Twitter has proven to be one of the most beneficial social networking sites to use as a blogger looking to bring in some traffic. It is easy to use, easy to build and has a lot to give back to the user.
Unfortunately, the massive amounts traffic we all want Twitter to send us doesn’t just happen in a day. It takes some time to build a powerful Twitter account that thousands of people follow and interact with.
There have been many claims that there is a “best” way to build an account. Believe it or not, there is actually more to a strong Twitter account than just having thousands of followers. Just because you have a lot of people following you does not mean you will start bringing in each and every one of them to your blog.
If you have thousands of random people following you (people who you don’t know or aren’t even in your niche), maybe about 5%, sometimes not even that, will click your links. So by following “dumb” account building methods, you will successfully accomplish nothing.
Now, you can try smarter methods and end up with less followers. But any followers you do end up with will no doubt be interested in what you say. So, what sounds better? Thousands of followers with an extremely low click rate, or a few hundred with a higher click rate?
What’s the Best Way to Build A Twitter Account?
I like to think that I have been slowly, but smartly been building the @Blogussion Twitter account here, and as a result — Twitter is one of the top traffic sources. But, I feel like it can do so much better at a faster rate.
I do have some strategies in mind of what it means to build a really powerful and authoritative account, but I won’t share them in this article. I would much rather hear from you guys and get your opinions on what the best strategies there are out there.
Have a great weekend, and Spring break!
25 Discussions
I’m very interested in this, too. My niche is a relatively miniscule one- all I do is modify PHPmotion-based video sharing sites, nothing else. So it’s a real challenge for me (as you can see from my tiny Twitter “following” [I'm @motionmods]) to find and connect with a lot of relevant tweeple.
Anyone have suggestions for a poor fellow in my situation?
Steven Corbett´s last blog ..New PHPmotion Thumbnails Mod!
Yes, you’re absolutely right. I’ve been thinking about going and deleting 422 from my list. Oops, that’s the whole list.
I would think you would get more interaction and support from following people that retweet you, chat with you and comment on your blogs. But then, I could be wrong.
One thing that I notice helps to build more followers in my niche, are the people who find my twitter from my blog. So when I encourage unique visitors who visit my blog to follow me on twitter, some actually do even if they don’t subscribe via RSS.
Therefore, when I post a link or new blog update to my twitter, the very ones who saw my blog in the first place are already familiar with it and there’s a higher chance that they will click over.
Jarrod@ Optimistic Journey´s last blog ..You Know You’re Favored by God When…
Ahhh… good strategy!
Steven Corbett´s last blog ..New PHPmotion Thumbnails Mod!
Alex and everyone else,
The best way is to have conversations while doing searches. Connect with them but when you make that initial conversation do not follow them right away. This will test whether the tweet that was in the search was actually “truly them”. If they do start replying back create a twitter list and always connect with them. I personally do not have many followers but the followers I do have have great support for me and spread out the news.
I feel having more followers is not as important as how many followers you have that retweet your tweet. Retweets are much more powerful. Like I said, having conversations are really important and when looking at your profile page you should have more “@replytoperson” than just you posting links.
Derek Jensen´s last blog ..How Blogging as a Hobby Transformed My Future
Can’t help; not currently on twitter….will there be a part 2, where you DO share?
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Blog Comments and Blog Comment Contests – Lets Chat about Paying for Comments
For building followers quickly, I really like using Tweepi. They have a dozen different stats to help you to decide who to follow. I really like following people who retweet a decent amount of time and who are retweeted as well. That way I know they are active in the community they follow.
I also like to try to just randomly start conversion with random people I follow (isn’t that the point of Twitter) build relationships faster.
Blake @ Online Marketing Review´s last blog ..Sponsored Tweets Is Still The Easiest Way To Make Money Online
Yes twitter is one of the best traffic source, but it is not so easy to maintain all things for our blog. We have to see all side like article writing, SEO, Social media which is very tough to maintain.
chandan´s last blog ..Freelance writing jobs online
I think for new user, follow each people is the best of twitter building strategies. And you can consider other strategies after reach some number (1000 may be).
Dana @ Blogging Tips Blog´s last blog ..Should Read The Tag of Blog Post – Especially in April 1st
Talking in simple words, Targeted Followers are more important and useful than large number of followers! Also, crafting your twitter account well is an art in itself…
Rohit Sane´s last blog ..Hacking Facebook Account Username and Password
Nice post well i dnt use twitter dat much! Umm…guess i need to start tweeting wit twitter lol
Hey Alex,
I’m really glad you posted this. I think for people who are new to Twitter this really is something that they need to keep in mind. Quality vs Quantity has such power, especially when it comes to Twitter. With my first Twitter account for @Skooloflife, I set things up so I had a few thousand followers by using a mass follow tool. Nobody retetweeted any of content. Then I realized that I had created a complete mess and just went and unfollowed hundreds of people. Amazingly enough, less followers and creating lists like “Bloggers I know” which basically meant I read their blog ended up allowing me not only to build relationships with bloggers, but also get more retweets. We average between 6-10 retweets per interview on @BlogcastFM, depending who the person we interview is. What blows my mind is that we have less than 100 followers, but those followers are people who are engaged with our brand. Again, it’s quality vs quantity. If was going to open a Twitter account from scratch, here’s how I would start
1) Follow everybody who’s blog you read. It’s a great way to retweet their content and even build a relationship with them
2) Converse with people who’s blog you read
3) Follow anybody who comments on your blog
4) Follow people you meet at networking events/offline
now you’ve given me an idea for an article
. Thanks.
