If you don’t already know, I have a column on iStrategy conference blog every Friday where I respond to questions about Twitter. One of the most frequent questions I get is “how do I get more followers”, which I did answer in the iStrategy blog, but I have decided to answer them in this blog post too. I got the idea to write this article because @BrennerMichael sent me a tweet with three questions inside this post when I asked if anyone had any questions regarding Twitter. Most of the questions Michael sent to me are questions which I have already answered before, so I thought I should write a compilation of questions for the benefit of everyone.
#1: How do I get more followers?
Without a doubt, this is the most frequently asked question on twitter. There are several methods which you can get more followers, they are
- Add value, engage, retweet others and FOLLOW others. There is no other way than to add value to your followers because you want them to continue to come back to your stream and know that you’re someone who has quality tweets. For them to notice you more, you will need to engage with them as well and catch their attention on Twitter. You can do that by retweeting them, responding to their tweets, or commenting on their blog to get their attention on twitter.
OR
- You could be like Charlie Sheen and drink tiger blood. #winning
#2. Where do you find the time to tweet?
I don’t spend a lot of time on twitter “sometimes” because I have to go to classes and sometimes classes can be from 8am to 4pm. Therefore most of the time when I am not around, I schedule my tweets ahead of me till I get back from classes. During breaks in between classes, I would check my Twitter account on my iPhone and reply to people. That would seem as though I am online most of the time while I am in and out of class orwhen lecturers are speaking…. Oops!
You can also respond when you’re in the bus, lining up in a queue, waiting for the train, etc. Usually it takes you a few minutes to respond to someone quickly. I also have a push notifications for my direct messages, so people who send me a DM usually get quicker responds compared to tweets.
#3. How do I get a Twitter star to RT me?”
Well, this is harder because when someone doesn’t know you they wouldn’t retweet you. However you could try to connect with them and introduce yourself so that they know who you are or you could see who those stars retweet that shares other people’s contents too and connect with them.
#4. Can I make money from twitter?
My personal answer to that question is YES! Indirectly and directly from Twitter, I was able to do so both ways because I was paid to get contents out before. The contents were in my niche, so I agreed to do it and they paid me a fee.
Most of my incomes come indirectly, from clients to small consultations through emails. In my personal opinion, freelancers are able to make money easier on Twitter in the short term.
I hope I have answered your questions too. So if you have any questions that you want answered, post them to me and I’ll answer them on Fridays.
Great post Aaron!
I’ve only really actively been using Twitter for about 10 months now. I joined back in 2008, but like many people back then, didn’t “get it” and stopped.
Thankfully I re-visited, as it has really become such a cornerstone in the way that I build relationships, continue to learn and grow professionally and keep up with the latest news. (To name only a few.)
Posts like these are important because they help new people understand some of the fundamentals. The more we all learn – and help one another – the more we all benefit. Nothing says more about a person’s character on Twitter then the way that they treat people starting out.
Thank you for being my Twitter friend. I learn from you most everyday.
Kevin
Great Post Aaron, Keep it UP
Go Aaron Go!!!
Hi Aaron,
You said in point #2, “I schedule my tweets ahead of me till I get back from classes.”
What tool(s) do you use to schedule your tweets?
I also read the guest blog post about automation, but wasn’t sure of your stance on automating tweets.
It sounds like you are a fan? If so, what ‘rules’ do you follow for automating your tweets?
Thanks for sharing great content!
Evelyn from Intuit
Can you recommend any good twitter tools for auto-following based on keywords? I’ve managed my twitter account entirely manually, but it is getting larger and harder to do everything manually.
I really like your #2. Public transportation is great to tweet, or even to catch up on RSS feed!
I never really wanted to schedule tweets before, because I thought I would miss being around in case a conversation started, but now I think it’s great if I don’t want to flood my followers with all the articles I’ve read during the day!
Great advice as always, thank you 🙂
“Add value, engage, retweet others and FOLLOW others” Aaron, this pretty well sums up what I’ve learned from two years on twitter in eight words. Thanks!
To answer ALL of you – esp Aaron and iconic88 – right on, as they are saying SO often here in CA. LOL.
ONCE in a WHILE, I’ll sked some tweets – being someone who WORKS HARD to “keep it real” – but when I DO get back on? I scroll through, looking to see if, indeed, a convo DID start – and no matter HOW much time has passed? I WILL respond.
It’s a habit, from running a site for kids. 2 million hits/month later, and I don’t have it IN me NOT to answer EVERY letter from EVERY kid, every teacher, etc. Same on Twitter, etc. It’s actually HOW I keep “real.” How would I EVER be able to FAKE it this long, and not be exhausted? LOL
Aaron, these are very helpful tips. Most people are looking for a quick fix or tip to push them over the top, but I always tell them it’s a long, hard slog to build followers. But it gets easier the more you have.
This is a great article. A lot of us would like add more followers to our Twitter accounts or Facebook Fan Pages. Developing a community around the content your producing is a factor that a lot of people tend to ignore. You can have the best material but if no one knows you or reads it, what’s the point? Thanks for sharing this.
Take care,
Jeff
http://www.reydean.com/blog
Hi Evelyn, I use cotweet to schedule my tweets 🙂
do i have to waste a time and search for a good things to tweet , in order to keep posting a Quality tweets ?
what are other methods or ideas to keep my tweets interesting and useful ?