Difference between revisions of "Learn/How-To-Get-More-Twitter-Followers"

Latest revision as of 10:46, 9 November 2013

By [[User:|]] on

Twitter is a powerful social network for business. And the more followers you have - meaningful ones - the more exposure you will gain from tweeting. (If you're new to Twitter, I suggest reading Twitter 101 first.)

Here are 10 tips for getting more people to click "Follow" on your Twitter account: ... read more

Note: This article has been moved to our new blog at www.AboutUs.com/how-to-get-more-twitter-followers.

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 | Writer = KristinaWeis
 | Name = Kristina Weis
-| Header = 9%20common%20title%20tag%20mistakes%20and%20how%20to%20avoid%20them
+| Header = 10%20ways%20to%20get%20more%20Twitter%20followers%20-%20and%20meaningful%20ones:
 | Subhead = Subhead
-| Bitly = http://AboutUs.org/Learn/How-To-Get-More-Twitter-Followers
+| Bitly = http://www.aboutus.com/how-to-get-more-twitter-followers/
-| Date = March __, 2012
+| Date = March 15, 2012
 }}
-<big>''This article is a work in progress. Have feedback or suggestions? [mailto:kristina@aboutus.org Email me].''</big>
+<big>Twitter is a powerful social network for business. And the more followers you have - ''meaningful'' ones - the more exposure you will gain from tweeting.</big> (If you're new to Twitter, I suggest reading [[Learn/Use-Twitter-To-Engage-Your-Customers|Twitter 101]] first.)
+<big>Here are 10 tips for getting more people to click "Follow" on your Twitter account:</big> ''[http://www.aboutus.com/how-to-get-more-twitter-followers/ ... read more]''
-'''1. Write interesting tweets.'''
+<big>''Note: This article has been moved to our new blog at [http://www.aboutus.com/how-to-get-more-twitter-followers/ www.AboutUs.com/how-to-get-more-twitter-followers].''</big>
-: Add something to the conversation.  Did you find a great article other people might want to read?  Do you have something to say that might make people laugh or think?  Do you have some expertise to share?
-:Give people a feel for what your future tweets will be like so people know what to expect when they're deciding whether or not to follow you.
-: '''The more you write interesting tweets, the more likely people are to:'''
-:* '''retweet you'''. This means that your tweet will be re-broadcast to the followers of whoever retweets you.
-:* '''#FollowFriday (or #FF) you'''. On Fridays some people will post a tweet recommending a person or people they think their followers should check out and perhaps follow as well.
-[Example of #FF tweet]
-:* '''find your tweets when they search Twitter''', and maybe follow you as a result. When you're writing tweets, think about what keywords people may be searching for, and try to include them.
-'''2. Complete your Twitter profile: Add a bio and portrait.'''
+<!--'''1. Write interesting tweets.'''
-: Would you rather follow someone with a smiling face or the default egg icon? How about someone with a bio that shows you have a common interest or that you're in a similar industry vs. someone with no information about themselves filled in?
+: Add something to the conversation.  Did you find a great article other people might want to read?  Do you have something to say that might make people think - or laugh ?  Do you have expertise to share?
-: An incomplete Twitter profile doesn't give people a reason to follow you, it makes you look like a noob, and it could make people think you're a Twitter spammer. (Many spam accounts on Twitter don't have a portrait or bio.)
+:Give people a feel for what your future tweets will be like. That will help them decide whether they want to follow you.
+:'''Posting great tweets makes people more likely to:'''
+:* '''retweet you'''. This means your tweet is re-broadcast to the followers of whoever retweets you.
+:* [[Image:FollowFridayExampleBorder.png|400px|right]]'''"Follow Friday" you'''. On Fridays, some people will post a tweet recommending people they think their followers should check out and follow. The tweet will usually include a #FollowFriday or #FF [http://support.twitter.com/articles/49309-what-are-hashtags-symbols# hashtag].
+:* '''find your tweets when they search Twitter''', and maybe follow you. When you're writing tweets, include keywords people may be searching for.
+<!--'''2. Complete your Twitter profile: Add a bio and portrait.'''
+: Would you rather follow someone with a smiling face, or the default egg icon? How do you feel about following someone whose bio shows their interests  are similar to yours, or who's in your industry, compared to someone whose bio shares no personal information?
+: An incomplete Twitter profile doesn't give people a reason to follow you. It can also make people think you're a Twitter spammer, because many spam accounts don't have a portrait or bio. <!--Include your city location- much better than lat/long-->
+<!--:[[Image:DoIWantToFollowYou.png|left|300px|It can be hard to decide whether to follow someone without a portrait or bio.]] <big>     '''vs.'''</big>[[Image:AlizaTwitterWithFrameArrow2.png|right|300px]]{{CLR}}
 '''3. Start following people you know.'''
 : After you've posted at least a few tweets and filled in your profile, start following people.
-: Get a list of your customers, business partners, etc. and look for them on Twitter - then follow them.  They'll hopefully notice that you've followed them, and then follow you in return because they recognize you.
+: Look for your customers and business partners on Twitter, and then follow them.  They'll hopefully notice that you've followed them, and then follow you in return because they recognize you.
-'''4. Follow people in your industry or who talk about things you care about.'''
+<!--'''4. Follow people in your industry and people who tweet about things you care about.'''
-: Search Twitter for people and tweets about topics that you care about.  Look for people to follow who you want to listen to, and who you think may want to follow you back if they look at your bio and recent tweets.
+[[Image:HowToSearchForTweetsPeople.png|250px|right]]
-: If you notice a tweet you could respond to, or that you'd like to retweet, go for it!
