Insights

No matter what anyone says, Twitter and Instagram continue to be valuable tools for social media marketers. With millions of active monthly users, the opportunity to reach your ideal audience remains to be a key component within a successful digital strategy. Twitter is a platform for conversation, one of the only ones that allows consumers to directly engage big brands and influencers. On the flip side, it is a place where companies of all sizes can reach out and converse with potential fans and followers. Instagram is a place where you can show off your brand through photos and videos, allowing you the opportunity to further engage with your customers.

The most important aspect of your Instagram and Twitter strategy, other than creating and sharing valuable content, is growing your follower base. Without followers, who will see all of this amazing content you’re taking the time to create? Building a solid fan base, one that will consistently engage with you or your brand, takes time and effort. Sure, you can purchase fake followers to make yourself look like an authority figure, but this will end up hurting you in the long run. Putting in the necessary work is the only way to go when building a solid follower base on Twitter, so let’s take a look at a few different strategies you can use.

1. Follow 25 people in your field of interest every day: One of the easiest ways to gain exposure for your brand is to follow people and brands who are most likely to take an interest in what you have to offer. For example, if you’re like me and have a passion for digital marketing strategies and tactics, you’re going to follow others who are interested in marketing-related topics. Everyone has something special to share within their niche, which is why people who are connected through similar interests follow each other. Set aside a half hour each day and focus on finding thought leaders within your area of business. Look for people all around the world, but don’t forget to look for people in your area as well.
2. Engage with every new quality follower: Whenever someone follows you, give them a shoutout. A simple “hey thanks for following, it’s great to connect” can go a long way when building new relationships. It shows your followers that you take the time to reach out to each and every one of them, something that most brands do not do.
3. Share valuable content as often as possible: Without a consistent flow of content, your Twitter strategy will be like trying to drive a car with no gas. Anyone can create a visually-stimulating profile, but it takes time and energy to publish content people actually want to engage with. Make it your goal to start out writing 2-3 blog posts per week. Once you start getting the hang of things, increase it to one every weekday. Not only will this keep your readers coming back, but you’ll also help your website when it comes to search-engine-optimization. Also, don’t forget to retweet other people’s content, as this requires less time than writing your own.
4. Create an automated message that provides value, not a sales pitch: Another way to directly engage new followers is to send them a direct message that offers them something they can use. An ebook download, a coupon and/or a free trial offer are all examples of what you can offer your new fans. Crowdfire is a free app you can use to send these automated messages, allowing you the option of an upgraded account that offers more personalized tools.
5. Schedule out your content ahead of time: The best way to keep a consistent flow of content is by creating and scheduling your posts in advance. There are a number of tools you can use, but two favorites are Buffer and Hootsuite. Both have free account memberships, allowing you to upgrade to accounts that offer more services. We highly encourage giving each of these a try and settle on the one that fits you the best.

These five tactics are just a few of the many you can implement for your Twitter marketing strategy. If you engage with your followers and consistently share valuable content, you will surely begin to see the rewards. What Twitter strategies and tactics do you use for your brand?