By Ann Tran, Entrepreneur
As social media is becoming more engrained in our everyday lives, it is becoming imperative for businesses to get on board. And Twitter is huge for companies, as it provides a place to share news, engage with loyal customers and attract new ones. But it isn’t easy.
How I went From zero to 380,000 Twitter followers without spending a dime. Photo from Flickr.
While some opt for quick fixes, like buying followers (something I have never done), I don’t see the point in these sketchy tactics. It may offer short-term spike, but it doesn’t provide the kind of engagement that organic followers do.
When I joined the social media movement in March of 2009, I was just an observer for the first six months. But by remaining consistent and sticking with daily-following methods, my account began to grow. Now with more than 380,000 followers, people often ask me for advice on growing a following on Twitter.
Here are a few very simple ways to grow your following (along with the process of what I do on Twitter) that you could also implement on your other social channels.
Return favors. Follow people that retweet or favorite your tweets, especially when they take the time to read articles you’ve written and share a comment with you. Also take the opportunity to engage when possible. The more you reach out, the more folks will return and reciprocate — by following or making comments. You can apply this across all your social networks.
Remain active. Follow new people every day even if you can only afford a few minutes on each network. I usually do this on my phone while I am waiting on someone.
Widen your net. People say quality over quantity? True, however, I would rather have both to maximize your reach. You must continue to build your community — whether online or offline. I’ve met many of my community contacts from my tweets or share.
Make retweeting a habit. Although I have many followers to focus and respond to, I make my rounds every day to retweet at least one new person a day. This sometimes will give you a fan for life. You can apply this same exact method to grow your following and community on any of your networks. I love Instagram, I spent a month focusing on following, in no time my social media presence grew there very quickly. That said, you must be consistent in harvesting your following and engaging with others on a daily basis.
Read the full article by Ann Tran from Entrepreneur.
