Building a strong, loyal Twitter following can be tough!
No matter what you do, you can’t seem to move the needle on your follower count.
With over 300 million active Twitter users, standing out in the crowd isn’t easy — especially if you’re just repeating the same Twitter patterns day in and day out.
These are things you can start doing immediately so you’ll see progress TODAY!
1. Get More Twitter Followers by Crafting an IRRESISTIBLE Bio
In addition to your avatar and background image — the first thing people notice when they look at your profile is your bio.
It needs to stand out and help people really understand at a glance who you are. You want them to immediately WANT to connect with you.
Remember — your bio allows for 160 characters. You have a lot of space there, so use it and use it right!
Here are 7 helpful tips for writing a great bio:
Use keywords to attract your desired audience.
Embrace the space — the bio is your 160-character elevator speech!
Tell us what you do or believe in — vanilla is popular only in ice cream.
Include the name of your company (and link the website).
Avoid meaningless buzzwords — I mean, what’s a “lean entrepreneur” anyway?
Add social proof — don’t be afraid to mention honors, positions and achievements
Use humor (if you don’t have any, borrow some).
2. Get More Twitter Followers by Telling Your Story!
Great social media storytelling has become an art form.
Storytelling is a genius way to attract people by sharing details about your business that they might not find out if they didn’t follow your tweets.
It’s a way to connect with people on a deeper level by humanizing your business.
The key is to be personal — let people see the real you.
Don’t worry about being super stiff and “Oh, I have to be all business” or “Am I going to say the wrong thing?”
Just be honest!
Pretend you’re talking to people who are coming over to your house for a dinner party. Let your Twitter followers see that side of your personality.
And over time as you tell your story — people will remember it and relate to it.
That’s where the meaningful relationships come from on Twitter.
Of course, it’s up to you how much you want to share — everyone has a different comfort level.
Just think to yourself, “What are those wonderful little things about me that people will automatically be drawn to — that they’ll want to engage in a conversation with me about?”
3. Get More Twitter Followers by Strategically Using Twitter Lists
I think this is one of the most underused features on Twitter — a lot of people don’t realize how to use them.
Twitter lists are where you can manage all of those relationships you’re building. They help you keep track of the important conversations.
And there are tons of creative ways to use them! Our friends at Buffer came up with some great ideas. Check them out at 23 Seldom-Used Ideas for How to Use Twitter Lists.
One of the most common ways to use Twitter lists is to filter tweets.
For example, if you’re following 5,000 people but there are only 300 of those people that you want to make sure you don’t miss their tweets — you can set that up on a list.
Another great use is to organize and categorize Twitter accounts you follow — put them in a list! For example, a special group in your community: “Favorite Bloggers” or “Digital Influencers.”
4. Get More Twitter Followers by Being More Visible… TWEET MORE!
That’s right.
Whatever you’re doing now, step it up.
People always ask, “How much and how often should I be tweeting?”
The answer to that depends on your Twitter goals.
Why are you on Twitter in the first place?
What are your strategies?
What are you there to accomplish?
How many followers do you have? How many followers do you want?
There are lots of things to consider.
The quantity of your tweets matters — but quality always trumps quantity.
We recommend that you tweet as often as you can while still being able to send out high quality info and engage with your followers (to build those important relationships).
5. Get More Twitter Followers by Scheduling Your Tweets (Do this PRONTO!)
It’s important to note that scheduling and automating tweets are 2 completely different things.
Automation is when you just put everything on autopilot, whereas scheduling and queuing up your content is strategic.
For example, you’re going out and you’re finding content that is relevant to your followers, and you are scheduling that content.
When you schedule your tweets — you’re consistent across Twitter, regardless of what time of the day it is. You free yourself up so you’re not constantly on the hunt for great content.
You can come onto Twitter and engage for a few minutes instead of feeling like you’ve got to be sitting on Twitter 24//7.
On the other hand, if you automate everything and never check in — you’re just signing up to have someone’s feed post to your Twitter account.
You don’t know what kind of content you’re putting out there. Remember — it’s your brand! Everything you put out there is you.
6. Get More Twitter Followers by Connecting with NEW & Interesting People
One of the best ways to find new followers is to participate in Twitter chats.
It allows you to build credibility in your community and find people with similar interests.
Not sure HOW to participate in a Twitter chat? I’ve got a cheat sheet for you:
The most basic way is to follow the hashtag on search.twitter.com
Or use a tool like TweetChat or Tweetdeck
Twitter chats are Q and A format
The host will ask Q1) and you answer A1)
Always include the chat hashtag with your answers so it shows up in the chat’s feed.
You can reply to the person who sent the question — or introduce all your followers to the chat and encourage their participation. In that case, you would begin the tweet with A1) instead of typing the tweet as a reply.
If you’re about to join a Twitter chat and plan on a large number of tweets/retweets, it’s always polite to post to your following beforehand and say something like, “Please excuse me while I power tweet for one hour during XYZ chat.” (Here’s an example)
Be positive, be helpful, offer helpful advice and insight
You don’t have to stay for the entire chat (no guilt)
Storify is great for a quick recap for people who might have missed it (and for a review)