The social media landscape seems to be evolving faster than a Snapchat message pops up then disappears forever. To think it was less than three years ago that Twitter doubled its character limit from 140 to 280! And updates to the platform and changes in user trends are rolling out so fast, it can be difficult for digital marketing professionals to keep up.
It’s because of the ever-changing and fast-paced nature of social media that we’ve compiled a list of tips and hacks to help you bring your business’s Twitter presence up to 2020-standards and grow your following. Want to learn how to gain Twitter followers fast? Read on.
Why Focus Your Social Media Marketing Efforts on Twitter?
Research from 2019 reveals that there are roughly 3.5 billion social media users worldwide, equating to about 45% of the current population. There are many social media platforms to choose from these days, and new ones popping up all the time. So, why focus on Twitter?
Twitter has 330 million active monthly users — that is the equivalent of the entire United States population — and 145 million daily users. That’s a huge potential audience. But it’s not just about the number of users; according to Neil Patel, “Twitter’s millennial audience is a coveted one from a marketing perspective.” Pew Research Center data shows that about 40% of all American millennials use Twitter and most of these Twitter users are college-educated with annual salaries of upwards of $75,000. That means that the major portion of the audience you engage with on Twitter has excellent buying power.
But how do you reach all of those people? It’s important to note that when you post content on Twitter, your tweets can only be seen by those who follow you unless your followers also share your tweets with their own followers. In other words, if you don’t have very many followers, you’re essentially just screaming into the void. To actually make your Twitter efforts count for something, you need to know how to gain Twitter followers fast.
How to Gain Twitter Followers Fast
Here, we will start at the very beginning — setting up your profile — and then move on to the ways you can optimize your content and engage with your audience to gain Twitter followers fast.
Complete and Optimize Your Profile
There are three main components of a Twitter profile: the profile picture, the bio, and the header image. Want to know how to gain Twitter followers fast? You’ll need to start with these three features.
The profile picture
This is an essential place to begin your efforts because it’s one of the main parts of your tweet people will notice as they scroll through their feed. As the business owner, you may choose to use a professional photo of yourself as your profile picture. Neil Patel says that “this smart for promotional purposes, but it also helps people make stronger associations between your brand and logo.” Consumers like to put a face to a name. Who are you? Does your personality match your brand personality, and does your brand personality match your audience’s values? If you do choose a use a photo of yourself, it must be both professional and relatable. On the other hand, Neil Patel tells us that using a branded logo as your profile picture is the best way to get your followers (and potential followers) to recognize your posts instantly. It would seem that most companies choose to go this route as it increases brand recognition significantly.
The bio
Twitter bios must be brief and concise as you only have 160 characters to get your message across. Your bio should effectively tell your audience all about your business: who you are, what you do, and what they can expect from your Twitter content. Make sure to include a link to your website’s homepage, use keywords that are relevant to your brand to ensure your Twitter bio is searchable, and use hashtags to attract searches on Twitter to your profile. Finally, if your business is constrained to a particular neighborhood or city, make sure to include your physical location.
The header image
The final component of your profile is the header image, which spans the top of your profile page. Choose your image wisely; it can be an excellent opportunity to reinforce your brand or promote a featured product or service. To ensure your header is visually appealing, use one that has the correct dimensions: 1500 px by 500 px, otherwise, you could end up with a blurry or pixelated image.
Tweet Often But Schedule Strategically
When figuring out how to gain Twitter followers fast, people often ask, “How often should I post a tweet?” Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Twitter tends to require a slightly more aggressive strategy. It is fast-paced and the content is brief, so your tweets need to pack a punch. Data by CoSchedule suggest that the ideal frequency is between three and seven tweets per day; however, some companies publish content as often as 15 or 20 times per day, so it’s important to do some competitive analysis to keep up with rival brands and stay top-of-mind among your followers. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend hours upon hours each day creating and posting content. Social media scheduling software will allow you to queue up content to be automatically posted at given intervals. You can create content in advance, schedule out your Twitter posts, and let the software do the rest.
