Twitter is a fast-paced social media platform that focuses on quippy posts and live updates.
If you’ve never used Twitter regularly, it can be a bit intimidating. It’s a global powerhouse that largely has an audience of Millennials and Gen Z. Statista reports 42% of its US audience is between the ages of 18 and 29, and 27% of its audience are between the ages of 30 and 49.
According to the Sprout Social Index:
- Half of all consumers use Twitter every day.
- 30% say brands should use Twitter more.
- 91% visit a brand’s website or app after following on social media.
But how can you compete when you are starting from scratch on the platform?
Some brands have thousands or millions of followers. It feels a lot like shouting into the void when you are Tweeting out content with no followers and no Tweet interactions.
This post will help you learn how to organically grow your Twitter following and increase engagement.
Why You Should Never Buy Followers
There have been plenty of brands and influencers over the years who purchased follower lists to bulk out their vanity stats on social media.
Don’t do it.
Twitter occasionally deletes bot accounts, and that is what typically makes up the majority of purchased followers. You may spend a good chunk of your budget, only to have most of them disappear the next day.
Plus, buying followers is not a long-term strategy. Purchased followers won’t care about your brand and aren’t your target audience. They are not going to check your website or interact with your content.
So, as painful as organic growth might feel, it really is the best way to grow your Twitter following.
5 Steps to Grow Your Twitter Following and Engagement Rates
Here is a quick guide to help you grow your following on Twitter.
Establish a Strong Bio
Start by fleshing out your bio and making it appealing to newcomers. Start out by choosing a profile picture that matches your brand aesthetic. Many brands use their logo (or a part of their logo). Remember, profile pictures will typically be seen very small and are cropped to a circle.
Write a bio that is interesting and includes relevant keywords for search. You only get 160 characters to talk about your brand or business. You may want to include popular products or brand nicknames that your customers might search for when looking for your company profile.
Post the Right Content
Sprout Social Index reports the most effective content on social media is video (54%) and images (53%), outranking text, stories and live video.
While you might think Twitter is a text-based platform, most users are still highly visual. Focus on producing content that includes visual elements.
Create a Twitter website card that will create a visual summary of your links when you post them. After including the required coding on your website, you have to give Twitter about a week to recognize your card. Once this is complete, your links will show up with the title, featured image and introduction.
Use GIFs as visual support if you can find a funny or engaging way to support your content.
Create video to tell a story, offer tutorials or show a behind-the-scenes peek of your brand.
Post images that are in line with your brand aesthetic and support your posts.
Engage with Your Audience
The Sprout Social Index reported the important characteristics of a brand on social media are:
- Strong customer service
- Engaging with the audience
- Brand transparency
- Memorable content
- A distinctive personality
One of the best ways to grow your audience is by engaging with them. Participate in forums and live chats that are relevant to your brand. This is an easy way to provoke your audience into noticing your brand.
If your brand or industry is mentioned in a public context, respond. Social listening means continually searching out mentions of your company, products or industry so you can react as needed on social media. While you shouldn’t respond to private conversations, public comments (good or bad) should elicit a response of some kind.
Tweet Frequently
One of the most important aspects of growing your engagement and following on Twitter is arguably your consistency in using the platform.
There is no limit to how many times you can Tweet a day. Plus, anyone can see your Tweets—so you don’t have to have followers for them to be seen!
Not all experts agree on the exact amount that will garner the most attention or engagement. Buffer suggests brands should Tweet 3x a day, Constant Content and HubSpot say at least 5x a day, DowSocial recommends 6X per day and Quick Sprout says 5-20x a day.
One thing they all agree on: Tweet a lot. Tweet during business hours. Tweet every day.
- Start with scheduling a Tweet for every hour between 6 am and 10 pm.
- Include several reTweets or curated Tweets each day as well.
- Use a mix of hashtags, visual elements, links and emojis.
- Spend time each day responding to other accounts or participating in discussions.
- Use Twitter analytics to see which days and times are the most popular for your audience.
If you use the desktop version of Twitter, you can schedule your Tweets right on the platform itself.
Whether you are using the platform or an outside social scheduling service, you want to write Tweets ahead of time to keep a constant stream of them coming.
Draw in Followers Outside of Twitter
If you already have customers or clients, invite them to follow you on Twitter. You can also hold campaigns to encourage interaction on your Twitter account, using specific hashtags or posting certain content and tagging you in the Tweets.
If you want more help gaining Twitter followers and increasing your account engagement, reach out to our team. We are experienced in content marketing and social media marketing for brands like yours. Get your FREE quote today!
