Being a popular and influential person or company on Twitter isn't as simple as opening an account, but it's also not as complicated or straightforward as following a manual. Much of the popularity comes from your identity in relation to your followers, including your pleasantness and the connectivity you create. Here are some of the best practices for letting your personality shine and self-promoting without being intrusive!
Steps
Step 1. Understand what Twitter is and what Twitter isn't
It is a social network whose purpose is to be a meeting point in which to quickly comment on what happens during the day. It is a place of connections, friendships and exchanges. What is Twitter not? Surely one should not think that it is a forum to sell something (although many people abuse it repeatedly), becoming an additional mandatory strategy for your company on social networks, without having the habit of actively using it (daily!), Or a place in which to argue with people.
- The mistake many people make is diving headlong into Twitter to promote their website in almost every single tweet. Big mistake! You wouldn't do it in real life, so don't do it on this social network.
- To achieve a balance you need more personal updates and fewer references to the things you want to sell to people.
Step 2. Be authentic
While the “be yourself” cliché is a bit inflated, it is highly applicable to Twitter. Followers trust that you are genuinely presenting yourself, and this will only resonate when you show your true way of being to others. As in real life, it is important to be interesting as well as to be interested in others.
- Please indicate your real name and your profession or interests. This allows you to broadly understand who you really are and reassure your followers. Don't say anything that will bore them. You have to make sure that you attract them and make them happy to follow you.
- If possible, provide a link on your Twitter profile to a job you are doing online or to something that presents you better on the internet (such as LinkedIn or your Facebook page).
- Customize the photo and background on Twitter. Followers don't like to follow users who have an egg as a photo - use one of yourself or something that makes you clearly identify. Also, add your own colors and maybe even some designs or images to liven up your Twitter page background.
Step 3. Interact
Twitter is all about building relationships and friendships. You can get to know many special people by opening an account on this social network, just interacting with them regularly, and many will become solid friends, although you have never seen them personally.
- Make sure you reply to all messages preceded by this symbol: @. If your name is mentioned, this means someone thought of including you, and it's important to recognize this by responding.
- Retweet (RT) other people regularly and consistently. This is the lifeblood of Twitter, sharing information through retweets. It is a form of respect and a way to recognize what another person said by sharing it through a retweet, because their information is valid.
- Communicate with Twitter users who are already popular. If they notice and appreciate what they read, they will help you in your social climb within this network, sharing what you post with their followers and, perhaps, recommending you as well.
- Leave your Twitter address in the comments you make on blogs, so that other people can discover the real you and learn more.
Step 4. Provide information of interest to other people and share it
You will only be retweeted and followed if you provide a stream that will grab the attention of other Twitter users. Once you've introduced yourself as a person who shares certain types of information, be sure to post fresh, fascinating, and curious updates.
- Include links to interesting stories, news, websites, recipes, etc.
- Also, post links with photos, videos and other visual curiosities for followers to see. Cute animals are often winners in this sense, because they always make a smile!
- Keep updates flowing at a regular pace so people know they can count on you.
- If a disaster or major event occurs in your locality or country, don't be afraid to talk about it beyond your usual topics, or replace your regular tweets. Share updates and useful information, such as emergency and telephone numbers, addresses to take refuge, etc. People will readily share this data, via retweets, so your name will appear, and you can easily end up knowing many people involved in the provision of emergency services, grateful for your support in disseminating the information.
- Bake some Twitter-inspired cookies and share the link and photos of the result and recipe with your followers.
Step 5. Increase your popularity
To be popular, you will need more and more followers, people who retweet your information and sing your praises with their followers.
- You follow a lot of people. Make focusing on the people you have in common with becomes a daily ritual. Use the Twitter search engine to find users with similar interests; use keywords that are appropriate for what you are looking for, like Super Bowl, vegan, burlesque, cheese, mom, etc. Half the fun is finding new people just like you!
- Follow the people who follow you. Regularly add new people to those you follow, and constantly aggregate people who put you on their list.
- If you want, use the tools to automatically add followers. If you decide to pay for more, make sure you benefit from it, whether it's for your business, your brand, your image, etc. For most people, however, this means is not necessary; instead, use your time and personal effort.
- Monitor your popularity using tools that indicate your status. There are many means available for this, and they can be focused on the country, region, topic (such as “Top Tweeter of Los Angeles”, “Top Tweeter Vegan”, etc.) or other elements that you are interested in knowing.
- Read How to Get More Twitter Followers and How to Be a Twitter Celebrity for more details.
Step 6. Reward your followers
There are numerous ways to reward people who follow you on Twitter in order to make a good impression on them and get them to talk about you with the aim of increasing your fame. Here are some strategies:
- Use the #FollowFriday (#FF) mechanism to make a list of the names of your favorite followers by thanking them and circulating their profiles. In return, your name will make its way as they thank you or directly reuse your #FF list.
- Individually customize the thanks for your followers. Doing so is remarkable - not only does it please the person you're thanking, it also makes other followers think that you are a person who values people, and making that impression is key. A great way to do this is to get inspired by their profiles and say thank you by replicating their core views. For example, “My gratitude goes to @BilbowikiHow, a social networking guru with a heart of gold who specializes in horticulture, laughter yoga & Dr. Who memorabilia. I advise you to follow him”.
- Say thank you to your followers in a blog. Make it extra special by highlighting particular followers in a blog post. Write a blurb about who they are, what they do, and why it's worth following. Include their photo and their Twitter link. And then let them and other followers know on Twitter! This gesture is always appreciated and shows that you really care about them. The added benefit is that your blog will also get excellent reach thanks to follower shares.
Step 7. Always focus on Twitter's purpose - connectivity
If at some point you feel like you're endlessly promoting yourself, take a step back and remember that Twitter is all about connecting and sharing, not selling your products to those who follow you. Online friendship networks are just as real as offline ones, and this is true for many people. Just as it is easy to undermine a friendship in your day-to-day life by always asking for support with your Tupperware or Avon sales, the same happens with friends on the web. Make sure that the purpose of selling is kept to a minimum, and stick to the connection, sharing and affection born through Twitter.
Step 8. Tweet things people can find themselves in
Nobody wants to hear your complaints all the time, so try tweeting positive information as well. Also, by following your followers you show people that, if they decide to follow you, then they too will gain a follower.
Advice
- Remember, Twitter is a social network, so don't go off the radar for months, at least not without an explanation.
- Understand the difference between making a request and demanding something. Occasionally asking someone to get your message across for a good cause is fine. But asking people to always retweet your messages is rude and demanding. Give your followers the benefit of choosing what to do - they'll decide for themselves whether they want to spread your tweets or not.
- You could add a twibbon to your profile photo to show that you support certain causes or events. Keep it regularly updated and remove it when it becomes useless.
- Use Twitter on your mobile and post wherever you are, that way you will have a lot of interesting content.
