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Marketing & Sales
May 26, 2015

How To Get More Twitter Followers

Sponsored Content provided by Mike Duncan - CEO and Creative Director, Sage Island

No matter how you feel about social media, it’s now a well-known fact that Twitter can be a great tool, especially for businesses. Learning to tweet effectively, however, is only half the battle. As a recent study showed, Twitter users are 64 percent more likely to buy from brands they follow on Twitter. This stat doesn’t include all brands on Twitter, just the brands those users are actively following. You see, it’s only when someone chooses to click that little white “follow” button that you’re able to reap the benefits of Twitter.
 
So how do you get those coveted followers and take advantage of all that Twitter has to offer? While it can be tempting to buy a few thousand Twitter followers, this is actually a terrible idea. Not only is it dishonest, but paying for followers means you end up with a bunch of people (let’s be honest, robots) who don’t care about you, your business or your product. While your number of followers might grow, your community will remain stagnant.
 
Instead of a large number of followers, you want to connect with individuals who are invested in and excited by your business. At Sage Island, our social media team is always experimenting with different strategies to grow our social media accounts in organic ways. Here are some of the best tips they have to offer when it comes to building your Twitter following:

  1. Have something to say. The more often you tweet, the more followers you will have. If you’re active and interesting, others are more likely to follow you. As far as how often you tweet, it really depends on your audience and what you’re saying, but a good rule of thumb is three to five times a day. Just make sure you’re not posting the same static link to your website every time. If you vary what you tweet about, your followers will be more interested in what you have to say.
     
  2. Think ahead. If the idea of logging on to Twitter five times a day is daunting, we have good news. You can actually schedule your tweets ahead of time, which allows you to space them out during the most opportune times and focus on tasks outside of your timeline. There are many easy-to-use apps that make scheduling a breeze (we’re big fans of TweetDeck) and help keep tweeting under control.
     
  3. Use hashtags! Using hashtags strategically can help you expand your tweets’ reach. Choose two or three broad subjects that are industry-specific – this will allow others to find you, and help keep your business in the loop. You can also keep an eye on trending hashtags, which are listed on the left side of Twitter’s homepage and updated in real time. Holidays, news stories and even weekly themes, such as #MotivationMonday and #FridayReads, give you a chance to contribute to the Twitter community in fun and creative ways.
     
  4. Go visual. According to Twitter, tweets with images get shared (also known as “retweeted”) 35 percent as often, and if you’re hoping for more followers, retweets are a great way to get them. Adding an image is easy – just click the “add photo” button, upload your picture, and wait for the followers to start rolling in.
     
  5. Impress yourself. One of Twitter’s newer features is the ability to see how many impressions an individual tweet has received, and how often users engaged with it. Finding this information is as easy as clicking “view tweet activity” within the individual tweet. By monitoring this valuable information, you’ll be able to see which tweets perform better, and then tailor your use of the site accordingly.
     
  6. Share the love. As I mentioned before, getting retweeted is a great way to snag new followers, but so is returning the favor and shining the spotlight on others. Tag other companies in your tweets, retweet things your followers might find interesting, and reply to every single person who takes the time to talk to you on the platform. Remember, the best members of any community are the ones who give more than they take.
     
  7. To get a follower, be a follower. If you want to be heard, listen. If you want to be followed, follow. Search hashtags for your area, industry and interests, and follow those people who seem interesting, funny or smart. Then go a step further and see who their followers are, and follow them, too. Chances are, once those people realize that you’re also interesting, funny and smart, they’ll return the favor. Before you know it, you’ll be surrounded by the best people on the Internet and your biggest problem will be tearing yourself away from Twitter and all the great things it has to offer.
Just like any good relationship, Twitter requires time, patience, and some good old-fashioned quality time. At Sage Island, we know the best way to build a community on Twitter is by being a great leader and a good follower, and we’re happy to help you strike that balance.
 
Mike Duncan co-founded Sage Island in 1997, and since then has evolved the agency’s scope to include marketing strategy, creative design, technical development and a wide range of digital marketing services. With an integrated approach that leverages the power and measurability of the internet, the savvy Sage Island team develops strategies, builds brands, writes killer copy and delivers to clients all over the world. And they have an awesome time doing it. Sage’s collaborative working environment keeps creativity and innovation at the heart of the concept. With a 17-year history in Wilmington and beyond, Sage Island shows no signs of slowing down. To learn how Sage Island can grow your business, check us out at www.sageisland.com. To stay updated on the latest in digital marketing, follow Sage Island on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SageIsland, and on Twitter at twitter.com/SageIsland.

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