Have you heard of the Golden Ratio on Twitter? You probably have. It goes something like this:
If a user has acquired more followers than they are currently following, they’re considered a good person to follow. If a user is following more than they have acquired followers, the opposite holds true.
The first is to use a service that buys you followers.
Pretty sketchy.The followers these services buy you will not interact with your content in any way shape or form. They are simply just a number.
The second way you can go about doing this is to actually provide a reason for real Twitter users to follow you. Here are 4 ways you can organically add to your followers in just 15 minutes a day (and let's face it we all need to learn how to work more efficiently on social media).Always Retweet Value (3 Minutes)
Admit it, sometimes you retweet content that isn’t up to your follower's standards. We ALL fall victim to the glitzy headlines in 140 characters or less that captivate our minds, but have you actually read the article to make sure that the information within is accurate and more importantly, helpful?
Remember to retweet content that will benefit your followers in some way, shape or form.
They are all prospective customers and when you help them via Twitter you are bound to be able to help them in other areas of their daily marketing activities.
Use Twitter Lists (5 Minutes)
When Evan Williams launched Twitter onto the social media scene in March of 2006 not much was said of the list functionality. Fast forward to 2014 and it’s all us marketers can gush about.
A list, as defined by Twitter, is a curated group of Twitter users.
Sure, at first glance a Twitter list may not seem too enticing to pay any attention to. However, when you pair a targeted list curated by your competitors with an effective social strategy it can become a definite way to get more followers on Twitter in an organic fashion.
Most lists on Twitter are left public, meaning you can go to a competitors Twitter account and browse their lists which often times are conveniently named things like: CUSTOMERS, PAST CUSTOMERS, PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS, ETC.
I’ll leave the rest up to your imagination.
Create Meaningful Conversations (5 Minutes)
One thing I'll never understand on Twitter is the automated, robotic thank yous you receive for following someone. This pat on the back is a nice gesture however its overuse has rendered it completely useless and kind of annoying.
Let’s take the misguided effort and push it in the right direction towards creating meaningful conversations. It’s as easy as doing 30 seconds of research on the user that followed you and responding to their action in a way that is beneficial to both parties.
HubSpot's SOCIAL INBOX is my favorite way to keep track of these conversations that will add to your new found band of followers.
Give Out Favorites (2 Minutes)
When meaningful conversations aren’t enough to garner results. It’s time to pull out all the stops. FAVORITES are the Twitter equivalent of the LIKE on Facebook. When you give out a favorite you’ll receive some interactions in return, most likely a similar gesture and if you’re lucky, a well deserved follow.
If there are tactics you find useful in gathering followers organically on Twitter please share them in the comment section below! And even though social media is likely an important part of your marketing strategy this year, it shouldn't be your only focus. We've created a 20 point marketing planning checklist to help you keep track of all the other critical things that will help you generate marketing ROI in 2016.
Editor's note: This blog was originally published in October 2014. We decided to republish it today because we've been getting lots of questions from clients and prospects about Twitter best practices and the importance of Twitter!