IN THE STUDIO

Twitter is an interesting, virtual place. Celebrities, like Justin Bieber, have millions of followers waiting with bated breath to see just what the Bieb ate for breakfast. People, in random places all over the world, have broken global news before any news organizations (protests in Egypt and the Boston Marathon). Even the news media sites Twitter as a credible source.

Maybe you don’t have millions of followers on Twitter, but there are a few tricks of the trade that can grow your Twitter following that are both ethical and follow Best Practices. Here are just a few of them.

The More You Tweet, the More Followers You Attract

Studies have shown that the more you tweet, the more followers you’re likely to have (users who have written under 1000 tweets typically have fewer than 100 followers, while those who have tweeted more than 10,000 times usually have followings of between 1000-5000 people).

Respond to the Tweets of Others and to Tweets Directed at You

Learn about your demographic and respond to people that you are following using the @replies. That way, it shows up in their feeds and your feed. Be sure to respond to Tweets that mention you or are directed at you. It is vital. In social media, if a business does not respond to a customer, that customer’s impression of the business goes down dramatically, and then there is an emotional response linked to that lack of interaction. Don’t neglect those reaching out to you (whether it is positive or negative).

The More You Tweet, the More Comfortable You Will Be in Your Tweeting-Voice

Tweeting is not the same as posting statuses on Facebook or LinkedIn. It is short. It is editorial. Learn the basics of Twitter. Then, harness the types of content that appeal to your audience and just dive in: tweet, tweet, tweet. The more you Tweet, the more comfortable you will be Tweeting, resulting in your audience being more comfortable with you.

Follow Your Friends, Your Contacts, and Your Followers on Twitter

Twitter allows you to go into your email accounts and see if your contacts are on Twitter. Then, it allows you to follow those that are on Twitter and invite those that are not on Twitter. Follow your friends and contacts. They will see you following them, and will likely follow you.

Don’t forget to follow your followers. You may not be friends or contacts with all who are following you. By following your followers, more engagement can occur thus increasing your Twitter following in general.

Use Twitter’s Recommendations

In the #Discover section of your Twitter account (in the top left header), Twitter recommends who you should follow. If you are trying to gain a following, you must also follow businesses, groups, news organizations, and people of interest.

Always use Twitter in an ethical manor. Once it's out there, it's out there. It is very difficult to reign Tweets back in, especially when people Retweet and share. Always keep your online reputation in mind and use Best Practices at all times.

Use Your Twitter Name Everywhere

Add your Twitter profile name to your email signatures (on all your email accounts), on all your social media accounts, on your business cards, on QR codes, and on all marketing materials.

Join our conversation.
Follow Miceli Productions on Twitter at httpss://twitter.com/MProVideo.