I strongly advocate that individual and especially business social media users target followers and engagement organically, via sharing valuable content, links and great information. Sometimes businesses just want to have big numbers, especially on Twitter. This guest post by Nate Atkins shares reasons why numbers matter.
Twitter, the numbers matter
Small business owners cannot underestimate the power of Twitter and the revenue a properly written and timed tweet can bring them. Though very few small businesses will ever accumulate the 35 million followers Lady Gaga or the 17 million of Kim Kardashian, marketing companies are willing to pay these individuals $100,000 or more to publish a sponsored tweet just for the exposure, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Twitter can become a valuable asset to any company, blogger or socialite as the number of their followers increases. Branden Hampton, who founded @notebook on Twitter, told Smart Money he built a 4.4 million strong following in two years without spending any money on marketing. He said its possible to earn a six-figure income with a half-million followers. Here are some ways to increase your number of followers on Twitter.
photo by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Twiends.com
One of the best kept secrets on the Internet when it comes to increasing your number of followers on Twitter is Twiends. This free service is like a virtual business card printing mechanism that subsequently hands said cards to thousands of individuals. In a nutshell, the applications lets users accumulate “seeds” every time they watch a video on Youtube or “like” a Facebook page. You can then use those seeds to, for lack of better term, buy followers. All you have to do is sign up for an account (you get 25 free seeds just for signing up) and, depending on how often you use it, could have a few hundred new Twitter followers in a matter of days.
Use Hashtags
Some people prefer to get followers the old-fashioned, organic way. Including #hashtags in your tweets exposes them to millions of Twitter users who would otherwise never see your thoughts. Small business owners should check what is trending locally and in their fields of business. Tweeters can tailor their trends to these specific subject matters simply by clicking the “change” link where trending items appear on your Twitter page.
Guest Postings
Writing for other blogs and websites exposes your name and brand to a whole new audience. Every guest post you write should include a link to your Twitter bio so readers can learn more about, and hopefully, follow you as well. Most websites that accept guest postings will post their policies about the process somewhere on their home page.
Follow “Autofollowers”
You may notice that there are some Twitter users with tens of thousands of followers, who also follow tens of thousands of people. Autofollowers automatically follow everyone who follows them, with the idea of attracting like-minded followers from the new followers’ following (say that three times fast). Some of these autofollowers are obviously spammers, as they only have a few followers in return. When you find one of these spam accounts, follow everyone who follows the spammer. These people are all likely autofollowers, and you’ll get a follow-back instantly.
Keep in mind, people are more willing to do business with and interact with those with thousands of followers. Just like the crowded bar is more likely to attract more patrons than the empty one across the street, the same goes for social media.
