“WATER, FEED AND RE-TWEET..10 FREE Ways to Grow Your Twitter Account”

by Jessica Northey

Last week I hit my personal goal of10,000 followers. I try different stuff on my account all the time and experiment to see what works. RSS feeds, quotes, great articles, Re-Tweets, etc. I am developing my own Socialality…Socialality is different for everyone and just like your ‘Personality,’ your Socialality should reflect you or your brands unique attributes including behavioral, temperamental, emotional and mental that give you character. What works for me may or may not work for you but I thought I would share some of the methods I have used to grow my account.

1.) “It’s ‘Social Networking,’ Not ‘Anti-Social Networking’” Make sure “Protect My Updates” is NOT checked! People who might potentially follow you want to know what you are about. If they can’t see your posts how will they know if they want to follow you? Sure, your friends that already know you can follow you but social networking is about being social. I am going to refer to the Wiki definition of Social Media: media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media supports the human need for social interaction, using Internet- and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. WHEW THAT WAS A MOUTHFUL but you get the idea. 2.) “Say Cheese!” A picture is worth a thousand words and you only have one time to make a first impression. A great photo that is engaging and shows your personality will be your benchmark for success. If in doubt, ask your friends/family for advice. Try not use a photo that is too sexy or you look mean or mad. Try to have a photo of just you, keep it up close and personal and above all smile. I realize not everyone is photogenic but there has to be a positive photo of you, somewhere . 2.) “Read All About It!” This is your headline and opportunity to shine. Come up with something that captures the essence of who you are or what you/your company are about-your mission statement. Try to include keywords that are strategic to the market you are trying to grow you/your brand too. For example I love music and social gaming so I include that in my bio. If you collect stamps, coins, pickle jars or whatever, include it. This is a key component of how social media works. Find people you have things in common with, build trust=build relationship. 3.) “HEY…that’s, swell!” Re-Tweet and Re-Tweet Again! Re-Tweeting or giving credit to another tweeter is a must and has been such a great tool for me. It validates people and shows that you are listening and care about what they are saying! It is like holding a mirror up to your customers/listeners/clients to see what they look like. By RT’ing you are saying that you appreciate and think what someone is saying is cool. This only takes a few seconds a day but is a powerful way to build relationships with followers! 4.) “Looking For Love in all the Right Places” Use the Twitter Search tool to find subjects, keywords, trending topics that are important to you and follow the people who are talking about them. I also like to follow the people who are following people I relate to. 5.) “Lose the Bird and the Blue Clouds” Use anything but the Default Twitter Avatar and Background. Nothing says, ‘I don’t care’ MORE than the default Twitter Bird Avatar or Blue Cloud Background. Twitter has 15 others to choose from and there are websites that offer more personalized and hip backgrounds. 6.) “Get Social” Promote Twitter on your other Social Media Networks and vice versa. Ideally you can use Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn or Bebo and drive traffic to your website or blog and vice-versa. 7.) “Shameless Self Promotion” Promote your social media platform participation in everything you do: Business cards, letterhead, vehicle wrap, Broadcast and Print Media. 8.) “Let’s Give Them Something to Talk About” Consistently talk about it when you are out in public. You can download the Twitter Application into your phone and add people while standing in front of them. I use it as a conversation ice breaker all the time, ask anyone who spends time with me and they hear me say “Do you Twitter?” at least a dozen times when I am out. 9.) “Ask Me How You Can Get More Followers Than Oprah.” You really do not need an automatic Direct Message. It is insincere and frankly I am sick of them. I read my Direct Messages and when they say something like, “I can help you get 100,000 followers” and you only have 100 followers, you automatically ruined your credibility with me—get to know me first before you start trying to sell me stuff!! If you feel you must have an automatic Direct Message, just say thank you for following me and give a link to your website/blog. 10.) ‘Tweet’ others as you would want to be ‘Tweeted.’ LAST BUT NOT LEAST: Thank EVERYONE who Retweets you and reply to EVERYONE who @replies to you. It is polite and just because they followed you doesn’t mean they will keep following you! Tweet others as you would want to be Tweeted! Jessica is the Social Media Editor for Full Throttle Country-Country Radio's newest full-service and free interactive idea sharing and new media on-line service. She has over 19 years experience including Radio, Television, Internet and Print Sales as well as an On-Air Radio personality. Also she is an Entrepreneur who owns MediaJess.com servicing all website needs including domain names, hosting, SSL Certificates etc. She specializes in big ideas and is known for her ability to create complete marketing campaigns and bridge marketing partnerships. Her company Finger Candy provides social and new media optimization for businesses, brands and individuals. jessicanorthey@gmail.com 559-349-5933 twitter.com/jessicanorthey facebook.com/jessicanorthey