By Monika Jansen
Every time I get a new Twitter follower, I look to see how many people they follow and how many people follow them (I’m at twitter.com/monikacjansen—feel free to look me up). When I see numbers in the tens of thousands, I think, how the heck do they manage all those followers?
I did some research and found the answer. Three answers, actually:
- Good tools
- Selective communication
- Regular housecleaning
1. Good Tools
An online application or platform that helps you manage your social networks is absolutely essential, because it will organize your Twitter feed for you. I thought everyone used one, but based on what I read, that is definitely not the case! I happen to use Hootsuite, which I really like. Every morning, I log in to check Twitter and Facebook. My direct messages (DMs) and mentions (@s) on Twitter are aggregated in their own columns, so I look there first. I’ll briefly skim what other people are posting, too, but I only visit Twitter briefly and once a day since I also have to work.
Two other popular tools that can help you manage Twitter are Seesmic and Tweetdeck. It doesn’t matter what you use, just use something!
2. Selective Communication
I do not strike up a conversation with everyone who follows me. I use Twitter to share information on B2B, social media, and small business marketing, not to make friends. The first thing I do every morning is check my personal and professional e-mail. Then I spend around 10-15 minutes checking Twitter and Facebook. I reply to most DMs and mentions, which doesn’t take long, and look for new people to follow.
3. Regular Housecleaning
Because quality, not quantity, of Twitter followers is important, it’s a good idea to regularly clean your Twitter house. Friend or Follow creates three lists for you: who is not following you back, who you are not following back, and who your mutual friends are. Simply plug in your Twitter user name, and the first thing that pops up is a list of people who are not following you back. (I was shocked by who was not following me! But then I realized most of them are not active on Twitter.)
Use Who Follows Whom to find more people whom the power users in your circle follow. It is a really great way to increase the quality of your followers. You can type in up to five names.
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Tags: B2B marketing, small business, social media, Twitter
Posted in Marketing, small business, social media | 3 Comments »
