Finding Followers in the Land of 14 Million Tweeters

I’m pretty proud that the number of my Twitter followers keeps increasing – now I’m at a grand total of 15. However, my number pales in comparison to the number of followers some major corporations have. For instance, BestBuy has 1,284 followers and TargetINC has 3,894 followers. What’s their secret? Here’s what I think…

Corporate Twitter Lesson #2: Get (and Keep) a Lot of Followers

Of course it helps that both BestBuy and Target are popular companies in the marketplace, but what are companies doing to get (and more importantly keep) a lot of followers?

My first tip: Promote your Twitter account just as you would your traditional Web site. From what I’ve seen, the companies that are embracing social media aren’t shy about promoting their Twitter account, YouTube channel or Facebook profile – whether by posting links on their traditional Web sites directly to these applications, advertising their tweets through banner ads or using their Twitter accounts as customer service lines. The more often you direct your users to Twitter and the easier it is for them to join your Twitter network, the more followers you’ll have.

My second tip: Don’t be afraid to follow others. Like other social networking sites, people are more likely to follow you if you’re following them. Don’t be afraid to expand your network by initiating contact with tweeters who post messages that correspond to your company.

My third tip: Be a frequent tweeter (within reason). Twitter is based on frequent and immediate updates. It’s important to make your presence known by tweeting often – either your own original tweets or in response to other tweets. One note of caution: be conscientious of how many tweets you post in a day. There’s a fine line between being an active tweeter and issuing a tweet every 10 minutes. For more guidelines, refer to my previous post “How Many Tweets Are Too Many Tweets?”

My fourth tip: Pay attention to what you’re tweeting. Be sure what you’re saying is worth reading. Many of the corporate tweets I’ve read are confusing, almost like I’m eavesdropping on a personal conversation. Other tweets are really interesting and pique my interest enough that I click on the accompanying URL. When you’re tweeting, think about your audience. What do they want to do know? Why were they interested enough to follow you in the first place? What will make them anticipate your next tweet?

My fifth (and final) tip: Be genuine. This tip applies to all social media, not just Twitter. When people access social networking sites, they believe they’re interacting with real people who have real things to say. Don’t hire a ghost tweeter, don’t censor what you say and don’t edit what other posts say about you.