You’ll also want to be strategic about your timing. Posting tweets while your target audience is offline — or asleep — won’t do you any good. Do some research to find out when your followers are the most engaged. Note that brands usually see their highest levels of engagement during weekday afternoons, often around lunchtime or when they’re getting off of work.
When Possible, Show Rather Than Tell
While it may be tempting to blast off a quick two-sentence tweet when you’re crunched for time, studies show that tweets containing visual content receive more likes, shares, and retweets than tweets with just text. Additionally, infographics are shared three times more often than other types of images, and tweets with video content get six times more retweets than those with photos.
Keep in mind that not all of your images need to be photos of your products or services. Infographics are great for illustrating data and important information, and they’re incredibly eye-catching. Gifs are excellent to catch people’s attention and relate to your audience on a humorous level (if that fits in with your brand’s tone and voice). And if you’re tweeting a link to a blog post, simply having the post’s featured image show up in the preview can increase the number of clicks.
You can also use visual content — photos and videos — to showcase your company culture and put a face to a name. Share pictures from your latest company event or highlight a featured employee to show what your brand is all about. Just make sure that your content is in line with your brand’s established voice and tone.
So, when you’re creating a content calendar, make sure to diversify your tweets, including content with images, infographics, and videos. This will likely lead to higher engagement, and as mentioned above, non-followers will only see your content when it’s been shared. Want to know how to gain Twitter followers fast? Current follower engagement is the best way to attract new followers.
Provide Value and Engage Your Audience
Brands can offer value to their audience by providing two things: information and entertainment. Self-promotion should never be the main focus of your content. In fact, researchers at Rutgers found that social media accounts that share relevant and helpful information as opposed to promoting their products and services have, on average, double the number of followers. One of the best ways to provide value and engage your audience is to ask questions. This can be in the form of a Twitter poll or a simple tweet. Asking questions not only provides information to other followers as answers come pouring in, but it also increases engagement. When followers interact with your content, their followers see that engagement. Those interactions can serve as a form of endorsement, leading to increased reach and visibility.
You should also engage your audience by responding to comments and mentions. This reinforces their engagement and makes them more inclined to interact with your account in the future. It can also motivate them to make a purchase; in fact, 48% of social media users say that responsiveness is one of the top characteristics that prompts them to make a purchase from a specific company. Answer their questions, like their feedback, and retweet their comments to increase your trustworthiness as a brand.
Make Your Tweets Easy to Find
Oftentimes, when marketing professionals and business owners are wondering how to gain Twitter followers fast, they are often focusing too narrowly on the Twitter platform itself. Remember, the internet is made up of two things: content and links. Use links to bring your audience to Twitter. By doing this, you extend your Twitter presence to other platforms, drawing in potential followers. Lead your website visitors, blog audience, and email recipients to your Twitter profile. You can do this by including your brand’s Twitter handle in your email signature, embedding your Twitter feed on your website and embedding your tweets in your blog posts, and putting Twitter buttons directly on your site. Allow your site visitors to seamlessly tweet your content, follow your Twitter account, and @ you with their questions without having to leave your website at all.
Building a Widely Recognized Brand Means Knowing How to Gain Twitter Followers Fast
Twitter, and social media as a marketing tool, will continue to evolve. In 2020, however, you need to know how to gain Twitter followers fast if you want to extend your visibility and attract customers or clients. Twitter is still one of the most popular websites on the internet, making it an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. Users are highly engaged and hold great buying power; to attract them to your business and create a loyal customer base, you need to have a strong Twitter presence. That starts with optimizing your profile with a professional photo, a concise bio, and a high-quality header image. You’ll need to provide a steady stream of content that is informative, eye-catching, and engaging, and that hits your audience’s feed when they are online and ready to interact. Finally, you’ll need to make your tweets accessible and easy to find, drawing in current and prospective followers.
Do you have more tips and hacks on how to gain Twitter followers fast? We’d love to hear them! Leave a comment below.