Twitter is a very misunderstood platform, but there is tremendous value available for any business that uses the site correctly.

This isn’t as easy as it sounds. If you spend your time focused on the commonly shared tips for growing your twitter audience, you’ll be sorely disappointed in the results.

The real secret to twitter success is that the amount of followers you have isn’t all that important. While a large list of genuine followers interested in your business is obviously better than a small one, your focus needs to be on quality, not quantity.

Don’t Focus On Increasing Followers

The internet is full of tips on how to get more followers. Some businesses simply pay for theirs. Many use ‘churn and burn’ tactics where they follow hundreds of people at a time, just to unfollow anyone who doesn’t follow them back. Others spam every last trending topic that they can find.

If you want to develop a worthwhile audience, don’t do any of this.

The audience you build using these tactics will have little to no interest in your actual business, and this can actually cause problems. When you have a large audience but no real connection with any of the individuals within it, the power of the platform that you are building will be heavily diluted. Creating a large list of followers will also waste valuable time that is better spent on things of greater value.

Increase the Quality of Your Followers

If you want to get the most value for the time and money that you invest, then you want to build a base of true fans. This approach isn’t easy, but it is the one that will allow you to build a following that actually contributes to the growth of your business.

The first thing you need to do is actually engage your audience, regardless of the size.

We’re not talking about generic thank you tweets and automated messages. These are shallow and transparent. If you want fans that look forward to what you have to say, then treat them like real people and communicate with them individually.

If you are frustrated by a small – or nonexistent – list of followers to start with, then you should start exploring how you can get people to follow you from other mediums. If you have a blog, email blast or even a business card, make sure that anyone who reads these will see all of the different ways they can connect with you, including twitter.

Who You Tweet Matters

Make a list of influencers in your industry and follow all of them. Anytime that they tweet something that is interesting, reply in some way. If you are able to start a conversation with this person, you will have gained the attention of all of the people who respect that influencer. This can be a very powerful way to grow a targeted audience.

What You Tweet Also Matters

Don’t fall into the trap of focusing on getting link clicks to your own website. If you constantly share deals, sales or product links, people will apply a subconscious filter to your tweets and simply ignore them as soon as they see your logo.

Sharing interesting content, regardless of the source, will have the opposite effect. People will learn to look for your tweets, giving you the authority you need to convince people to visit your website.

If your business is held back by your ability to network effectively, then you may want to consider applying for our Accelerator Partnership. This program guarantees online marketing success for your business, but there are only a limited amount of spots available. If a no-risk solution to growing your business interests you, then make sure to apply today.