How do you become influential on Twitter?
You can post great content all day long — but if no one is following you then it’s not as effective as it could be. You need followers to get followers; it’s a Catch-22. The quality of your tweets is only one factor. I am proud to say I’ve never played any games or purchased lists to get more followers. I don’t think those methods will produce the type of followers you want.
Here are my top 7 tips for increasing your followers today:
1. Understand it’s a numbers game. The more people you follow, the more followers you will have. If you follow a lot more people, a lot more people will follow you back.
2. Follow people with similar interests who also have a high likelihood of following you back. Search for key people in real estate or key people in your community and follow them. Look to see who their followers are, and then work through the list, following selected followers. By selectively following people who follow leaders in your industry, you tap into people who want to be connected, have things in common with you, and will likely connect to you, too.
3. Use hashtags (#) to find followers. In my case, I am always looking for great social media tweeters, so I often search for tweets under #sm or #facebook. In real estate, search #realestate or #Realtors. I also love to search #mobile, #ipad, or #iphone. I know I will always find some people to follow there, as well as followers to follow me. I also always search event hashtags to follow like-minded people.
4. Be sure to add appropriate hashtags to your tweets so that they will show up in those Twitter streams and thereby increase your chances of getting retweeted.
5. Get retweeted. Having your followers retweet your great content is like getting an unsolicited endorsement. How do you get retweets? You must retweet others. Make it a point to retweet three to five posts a day.
6. Repeat hot tweets. I am a big fan of the repeat tweet. Repeat key messages two to three times a day or one time a day for three days in a row.
7. Promote it. Make sure your Twitter profile is part of your e-mail address, Facebook and LinkedIn profiles, e-mail signature, blog, and is prominent on your home page.
What are your tips for increasing your followers? Leave a comment below!
Katie Lance is senior marketing manager for Inman News. Future of Real Estate Marketing is a part of Inman News.
