Organically growing your Twitter base with genuine fans takes concentrated effort. Between short attention spans and harsh competition, the road ahead isn’t easy.
However, it is still possible to create an engaging Twitter account that attracts loyal followers. To do this, you must craft original and unique content and make sure it gets in front of the right people. It’s also important to experiment with different techniques to see how they perform with your target audience.
Here’s our field-tested 22 tips for building your Twitter following. But before we get to that, let’s first take a look at why you’d want more followers in the first place!
Why You Want to Attract More Twitter Followers
With the number of Twitter users expected to approach 370 million in 2020, it’s no secret that this platform is one on which you need to have a presence. In fact, in 2016, 76% of marketers worldwide used Twitter to promote their business. Of course, a mere presence is not enough. An army of loyal followers can provide social proof, demonstrate your authority, and help further your reach.
Attracting more followers means more people see and share your posts, and more potential customers. On that note, just bear in mind it’s not all in the numbers and you should ideally shoot for quality over quantity. It is more important that your followers, however many, listen, and interact with what you share.
With plenty of Twitter campaign success stories, there’s no reason why you can’t get in on a piece of the action. With the right balance of quality content, lots of personal interaction, and a little automation, you can make Twitter work its magic for you. Just always remember the cardinal rule of Twitter success — be genuine and don’t spam.
22 Tips to Attract More Twitter Followers
If you’re ready to start taking your Twitter presence seriously, put on your hard hat and gloves. It’s time to get down to business!
Tip #1: Target Tweetable Phrases, Not SEO Keywords
Shifting gears from SEO to social media targeting can be difficult. It’s important to remember that keywords for search engines and social media can be wildly different.
Instead of targeting phrases that someone might enter in Google, your keywords should be tweetable phrases. You can use these in Twitter search to hone in on your target audience.
Tip #2: Use Automation, But Proceed With Caution
Automation is the social media marketer’s superpower. You can automate likes, follows, lists, and direct messages. Doing this can free up a significant amount of time, allowing you to reach more people.
Like all superpowers, however, it has its kryptonite. Automation gone wrong will make you seem robotic and is likely to turn people off. Going too far may even get you removed from Twitter.
You can try using tools like Socedo and Tribeboost to manage automation, and play with different combinations to ensure it appears natural.
Tip #3: Experiment Posting More Often Than You’re Comfortable With
Given the fast and furious pace of Twitter, not everyone is going to see every single one of your tweets. That means you can post more often than you think without becoming annoying!
Nichole Elizabeth DeMeré, a Moz contributor, recommends publishing a whopping 30–50 posts per day.
Tip #4: Promote the Same Post Multiple Times in One Day
Considering how quickly tweets get lost in the feed, it’s totally acceptable to share the same resource multiple times in one day. This helps get your content in front of more people.
The trick here is to use different text for each of your tweets, even when linking to the same thing. Tara Reid, another Moz contributor, suggests a 14 day, 14 tweets experiment to test the waters.
Tip #5: Don’t Be Afraid of Recycling Content
Another strategy Tara recommends is recycling your content and sharing older posts. Tools like MeetEdgar automatically do this in a way that fits naturally into your regular Twitter feed.
The team at MeetEdgar has collected multiple examples of how recycling content can improve engagement and reach a wider number of potential followers.
Tip #6: Do Continue to Share a Lot of New, Unique Material
Don’t be afraid to continue sharing one-off, fresh material. Being able to post the right content at the right time can serve as a great advantage.
Tip #7: Write From a Benefits-Driven Perspective
When you’re sharing your work, try to focus on why the person reading it should care.
For example, Chris Brogan doesn’t announce he’s written a new blog post. He tells the reader that they can control where they spend their time, which is something everyone wants:
Tip #8: Focus on Your Customer, Not Your Product
Data shows your customers care about personal interaction more than anything else. 77% of Twitter users are extra positive about a brand after being replied to! On top of that, 54% of users take action after seeing brand mentions within tweets.
It seems that stimulating conversation with your customers may drive more leads on Twitter than product-based promotion.
Tip #9: Use Fewer Words Per Tweet
Twitter recommends short, compelling messages.
You’ll want to measure your own engagement rates, of course, but 80–110 characters is the most effective range. This ideal character length has been around since 2012 and still holds strong.
Tip #10: Be Direct and Ask for Shares, Likes, and Retweets
It’s okay to be forward every once in awhile. Simply spelling out the full word ‘retweet’ in your request can result in a higher than average retweet rate.
Tip #11: Tell a Story
Using generic headlines will cause your message to lack originality and intrigue. Try tweaking them to bring out their story. If the post doesn’t have a story, try finding one that leads the reader into the post instead.
Tip #12: Use Eye-Catching, Original Graphics
Visuals perform well on nearly every social media platform.
While stock images can be helpful at times, your own graphics may net you better success. It is easier to stand out with unique content!
You can use tools like Picmonkey, Piktochart, and Visage to make your own.
Tip #13: Use Clear Actionable Language
Direct, actionable tweets convert better. It’s always a good idea to include a strong call to action.
Tip #14: Include Relevant Hashtags
Including a relevant hashtag can double engagement with your tweet. The only rule here is to make sure the hashtag actually makes sense.
Tip #15: Be Creative With Trending Hashtags
Double-check the meaning of a trending hashtag before piggybacking it. Often these are related to public tragedies or other sensitive topics, and the last thing you want to do is post something wildly insensitive and inappropriate.
After it checks out, go nuts! Show your humor or put a clever spin on it.
Tip #16: Start Your Own Hashtag Campaign
Alternatively, make up your own hashtag. Companies do this all the time, but do a common sense check before launch to avoid epic #fails.
Tip #17: Host an Engaging and Informative Twitter Chat
A Twitter chat can attract all kinds of new followers who are genuinely interested in your point of view.
Tip #18: Create a Guideline for Your Twitter “Voice”
A brand voice helps you craft consistent, engaging tweets with personality.
Tip #19: Use Your “Voice” Guidelines to Brand Your Profile
Make sure your profile is filled out using that same guideline! This is the first impression potential followers get when they come to check you out.
Tip #20: Respond Quickly
Responding quickly to customer support is crucial. Users expect your response within the hour.
Tip #21: Track Your Shared Links
You can automatically track shared links on apps like Hootsuite or Buffer. If something is working, keep sharing that kind of content!
To dive in deeper, check out your Twitter analytics dashboard.
Tip #22: Use Twitter Lists to Manage Relationships
Twitter lists allow you to organize the people you are interested in. Neil Patel offers a detailed guide for how to use them to their fullest potential.
Conclusion
Attracting more Twitter followers who are true fans is not easy, but it is relatively simple. Having an engaged following on Twitter can come with many benefits, like social proof, increased authority, and more conversions.
In this post we’ve revealed 22 top tips for attracting more Twitter followers. Obviously, we don’t expect that you can exercise them all right away, but by gradually making each one a habit, you’ll soon have an army of loyal fans. Just remember to always be genuine and avoid spam. Focus on concise, engaging tweets that interest the right people, and make sure they’re discoverable!
Image Credits
Featured image: Wavebreakmedia/DepositPhotos.com
In-post images: Screenshots by Aleh Barysevich. Taken February 2017.
