How to grow your Twitter network
I’ve been using Twitter heavily over the past month (5500 followers and counting!). I would like to share with you some of the things I do to grow my network and (just as important) to retain the people that I have in my network already.
Share interesting pieces of information
If I’m reading a particularly interesting blog post or news story then I will tweet the URL. Not only am I helping my followers by giving them some useful info but I’m also helping the author of the blog. If I’m lucky then I may even end up with them following ME and tweeting MY blog posts to their followers. If they have many thousands followers then I’ll attract new followers and website hits.
I also encourage people to ask me questions about search engine optimisation and website marketing. Not only does it help them but it gives me an excuse to show what I an expert I am in front of 5000 people. If the advice that I give is particularly useful then my followers may re-tweet it to their followers, who may then follow me.
Interact with my followers
I often ask my followers questions. There are a few reasons for this. It nearly always gets a discussion going and gives me things to tweet about. And often people are just looking for a reason to start tweeting but don’t necessarily have something to say – me asking them a question gives them a reason to tweet.
Finally, I love to hear from people that are following me – they often have great insights and great stories to share, so I generally always get something beneficial from it.
Interact with the people I’m following
As well as asking people questions I’ll often respond to other people’s tweets. I follow people with similar interests so I nearly always have something to say. By having a dialogue with people (regardless of who they are) I have learned loads, acquired new followers and even won a stack of new business!
Really, the key thing about Twitter is to interact with people. Don’t worry about the ‘big’ names on Twitter – if you can build your own large network of people that like what YOU are doing then you can start to enjoy the benefits of a large Twitter network.
If you want to join the fun then follow me on Twitter!
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Comments
Sorry about that, link got messed up:
This is great information. I am going to take this to heart. Thanks!
Hi Gregor, you’ve built up quite a following! I also wrote a blog post about Twitter recently, but mine was intended to persuade new users that Twitter is not just a waste of time (which many people seem to think it is!). It’s here: http://kendallcopywriting.co.uk/2009/01/07/why-twitter-method-in-the-mayhem/
[...] How to Grow Your Twitter Network (How to Find More Followers) by Gregor Spowart This entry was written by Leif Kendall, posted on January 7, 2009 at 6:26 am, filed under marketing, social media and tagged marketing, social media, twitter. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Post a comment or leave a trackback: Trackback URL. « Writing for the Web – A Quick Guide on What to Write and How to Write It Useful lessons for freelancers – #9: Volunteer Your Services » [...]
It is really very difficult to have that big amount of followers and I am wondering what amount of time you have spent there. In between I love your post because I haven’t found all those tips on one place ever.
[...] Small Business Website Marketing – The name says it all. They have some very good articles. Check out their article on using Twitter. [...]
I think I’ll be the last one left kicking and screaming before I really jump head on into twitter marketing.
I am into week 4 of my twitter experience. I am still struggling to find the value when there are so many people talking at the same time.
Thanks for your perspective on twitter, I will keep working at it.
A lot of people keep saying that Twitter is great but don’t really give any thought on how to use it like you do in this post. Great job!
Well, I have seen your stats at twitter. They are really huge. I think twitter is a great platform to market your stuff and make friends. btw, nice post.
Stumbled upon your blog and read a few of your postings.. Nice blog. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hey, I read this blog and started to do what you said.. and though i’d share that I now have grown to close to 1,000 followers in just under 2 weeks ’cause of really just getting involve with my twitter and taking it seriously, like you said.
I have been reading your posts for a while, this is my first comment, but definitely sticking around!
This is great information. I am going to take this to heart. Thanks!