When it comes down to it there are two ways of looking at Twitter – quantity and quality. The reality is that both factors are important and work together. Ultimately you are looking for followers who are going to be valuable to you, so we’ve put together some tips to get you on your way:

#1 – Get to know people who want to know you

If followers offer themselves willingly to you, take the opportunity to befriend and build relationship with them. Whether it’s anything from retweeting or mentioning you, to making one of your tweets their favourite, don’t miss your chance to talk to them. Chances are they are already following you, but if not, they are more likely to if you follow them first.

#2 – Schedule and re-use successful tweets

You know that tweet was popular. Why not make the most of it? If a tweet has been retweeted, replied and clicked, seeing a lot of engagement, then reschedule it for future tweeting to maximise its impact. Tools such as Buffer https://bufferapp.com/ or Tweetdeck https://about.twitter.com/products/tweetdeck will enable you to do this.

#3 – Share your Twitter feed via your website

Your website is a huge asset to you, and you can show ‘live tweets’ on it using a Twitter feed. This can have up to 4 photos with it, and can help you to get new followers without them needing to even go onto Twitter.

#4 – Create a ‘follow’ button from your website

Just like sharing tweets on your website, you can create a ‘follow’ button which visitors to your website can click to immediately follow you on Twitter. Having multiple buttons located around your site, for example on your ‘About Us’ or ‘Contact Us’ pages, or even your blog, encourages people to click through to your Twitter and engage with you.

#5 – Make your Twitter presence known

Tell everyone that you are on Twitter, both online and offline, in emails, social networking, your website, and leaflets or business cards. Be creative. If you own a business with a venue where staff are front-of-house, then you could even get them to wear a uniform displaying your Twitter handle.

#6 – Offer benefits to Twitter followers

You’ll be surprised at the effect of offering benefits to your followers on Twitter. Offering exclusive content to followers, whether that be competition entry for prizes, tips, or promotional discounts, it is really easy to get followers by giving them a simple incentive to follow you.

#7 – Retweet and be retweeted

Being generous when retweeting will ultimately pay off, as others return the favour. Be careful that what you are retweeting is still relevant, and benefit from being able to share content from high-profile individuals within your industry.

#8 – Just ask

If you don’t ask, you don’t get. And the same is true for Tweets. According to statistics, those who ask for retweets are likely to get them. This is a great way to get in contact and make yourself known to a wider audience.

#9 – Get chatting

Utilise hashtags to join in trending conversations within your industry sector. This will help you engage, but also increase your visibility to relevant contacts through common interests and topics of discussion.

#10 – Pick your favourites

By making tweets your ‘favourite’, you notify the person who posted it that you have acknowledged them. This immediately creates contact with them, and makes them feel valued. By doing this, you will get noticed by your target audience.

#11 – Find and add your email contacts

Use the resources you already have. Twitter allows you to search for and ‘Discover/ Find Friends’ and contacts that you already know the email addresses of, which is a helpful tool if you are already connecting with customers via email.

#12 – Make use of other social media platforms

Just as on your website, you might want to display your Twitter account on any other social media platforms that you have, to spread the word further. LinkedIn is a perfect example of this, wher you are able to display one or more Twitter accounts under your ‘Contact Info’, making it visible to all those you are connected with.

Find out more

For more advice on how to use Twitter effectively, get in touch with Iconic Digital’s experienced Social Media team today on 020 7100 0726.