It’s become sort of a myth how people can intentionally grow their Twitter follower base without using expensive software or hacker tricks. When scrolling through Twitter, we’ve all noticed that some users have managed to build their follower base to Burj Khalifa levels. Turns out, it’s simpler than you think; it just takes time and persistence.
When Twitter was first launched in 2006, there were a number of ways to hack your way to a large follower base. Twitter soon caught on and quickly put rules in place to keep users from cheating their way to Twitter victory (like putting a limit on the number of follows/follow backs per hour and per day). Recently, a new trend has been for users to purchase Twitter followers, but it’s not really socially acceptable and prices are pretty steep.
The best ways to use your Twitter account and grow your follower base turn out to be the most morally accepted. Mozblog gives a number of safe, credible tactics that will help you strengthen your Twitter profile and knowledge of the application. Most of the tactics are based off common sense, but some are bit trickier.
Tweet when others are Tweeting
I know it sounds simple, but it’s true. The more you tweet when others are on Twitter, the more likely you get retweets and follows. Over 40% of Twitter users do not tweet anything, and the time of day that has the highest retweet rate is at 9 in the morning. This is where you may need to download Twitter followers data to analyze statistics to effectively grow numbers. A handy application created by Mozblog called “Followerwonk” allows you to analyze your followers and see what time they are most active on Twitter. According to the chart below, my followers are most active between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The application also shows you a chart of your Twitter activity. This is pretty handy because it gives you an actual visual of how aligned your tweeting habits are with your follower base. My chart says that I’m most active between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. It also shows me that I should try to tweet more from 11 to noon, and that I can back off a bit from noon to 1.
Start Conversations with People!
Like I said, a lot of these tactics may seem obvious, yet most people fail to realize how powerful they can be. Followerwonk allows you to search Twitter bios by using keywords. Let’s say you’re mainly interested in new technology.
- Go to “Search Twitter bios”
- Type in “technology” or something more specific (e.g. iPhone, Samsung, etc.)
- Sort the list by “Social Authority” – (Social Authority helps you measure the user’s influence of their content on Twitter based on a 1 to 100 point scale).
- Engage the users with the highest “@response rates” (A good candidate has a high engagement rate AND high Social Authority).
You can also do it the old-fashioned way and browse through Twitter users on the website who are in the same industry. Referencing someone’s Twitter bio or a recent article they have written have proven to produce positive results.
It’s All About the Content
Spending for social media content creation, video marketing, and content marketing will increase by 15.1% in 2013 to a total of $118.4 billion. It’s pretty obvious that content is starting to matter more and more.
Producing high-quality, valuable content will not only create more Twitter followers, but it will strengthen your overall buzz factor. Creating blogs or posts that are highly informative and applicable will set you up for retweets and follows.
An example is including other users tweets, quoting a user and then tweeting them the article, mentioning that they were highlighted in your recent post. Once someone does respond, make sure to include them in another article a few weeks later to begin establishing a relationship.
Keep an Eye on your Follower to Follow Ratio
When a user has a high amount followers and followings, it screams spam. It also says that this user only follows people with hopes for a followback. If you were to have 1000 followers and you only follow 100 users, it sends the message that you’re prestigious and more compelling than other users. Twesocial.com is a growth service that you can use to increase your number of followers whilst ensuring your account looks prestigious.
Follow back, Carefully
When someone follows you, don’t feel obligated to give them a follow back with fears of losing their loyalty. Check our their content and evaluate if they could be an asset to you.
Drop Dead Weight
Followerwonk provides you with a plethora of stats and figures to help you analyze your account (I haven’t touched on all of them, but you should check them out for yourself and see what you can take from the data).
The “Recensies of tweets of users @you follows” shows you the last time the people you follow have tweeted. This helps segment out stagnant or highly inactive users. You can then view the list and decide whether you want to keep following them or jump ship.
Tweet often, but don’t Over-do it
Twitter is the second most popular social networking tool for marketers (84%) following Facebook (92%). Actively creating content and tweeting consistently will only work in your favor. But over tweeting can turn people off and result in un follows. 71% of tweets each day attract no reaction. Tweeting in spurts shows that you’re taking the easy way out. Think about what you’re tweeting and make sure they’re based around one central theme.
Trevor Micklow is a business writer and content curator based out of Chicago, IL. US. He specializes in digital strategies, social media, psychology, executive education and business school related topics. He has been working and coordinating the general content of IntelligentHQ’s business school directory, which gives key information and programme details on the top business schools in the world. He has a BS, Psychology from Central Michigan University.
