We all seem to be in love with social media to some extent or other. Some are avid fans who desperately want to boost their profiles whenever there’s a chance: others are a little more laid back, but would never turn down the opportunity to get a little extra publicity as long as it didn’t involve doing a lot of extra work. So, if someone said to you that you could increase your Twitter following without too much effort, what would you do? Would you just ignore it and argue that there are no such things as free lunches, or would you grab it with both hands and give it a go? Well, news from over the pond, from Technshare, seems to indicate that making 3 simple changes to your Twitter account could see your number of followers increase dramatically. Judging by the reactions and comments of those who’ve tried this, it appears to do exactly what it claims to. So, what are these 3 steps? What lengths do you have to go to, to get these magic followers?
It’s actually really simple, and shouldn’t put you out too much. Tip one is a given and as simple as you like: tips two and three may take a little more effort, but promise dividends. So, here goes.
Reformat your thank you pages
If, like many people, you have an automatic redirection set on your thank you pages for visitors who’ve either read your blog or newsletter, or bought one of your products, you could be missing a trick. These visitors are to some extent a captive audience as you’ve already got them there. Doesn’t it make sense then to make the most of the opportunity? Whilst they’re there, just ask them to follow you on Twitter. How simple was that?
Become a guest blogger
Human nature is odd at the best of times. We all want the help of experts, but often resent or ignore their opinions when we eventually find them. It’s almost as if, by becoming an expert and an authority on a subject, they automatically rule themselves out of the picture and become a bit of a pariah. Maybe familiarity does breed contempt, or perhaps it’s just a quirk of human nature. The thing is, your expertise may be shunned by those you know, but that’s no reason not to share it with others who might want to hear your opinions.
Guest blogging can involve a lot of work, and you may have to write to different standards and conventions than you’re used to, but it might be worth it. It easy to base your articles on the comments that have been left at the end of blogs, and then develop these arguments further. When you write make sure you ask for readers to follow you on Twitter. If you’ve written well and engaged the reader, there’s no reason why they won’t.
Start your own syndicated daily newsletter/ newspaper
Don’t be frightened by the thought of setting up an online newspaper. It isn’t difficult. Besides which, it’s actually just based on a Twitter list, a user and a keyword. You decide how often you want it to be published and then just send it to your fellow tweeters. All you’re doing is creating your own daily, and we’ve all seen lots of those on Twitter like Sprout Social and paper.li. They’re easy to follow and easy to set up. The beauty is that they’re automated and the main contributing authors are named and acknowledged in the tweet. You’ll soon find that many of these will start following you back and maybe even re-tweet the newspaper to their own lists. The number of new followers you might gather is potentially enormous.
So, there you are. Three simple tips that promise a lot, and if rumours are true, deliver on the promises. Why don’t you give it a go and see what happens.
