How To Grow Your Twitter Following (with actual engaged fans).

I had 42 followers on Twitter when I began blogging a year ago.  I started an account in 2008 because I’m one of those “early adopters.”  I was on Facebook in 2005 when it was only open to .edu email addresses at select universities.  I joined Pinterest when you still needed an invitation to join.  I just like new platforms.  However, Twitter wasn’t my thing.  I had it, but rarely used it.  I just didn’t get the point.  I have to limit what I say to how many characters?!

It wasn’t until I attended a B2B conference in May of this year that I truly understood the power of Twitter.  I gained tons of major marketing powerhouse followers that week just by using the hashtag for the conference.  I was learning so much from them and FINALLY got the benefit of Twitter.  I began to set up my Twitter strategy and it helped me grow my Twitter following with engaged followers by 4,000% in 4 months.  I was officially addicted.  You’re probably wondering what my strategy was.  Well, you’re in luck.  I’m about to tell you.

1)  Optimize Your Profile

First thing first.  Your Twitter profile should match your other social media profiles for branding purposes.  This will not only help your brand recognition, but it will be useful if you already have a good following on other social media platforms.  You’re recognized at a glance.  Your bio, cover photo, & profile picture should be the same on all platforms.

Sarah Smirks

Nectar Collective

By Regina

When writing your bio, make sure to include important keywords.  What is it that you want to be known for in your industry?  Make sure that your bio tells your audience!  I want to be known for branding and marketing – not only do I use those words in my bio, I hashtag them (yes, hashtags work in your bio).

2) Develop a Content Strategy 

Tweet information your audience wants to read and do it often.  Twitter is a fast-paced platform and Tweets get buried fast.  I Tweet about social media, marketing, & blogging tips (find me at @mama_marketer).  I keep my account to 1-2 Tweets of my own content a day, 1 Tweet of another blogger in my niche that has amazing content, and 1-2 retweets a day.  Use your “voice” in your Tweets.  I’m known for a bit-o-sass, so I keep my tweets that way too.  The most clicked on posts have photos and hashtags, so when you’re posting (and I recommend automating this with Hootsuite or Buffer) I recommend doing some research on the best hashtags and using images 440×220 pixels.

Life with Joanne posted this list of hashtags for bloggers and businesses.  I use them every time I Tweet and it has made a big impact on my retweets and being added to lists.