Who do you want your audience to be on Twitter? That depends on who you are and what you do. If your sole purpose is to engage your community with information that may lead to a sale, then you may want to have a list of targeted followers.
Here are 5 steps you may want to follow to develop a targeted twitter following.
Step 1: Build a great profile
You may not think profile and header images are important but they are. Be sure to find the best picture of yourself before putting it onto your profile (people do judge!). A good header photo should also be inserted, dependent on the audience you will be tweeting to. If you are a football player, then a suggested header photo would be of the rugby field.
It is strongly recommended that your Twitter handle is easy to remember. Mine is @DaltonChung with no numbers or characters at the end. The objective is to make people remember your Twitter identification with ease.
You are given 160 characters to describe yourself. This is the place for you to show people why they would want to follow you. Be sure to make it punchy and direct.
Also, be sure to fill out the location section and put in your website as your feed may drive plenty of traffic to your site or blog (increasing SEO).
Step 2: Defining and gaining followers
One good question to ask yourself is: What is the purpose of my Twitter account? If you are on a company account, you may want to use it to increase exposure of your brand or maybe to promote sales (this requires that you already have a large following with defined followers). If it is a personal account, then your objective could be building your self-brand.
With your purpose in mind, you will have to find the right people to engage. I would recommend using Hashtagify.me to search relevant hashtags that will relate to your topic of interest. I would then start following users that are regularly contributing on these topics. I would also search people with the specific terms related to your purpose. Slowly, along with lots of tweeting and conversation with your target audience, you will start seeing a growth in followers.
Step 3: Tweeting content
Content is everything and Twitter is no exception to this. It is important that you tweet relevant material that is not only timely but well thought out. Twitter is a powerful tool to drive followers to desired websites and promotions depending on the audience. Make sure you spend time crafting your 140 character tweet and including relevant hashtags. This is where you can increase the reach of your tweet.
Step 4: Responding
Respond quickly to questions and comments directed at you regardless of if it is in your direct inbox or on your wall. It is a good habit to respond to your audience, letting them know you are there and are not a robot. Be very mindful of your response also. These followers may be your potential customers and clients. They could also be the one offering you your next job.
Step 5: Promoting your account
If you have other social media channels with followers, it would be wise to promote your Twitter account on them. Your existing audience may want to follow your Twitter profile too. They may also have followers themselves that could be exposed to your channel. Promoting the account through your website or blog is also highly recommended. Twitter is a great tool for people on the go to get updates on blogs, products, and information that you would want them to see without them going to your site.
Following these steps will significantly increase your chances of gaining the following you want on Twitter. With the right amount of dedication and energy spent on your account, you will be able to reap the rewards of this powerful social tool for yourself or your brand.
Sources:
Kissmetrics
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