5 Ways to Gain Followers on Twitter

By Lisa Illman*, Guest writer of Inpui.com

  Almost two years ago I reluctantly created a Twitter account in the hopes to prove to myself I would hate it and could stop, being able to at least claim, “I tried it but it really isn’t for me”. Instead, I not only have over 5,800 Followers on my first account (that my cat Abigail now uses for fun tweets about pet interests) I created another Twitter account under @lisaillman to use for a variety of other topics that interest me such as Social Media and Blogging. During my time on Twitter, I have five practices I still use regularly to continue growing my Followers and molding my social media network to compliment my area of topics.

1. Converse: They don’t call it SOCIAL Media for nothing. Get out there and Jaw, chew the fat, yack it up, tweet up a storm. Talk to your Followers, get involved, and respond to Tweeps who comment on your tweets. Ask questions that you are seeking information. Ideas for new recipes, how to questions and suggestion questions (“can anyone suggest a good comedy movie that is out on DVD?”) are all great ways to get a chat going. Conversing will not only get you a Social Network, it will catch other Tweeps attention, and soon you will have your own chat room going on Twitter. Being Social is extremely important to gaining more and loyal Followers. Get out there and start talking!
2. Re Tweet: Re Tweet often and more often. Re-tweeting is one of the biggest compliments you can offer another Tweep; it is also a way of gaining the attention of non-Followers and keeping your current Followers loyal.
3. Promote your Twitter Account: Put your Twitter link on all of your other Social Media channels including your Blog, emails, and Linked In. (Don’t forget your YouTube account!) Ask others on Facebook if they are also on Twitter. Get your Twitter address on your business card and letterheads.
4. Follow Others: One of the easiest ways to gain Followers is to follow Tweeps yourself. Use the search tool on Twitter to find folks tweeting about the same interests you have. Use the hash tag sign and a few keywords. Follow those folks and get in on the conversation. They will almost always follow you back.
5. Follow Friday Get involved in a #Follow suggestion group. In the pet world, we have one called #FollowFriday. Every Friday I tweet #FollowFriday with a list of Twitter names that are some of my favorite Tweeps. This lets other interested pet lovers have access to recommendations to Tweeps who Tweet similar topics as me. If you do not know of a group that does this, make one up yourself!

Have fun on Twitter, be yourself and enjoy the ride. It can be a wonderful social outlet and even a lucrative avenue to softly promote your business. Enjoy!

About the author:- Lisa Illman is the Inventor of an outdoor cat enclosure product line and President of Kritter Kommunity, LLC. She published and maintains Kritters that Twitter, a Social Media Blog for pets and the people who love them. Lisa used Twitter to launch her Kritter Kondo product line, and sold her first 100 cat enclosures through her pet loving Social Media network.