Srinivas Rao´s last blog ..Amber Zuckswert Shares Her Tips on Niche Blogging, Myths of Location Independence, and Virtual Pilates
Believe it or not, I think I’m going to disagree with you Alex. I always, always used to think that small and targeted was better. But, as of this morning, I’m starting to think that you have to get that number as big as possible for these reasons:
1. When someone comes across your twitter account and you have 20,000+ followers, you’re immediately an authority in their mind (if the “listed” number doesn’t correlate, then it has the opposite effect). They’re going to follow you and check out your site strictly based on that number.
2. If you have tons of followers and you reply to a random @Blogussion, then that person feels special because you have “so many other people to be talking to.” So when you make an effort to reach out to specific followers, they’re a lot more grateful and a lot more likely to remember it. It’s like getting a high-five from Oprah vs. getting a high-five from your best friend. You’re probably going to remember Oprah’s and she only has to do it once.
I’m curious to see your response! Have a great Spring Break!
Nick Tart´s last blog ..Interview: Syed Balkhi, Social Media Prodigy at 19
“When someone comes across your twitter account and you have 20,000+ followers, you’re immediately an authority in their mind…’
This is exactly the uber fake mindset people need to break from.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Blog Comments and Blog Comment Contests – Lets Chat about Paying for Comments
Hey Dennis! I completely agree with you but to people who don’t use twitter much (like 99% of the people in the world), that is how they think. As marketers we can’t focus on how things should be, rather, we need to consider how things really are.
Do you think this fake mindset can be broken?
Nick Tart´s last blog ..Interview: Alex Maroko, 5-Month Sprint to 6-Figure Internet Success
Broken? Dunno. I can say it has diminished considerably since I first started.
Many guru’s like to think the definition of beginner is stupid. It’s not.
Dennis Edell´s last blog ..Aweber Autoresponder: Do You Use it for Your Listbuilding? Would You Like a LIFETIME Affiliate? PART 1
See, i have seen that following tweeple is really important. I stress on the same fact again and again that the number of followers does not matter but the quality matters. A lot of simple strategies work like tweeting others etc.
But these two articles might help you get more traffic towards your website:
1. How to get more retweets and
2. How to build a quality following on twitter
These are just some of the experiences with twitter and I think strategies can vary, depending on your pr abilities
Gautam Hans @ Blog Godown´s last blog ..5 Conversion Rate Optimization Tips for Bloggers
I actually employ a 2 Twitter account strategy. I have my blog account @tycoonblogger and I keep that pure, it has been build from the ground up mostly from me promoting it on my blog. I have about 850 followers there. I also have a personal account @followdankeller where I have experimented with various twitter account building techniques. I am havinh a lot of success with a site called Twiends.com .
Tycoon Blogger´s last blog ..10 Best Ways to Approach a Reluctant Small Business Owner with Social Media Marketing Ideas
To make a twitter working is very hard i am learning it every day, and it’s very different from a website. Thank you for the tips given in the comments and your article i will try to have the biggest one
IBuzzyou´s last blog ..Suisse : Festival Electron
When I follow people in Twitter, I first make sure they provide good content, then I decide if their niche is closely related to what our site is providing. Only then will I decide to follow them.
Julius´s last blog ..A Day in the Life of a Person with a Cognitive Disability
Don’t tweets to much if you want your followers still follow you. Tweets every half an hour to stay connected with your followers.
Reza Winandar´s last blog ..This is blog is now Do Follow
So far i only have 90 twitter followers but 100% of them are targetted,i have just started to use twitter platform into my marketing arsenal.
How to blog´s last blog ..Top 5 Reasons Why People Started to Blog
Many thanks for writing about this. There is the mass of strong tech information on the internet. A person have a lot that info here on your internet site. I am amazed — We try to keep the few blogs relatively on-going, however it’s challenging sometimes. You’ve done a great job along this one. How do you do it?
hi.
That tips are great, thank you ..
I love your blog…
thank you again carry on…
To build the twitter operating is extremely challenging i am studying this each day, and it’s very different from a website. Thank you for the tips presented in the responses and your post i will attempt to have the biggest one
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