Most people thought that Twitter was a fad that would vanish faster than MySpace. But to everyone’s surprise, this micro-blogging network became one of the most popular social networking sites all over the world. Since Twitter’s beginnings as an underdog in social media, it has become a preferred site because of its openness to user feedback.
When Twitter started, the first subscribers used to bribe others with cash to gain followers and eventually earn follow-backs. The developers have since added policies to prevent hacking and advised subscribers to let their followers grow organically.
The key advantage that Twitter has is its ability to quickly share ideas or distribute significant information among subscribers. For companies engaged in Internet marketing or e-commerce, gaining followers will take time, effort, and funding. Here are some factors that will help establish a dedicated following, free of charge:
1. Post important content.
In Twitter (or in any social media platform), the first step is to post content on a regular basis. Users do not want to visit subscribers repeating the same news they may have already seen. Followers will appreciate fresh content that offers relevant information. This makes it worthwhile for them to visit your account everyday, and promote it to others.
Post content about topics that are useful, unique, or interesting. If you have an online business, you might want to post about related content apart from your products.
2. Prove authenticity to followers.
Personal tweets are posted for the followers, but what about to users who are not familiar with you or your company? It is your job to show them that you are a human being, not a bot. If it’s for your company, the username has to be your real name or the name of the organization. This way other Twitter users can locate you easily.
The profile picture has to be the company logo or a photo of an employee, and not of an anime character or other unrelated image. You should also fill up the bio box with detailed descriptions of what they do.
3. Avoid overdoing the promotions.
Users visit Twitter to talk about things that interest them, interact with real people, and share their ideas with others. The current generation of users is smart and resourceful, able to smell a subscriber who is only in the site to hustle money from them or otherwise exploit them. If this happens, the opportunist becomes a Twitter outcast, shunned by other users.
Social media has great promotional platforms you can use to grow your business. However, it’s important to avoid overdoing it.
4. Interact with your followers.
A savvy Twitter user broadcasts interesting questions for their followers to discuss or debate about. For e-commerce sites, this is a great opportunity to engage your community. It will promote healthy discussion, and may attract more followers who may want to add their opinions. However, you have to make sure that you take the time to participate in the discussion as well, to better engage your customers.