+: Search Twitter for people and tweets that interest you.  When you search, you can click for "Tweets" with that word or phrase, or "People" who match your search. Twitter's [https://twitter.com/#!/search-advanced advanced searched] is also handy.
+: Follow people you want to listen to, and who you think may want to follow you back if they look at your bio and recent tweets.
 '''5. Once you've followed people, interact with them!'''
-: Look at the stream of tweets (Home) from the people you're following, and reply to people and retweet their best tweets. That added interaction will make the recipient more likely to follow you back and listen to what you have to say.
+: Look at the stream of tweets from people you're following (click "Home" at the top of your Twitter page), reply to people and retweet their best tweets. These interactions will make the recipients more likely to follow you back and listen to what you have to say.
-: If you have limited time, focus on interacting with the people who aren't following you yet.  It's important to [[Learn/Create-a-Personality-for-Your-Brand-on-Twitter|be a person and engage on Twitter]].
+: If you have limited time, focus on interacting with the people who aren't following you yet.  Remember to [[Learn/Create-a-Personality-for-Your-Brand-on-Twitter|be genuinely yourself when you engage on Twitter]]. People recognize an authentic voice, and they also recognize an artificial one. No one wants to engage with a phony.
-'''6. Include prominent links to your Twitter on your website.'''
+'''6. Include prominent links to your Twitter account on your website.'''
-: If you would like visitors to your website to consider following you on Twitter, adding a prominent link or button on your site is a great way to suggest they follow you and make it easy for them to do so.
+: Ideally, your website should have an easy-to-notice link to your Twitter account "above the fold" (visible without scrolling down) on each page of your website. This makes it easy for people to follow you if they choose.
-: Ideally, your website should have an easy-to-notice link to your Twitter "above the fold" (visible without scrolling down) on each page of your website.
+: It's more effective to give people a reason to follow you on Twitter instead of just saying "Follow us." Are you going to offer them coupon codes, expert information about your industry, funny pictures of cats, or...?
-: Also, it's more effective if you give people a reason to follow you on Twitter instead of just saying "Follow us," because that's begs the question "Why?"  Are you going to offer them coupon codes, expert information about ___, funny pictures of cats, or...?
 '''7. Include a link to your Twitter page in your email signature.'''
 : This makes it so much easier for people you're already talking with.
-: I don't know about you, but I'm lazy.  When I see a Twitter link in someone's email signature I'm much more likely to follow them.  It's a reminder that I might want to follow them on Twitter, and it's much easier and faster than trying to search for them.
+: I don't know about you, but I'm lazy.  When I see a Twitter link in someone's email signature I'm much more likely to follow them. It's a lot easier for me to click right now than to search for them.
 '''8. Include a link to your Twitter page in your email newsletters.'''
-: If you send out [[Learn/Tips-for-Sending-Email-Newsletters|email newsletters]] or email blasts, try including a link to your Twitter page and suggest they follow you.
+: If you send out [[Learn/Tips-for-Sending-Email-Newsletters|email newsletters]] or email blasts, try including a link to your Twitter page and suggest that people follow you. Remember, give them a reason!
-[[Image:BusinessCardWithTwitterHandleArrow.png|right|300px|My business card includes my Twitter handle]]
+[[Image:BusinessCardWithTwitterHandleArrow.png|right|250px|My business card includes my Twitter handle]]
 '''9. Include your Twitter handle on your business cards.'''
-: Your business card doesn't have to be just your name, company, and contact info anymore. It's an opportunity to suggest a Twitter connection to people you meet in real life.
+: Your business card isn't just for your name, company, and contact info. It's an opportunity to offer a Twitter connection to people you meet in real life.
+{{CLR}}
 '''10. Ask your employees, friends and family to follow you.'''
-: These won't be very meaningful followers, but getting them to follow you can help you gain momentum and get a few more "real" followers if people notice that someone they know is now following you they may decide they want to follow you too.
+[[Image:TwitterFriendsInCommon.png|right|300px]]
+: These won't be very meaningful followers, but getting them to follow you can help you gain momentum and get a few more "real" followers. When someone looks at your profile, Twitter will show them if one of their own followers is also following you (pictured at right).
-'''Don't:'''
+'''* Don't buy Twitter followers.'''
-:* Buy Twitter followers. They will be very low value followers and it will likely a waste of your money.
+: It's a waste of money, as these will be very low-value followers who won't retweet you or recommend you to others. Even worse, too many "junk" followers can turn off potential "real" followers.
-:* Have apps tweet for you, unless you think they'll be interesting for your followers. For example, many people tweet automatically every time they check in on Foursquare.  Tweets like that get boring or annoying really fast, and some people (like me) are bound to unfollow you.
 <big>''Do you have any tips for gaining followers on Twitter? Hit me up at {{Twitter|KristinaWeis}}.''</big>
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+''<big>Could you use some clarity with Twitter and social media?</big> AboutUs can show you how you're doing in social media compared to your competitors, and offer suggestions for engaging prospective customers. Email [mailto:sales@aboutus.org Sales@AboutUs.org] for more info.''
-''<big>Could you use some clarity with Twitter and social media?</big> AboutUs can help show you how you're doing in social media compared to your competitors, and give you suggestions for engaging prospective customers. Email [mailto:sales@aboutus.org Sales@AboutUs.org] for more info.''
+-->
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