Twitter is a powerful tool for businesses when used correctly. It can help generate leads, solidify branding, and build connections with prospects. However, if a business has no followers, it cannot experience all these benefits.
Revolutionize Your Social Media Strategy: Grow Your Fanbase with Automated System
Having an active following on Twitter is not just about prestige, and followers are not just numbers. Twitter followers hold real value for businesses; in fact, 36% of marketers say they have gained a customer by using Twitter.
This article will examine 50 ways to increase Twitter followers and take advantage of the many benefits of Twitter. The strategies below fit into one of the following four categories:
- Tweeting content that is enticing and/or informative enough to be retweeted
- Following others so they follow back
- Tweeting content in a way that increases visibility
- Promoting your Twitter account effectively
Twitter has a great paid advertising option that is effective for acquiring followers, but this article will only consider free options. Don’t forget to add your best Twitter tips in the comments at the end of this post!
Unlock Your Earning Potential: Get Paid to Scroll with Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!
Here are two ways to increase Twitter followers:
- Follow more people: Research shows a correlation between the number of people followed and the number of followers.
- Use a tool like Hootsuite or SproutSocial to schedule tweets. Posting regularly increases engagement and visibility, thereby increasing follower count.
- Use Twiends to find new Twitter users with similar interests to connect with. Once you’re listed on the platform, other users can also find and follow you.
- Optimize your Twitter bio to make it professional, complete, and representative of you and your business. Users who want to learn more about you will inevitably visit your Twitter bio.
- Use links in your tweets to get more retweets. Tweets with links get more engagement than those without.
- Include relevant keywords in your bio to rank in Twitter search. Don’t forget to include your city or region name to attract local users.
- Use relevant hashtags in your posts to attract new followers who are searching for those keywords. Tweets with hashtags get at least 2x more engagement.
- Ask for retweets in your tweets to get more engagement. Tweets that include “Please retweet” in their text get 4x more retweets.
- Find people you know by uploading your email contacts to Twitter. They are likely to follow you back, especially since they know you in real life.
- Include images with your tweets to get more engagement. Tweets with images receive 18% more engagement than those without.
- Promote your Twitter account on all your marketing materials, including business cards, brochures, signs, and your website.
- Use a headshot in your profile picture instead of your logo. Show there’s a real person behind your brand by using a personal photo.
- Use the Tweet This WordPress plugin to embed content boxes on your website or blog to get site visitors to tweet your content, expanding your reach and attracting new followers.
- Promote your Twitter account on your other social media accounts. Mention interesting discussions you’re engaged in on Twitter to entice people to follow you.
- Tweet on the weekends to get more engagement. Brands get 17% more engagement on the weekends than during the week.
- Reference users in your tweets by @mentioning them when replying to or mentioning other users. People are more likely to engage with your tweets when they’re mentioned by name.
- Use a follow button on your website or blog to make it as easy as possible for your website visitors to find you.
- Tweet motivational or inspirational quotes to get more retweets.
- Respond publicly when your response would be useful to others instead of direct messaging responses to public questions. Share your knowledge publicly and @mention the person who asked.
- Include a link to your @username in the author bio of your guest posts to promote your Twitter account.
- Embed tweets in your website content to display particularly interesting or popular tweets in a blog post, enticing your website visitors to follow you on Twitter.
- Participate in Twitter chats as they are an excellent way to engage with your customers and prospects on a deeper level. Follow those you meet in the chat, and they are likely to follow you back.
- Pin an eye-catching tweet to the top of your profile page. When people check out your profile, show them the best-of-the-best to entice them to follow you.
- Use Ignitwit to find new followers. Choose the topics you’re interested in and receive a list of users to follow. Ignitwit will even inform you of users who have chosen not to follow you back, giving you the ability to unfollow uninterested parties.
- Encourage your email subscribers to follow you on Twitter by letting them know about interesting discussions, chats, or topics they can expect to find by following you.
- Focus on helping others rather than pushing your own content. Twitter is about making connections, providing valuable content, and helping others. Become known as someone who puts the needs of others first, and your follower count will grow organically.
- Utilize Twitter search to find users who share your interests. Follow them, engage with their content, and wait for them to follow you back.
- Participate in Follow Friday (#FF) by regularly adding new followers and suggesting users others should follow. Getting connected and being a connector are both key to increasing your follower count.
- Retweet influencers and provide valuable feedback. Check out this post for details on how to use this technique to get influencers to notice and follow you!
- Tweet your content multiple times. According to Moz, the lifespan of a tweet is around 18 minutes, and not all of your followers will be on Twitter during that time. Tweet out your links several times throughout the day or over a few days to maximize visibility.
- @mention users in your tweets, asking for their input. People are more likely to respond when they are addressed by name.
- Link to your Twitter profile on your other social media profiles.
- Always respond to questions. This shows that you care about your followers and are worth following.
- Post engaging, informative content. Random thoughts or opinions may be fine, but without valuable, relevant content, your follower count will not increase.
- Use social proof by embedding a follow button with a counter on your website or blog.
- Tweet frequently, but avoid bursts of tweets. Too many tweets in a short period of time can lead to unfollowing.
- Tweet between 1 pm and 3 pm when Twitter traffic is at its peak.
- Retweet generously. The more you retweet, the more likely you are to be retweeted and attract new followers.
- Include questions in your retweets to increase engagement and visibility.
- Share relevant news with your audience. News is one of the most retweeted types of content.
- Offer exclusive coupons regularly to your followers. Many Twitter users follow brands for discounts and promos.
- Do not buy fake followers. Paid fake followers will not add value to your business and may lead to account suspension.
- Use Followerwonk to find new people to connect with and to identify the activities that typically drive the most new followers to your account.
- Find and follow your LinkedIn connections on Twitter.
- Include a tweet button next to each post on your blog.
- Avoid focusing solely on yourself. Self-referencing tweets tend to get retweeted less often.
- Use Twitter cards to increase visibility and engagement. Add some simple code to your site, and rich media such as images and videos will appear alongside tweets about your content.
According to research, using certain words in your tweets can increase the likelihood of getting retweeted. Words such as “you”, “twitter”, “please”, and “retweet” tend to be more effective at generating engagement. On the other hand, some words are less effective and may actually decrease the chances of getting retweeted. Words to avoid include “game”, “going”, “haha”, and “lol”.
Finally, be patient and consistent. Building a following on Twitter takes time and effort, but if you’re consistent with your strategy and patient with the process, you’ll eventually see results.
Overall, there are many ways to increase your Twitter following and take advantage of the benefits of the platform for your business. By implementing these strategies and experimenting with different tactics, you can build a strong and engaged following that can help you achieve your business goals.