As a digital agency, we often have clients, friends and even family members come to us looking for ways to establish and grow their social network. With that in mind, we wanted to share with you what we have shared with all of them: Click’s Top Ten Tips for growing your following on Twitter & Facebook. For social networking veterans, these might seem pretty basic. For anyone new to Twitter or Facebook who might still be feeling a little overwhelmed, however, these tips are the best place to get started.
Tip #1 – Follow more people. Start with people you know, then follow those who are relevant to what you do and in your industry. Following the people and things that you’re actually a fan of, like a show or a sports team, also communicates authenticity. (Added bonus: following the right people is a great way to enjoy your Twitter account more!)
Tip # 2 – Keep posts authentic, individualized, and frequent. The more personal a Twitter account is the more likely people are to follow that person. Posting frequently is also essential. No one follows a blog, Twitter, or Facebook page that only updates once a month, or is obviously just promoting a single project. To gain momentum and a solid following, we recommend that you blog, tweet or update your Facebook status at least 3-5 times per week.
Tip #3 – Interact with others on Twitter. Reply and Re-tweet messages to fans, friends, other celebrities, and especially film-interest websites. Support others and they will support you.
Tip #4 – Participate in #FollowFriday. Do you have any friends with large followings on Twitter? If so, ask them to be kind enough to post a tweet alerting their followers that you have now joined Twitter. It’s an easy way to garner a large following pretty quickly.
Tip #5 – Give things away. People love wining free things. Even if it’s something simple like a book, DVD or lanyard from a winning game; if it’s free, they will want it.
Tip #6 – Interact with your followers. The more you interact with people, the approachable and interesting you will seem. People feel a connection with someone they get an @reply from, and personalized and complimentary responses are likely to be shared with a person’s own following.
Tip #7 – Friend your friends’ friends. If you’re on Facebook and you’re friends with popular people, take a few hours to scroll through their friends. If you see someone you know or are connected to, add them to gain more followers.
Tip #8 – Be relevant. No one will want to read your updates if they’re not current, interesting and relevant. Not every update must tie into current events and trends, but most updates should be compelling.
Tip #9 – Don’t spam. If every tweet or status update is about soliciting fans for your project, website or film, people will quickly be turned off and possibly even un-follow your account.
Tip #10 – Share in the zeitgeist. Are you currently watching the latest reality show or following a sports team? Tweet about it while you’re watching in real time when possible and be sure to include hash tags (i.e. #worldcup) so others that are tweeting about it can join in the conversation. Also, keep an eye on Twitter’s Trending Topics section—if you’re interested in something on that list, definitely hop in on the conversation with some tweets.
Got tips of your own? Share them in the comments!
