easy task.This article is here to dispel that myth and help give you effective and proven tips to get followers. I learnt the hard way, in those days when I knew next to nothing about Twitter.I was clueless and I remained discouraged for a while.Now after a course in Social Media Marketing and a boost in my followers,I know better.Take time to implement these strategies .They work !
1. Tweet Quality
This cannot be overemphasized. You must strategize your tweets.Even jot them down before hand,if possible. Tweet what you know will be helpful/useful to your followers and before you know it, they are retweeting and getting you more followers.Your tweets should do one of the following for your followers; Entertain them, inform them, educate them or solve a problem.An example is @TWEETORACLE who entertains people with his funny trends and sexual jokes.Content is king !
According to the research, the tweets labeled “worth reading” fell into four different groups: Informative (the largest group with 44%), Funny (24%), Useful (20%), and Exciting (12%). These are the responses that people left:
- “interesting perspective on something I know nothing about”
- “makes you want to know more.”
- “it’s witty and snarky, worth the read.”
- “few words to say much, very clear.”
- “personal, honest, and transparent.”
2. Choose A Niche
You must choose a niche if you want people to find you on social media.Be known for something.Be an expert in your field. Then help others in this field.An example of an handle doing this is @GidiTraffic, who daily helps people avoid the rough spots of Lagos traffic.Yours may be in another field,but make sure you are knowledgeable in that area.@socialmediang is another example.We help people and businesses solve their social media problems.Service is key here.Think service.
3. Quality Over Quantity
When you want more followers on Twitter, think quality,rather than quantity.Many people have thousands of followers but majority of their followers are inactive.This is not a good thing in the world of social media.If you have 500 followers and 100 percent are active, you’re better than the guy with 2000 followers and 40 percent active followers.Why ? Because social media is all about conversion.Can you make your followers buy from you,read your blog or do other things ? That’s conversion.Calculate your inactive/ fake followers HERE .
4. Follow Back
Now this not a technique I recommend ,I have never used it myself;but it has worked for several people.Forcing,begging,or cajoling people to follow you back can be seen as a lack of manners.Always be polite when asking for a follow back.Another method you can use without begging, is to go through people’s profiles.Check their follower to following ratio.If it is roughly the same,then that means they follow back.You are sure to get a follow back when you follow these types.Do not be rude if someone doesn’t follow you back.They may not be interested in what you have to say.It’s their Timeline after all and there is no rule that says you must follow back.
5. Become Friends With An Influencer
An influencer is simply someone who has a strong voice or following on social media.Almost everyone on Twitter follows an influencer. You know the ones in your niche or on your timeline.Get in contact with them. Now this may take time.They receive a lot of mentions and may not even see or answer yours. Getting in touch with my first influencer took 2 months,but I was patient.
At last he took notice.What do you do ? Don’t just say the usual hello to your influencer. Send them something you know they’ll find interesting,a link to an article,a picture or opportunity.In time they’ll take note.How did my influencer help me ?He helped with retweets ,thereby raising the visibility of my Twitter handle. He helped me reach my first thousand followers and has given me countless social media opportunities since then.So you may want to use the leverage of an influencer to get there.
6. Attract New Followers With Competition
If you have the means,start a competition with a prize for the winner.Be sure to ask your friends to retweet and let their followers know about it. Someone who started this was Nigerian artiste @DONJAZZY , who gave out free recharge cards.Everyone loves freebies.Do this and watch followers rush after you.The only downside to this method is that you may not get the right kind of followers.Quality over quantity ,remember ? Also most of your new followers may unfollow after the competition ends.
7. Trend Trend Trend!
Why should you want to trend ? Trending on Twitter ,even locally, doubles and even triples your followers.The exposure a trend gives you is amazing.No better advertising for your handle .Find out how to trend HERE
8. Publicize Your Handle
This is important.Promote your handle not just online but offline also. Promote your twitter handle on:
- Website(s) using a link to your Twitter profile and a widget to show recent posts.
- Business cards, letterhead and any other printed materials you have
- Email signatures.Add your Twitter handle automatically to every email you send.This feature is available in all email clients such as Yahoo and Gmail
- Other social networking profiles(Facebook,Linkedin etc) most now have facility to connect profiles across networks.
- Listings for networking groups and other organizations you belong to (clubs, teams, alumni organisations, community groups, etc.)
- Shop window, receipts, packaging
- Tell people when speaking in groups, networking events, etc.
- Include it in any biographical information or profiles with articles you write.
9. Start A Conversation
This on works like magic.Ask an interesting question that will make people want to voice their opinion.For instance,”Is getting married compulsory ?”, “Is it necessary to got to church ?”.Ask creative questions that will get you answers,retweets and instant followers.
10.Track Your Result
Useful tools such as Twitter Counter and Twenty feet are good monitoring tools that will show you how many followers you add, retweets you get and mentions.
11. Study Study Study!
What works for others may not work for you .Study to see what works.Also Follow top twitter users and watch what they tweet. Pay attention to the type of content they sent out and how they address their audiences.
Hope you enjoyed this content.Do not forget to practice them and of course , follow us on Twitter
