Part 2: Attract followers with simple methods, but pay attention
Gaining Twitter followers takes time and effort. When first creating an account, the proportion streams you follow to followers is going to be high. If your page is six months old and that’s still the case, then you might need to make some strategic changes.
Clarity
Your Twitter page should look up-to-date and clean. That means using a relevant profile picture, header image, and bio. To other businesses, you’ll look more professional; to consumers, you’ll look like a trustworthy brand. That’s really how you should look at your Twitter page: it’s your brand in the form of social media. Do not leave out the details people want to know about your business. Also, respond to other users when they mention you or comment on your posts. Just as you do with real-life business, sell yourself as credible on your Twitter page and back it up.
Relevance
Once your page is ready, you want to follow other relevant Twitter accounts. This may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how many people follow accounts in seemingly random ways. The goal of following others on Twitter is to have them follow you back, not to look cultured or interested in everything. Look for relevant potential followers by searching keywords. Review what they are posting and how often they are posting to help determine if your company should follow them. Overly aggressive following strategies make businesses look desperate. Also, following too many people at once (around 100 in less than an hour is a good limit) makes Twitter think of you as a spam bot, meaning Twitter might block your page. That’s not good for business. Following new business leads is good for business, and the benefits range from growing your reputation to getting ahead of your competitors, according to Business 2 Community. A large commonality between social media and business is the need for connections.
Patience
After you follow these two steps, focus on the content of your tweets. Then, after a few weeks (two or three at most), check your progress. Hopefully, the pages you followed will return the favor. If not, then stop following them. As a business, chasing after people who are not interested in your brand is a waste of time. Social media is not about advertising to the general public, it is about connecting to specific people who want what you have to offer or want to hear what you have to say. In addition, unfollowing and refollowing pages makes you look like a stalker, and they will certainly notice. Just move on.
This blog was contributed by Clearpoint Agency intern, Conner Shaw.