I signed up for Twitter, 2 and a bit months ago and since them I have had excellent results from one particular strategy. I had tried to be totally ethical, I only follow people who I am interested in and don’t follow people who follow back automatically purely to increase my own followers.
Not only have I got a decent number of followers and traffic , from Twitter, I have also built a number of valuable relationships. But most of these followers and relationships have been built because I answer people’s questions on Twitter. Answering questions in any media, video, audio, face to face, etc is always appreciated.
In fact that is essentially to whole point of the internet. People are trying to find the answers to their questions, that’s why search engines are so successful. They make it so easy for people to find the answers to their questions. But people are turning more and more to social media sites for these answers.
On most of these sites people have taken advantage of these incredible marketing opportunities but on Twitter there is very little competition with this strategy.
Finding questions to answer
Go to http://search.twitter.com and type in the primary keyword for your website followed by a space and then a question mark like this:
Replace backlinks with your main keyword.
You will get a set of results, scan through the results and find the most interesting questions. Make sure the question being asked is a genuine question as many people will post a question as a promotional tweet. Click on reply and enter your answer.
Subscribe to the RSS feed for the page results and you will get updated with new questions daily.
Tips for successful answer:
- Remember that your answers will be seen by all your followers, so try and answer questions in a way that will help people that didn’t see the question
- Don’t overuse the strategy, answer at most 7 questions per day. Although if you only have a few followers you could go over that for the first week or so
- If you have written or found an article related to the question link to it
- Follow up a day later with a follow me request to the person whose question you answered
The key to any marketing strategy is to use it extensively and consistently. If you keep answering questions you will gradually see your followers grow. Then you can take advantage of these valuable followers by promoting your products and content.
51 comments
Interesting strategy. Unfortunately I think it wouldn’t work very well for our niche. Not many people are asking questions about aluminum briefcases or laptop cases. For some niches, I could see this working quite well though.
That may be true but think outside the box and try answering questions about laptops in general or help people with problems with their laptops (espeically broken ones).
When you have built up a relationship with them then you can recommend your own products. Ask them to follow you after you have helped them out and then send them the odd DM with a special offer.
The key thing here is to look out for where and what your target market is asking about and answer those questions.
Business people are probably your target market (just guessing), so answer business people’s questions. Hope this helps,
Mark Collier
Author Link Building Mastery
Thanks for the advice Mark. You’re right that we can probably find plenty of relevant questions by checking related topics. While few people may be asking about briefcases or carrying cases, there probably are a lot of people asking about something related such as laptops or rifles.
Never saw that tool before. I know they have tightened up their security so it is tougher to use programs that automatically add followers based on an executed search for keywords. Maybe this more labor-intensive approach is the way to go now.
I’ve just started using Twitter as a tool to get more readers to my blog too. It’s hard to find people always talking about blogging or making money online, but they’re out there. I also like to retweet other people’s articles after I read them, if I like it that is.
This strategy can definitely work, I’ve tried it myself, but I have yet to gain any followers from it but I know that it’s gotten at least visitors and a broader vision of my website.
-Jean
Great that you have tried if you aren’t seeing results in the form of followers. Then folow up all those people you helped with a “please follow me” Tweet.
Some will, some won’t but most people simply didn’t think of it or forgot to follow you and will be happy to follow you once you ask nicely.
@Mark Collier, is it really necessary to do that? I mean after a while it would seem as if you are begging for the followers, in my opinion it should come natural.
-Jean
If you are looking for the followers this is more than acceptable on Twitter, if you don’t feel comfortable doing it in public then try find their email address and send them a short private email.
Mark
It’s good to see you’re going about it ethically. A lot of people resort to all kinds of tricks to get a lot of followers. In the end, it bites them anyway. Definitely better to go about it the right way as it’ll pay off in the long run.
On Twitter, Facebook and any other social media you need to earn followers ethically, else you’ll lose them faster than you got them 🙂
Totally agree with both Komodo Dragon and ZK eithical followers are worth more and you build up your reputation as an eithical social media user too!
Really a good idea with a nice thought.We all need followers for our Twitter account and how to do that is what we keep on thinking all the time.I guess this user does nothing other than tweeting or has some automated system to do it.
I also use tools like Social Oomph to autopost and intrigue readers that way. It helps a lot!
I highly recommend Social Oomph, I’ve been using it since the last 2 years with a high success rate.
This strategy is very useful for learning and marketing.
Very true you can learn a lot about your target market’s needs and wants by reading and responding to their questions and problems.
I like your strategy; people seem to be going for quantity of followrs, not quality. They don’t realize that followers does not mean anything; there is no monetary value or conversion of followers.
Last year I did the whole ‘follow me and I’ll follow you’. I was looking for something better and a lot more ethical. I’ll certainly give it a try, even if it doesn’t boost my follow count I am sure to find some informative people to connect with. 🙂
@Dean, yeah I am not that huge of a fan of that strategy when people have 50,000 followers and are following 50,000 people themselves. The value in that isn’t as good as someone who has 1,000 followers on their own while only following 15 people themselves! At least thats my opinion.
-Jean
Great to hear let me know how you get on @2buildbacklinks and I’ll help you out if you are having any problems.
I still have been wary of joining the Twitter Bandwaggon but seeing how you utilize it well. Really make me rethink my decision. I didn’t realize you could search like that and answer questions. I guess there is a lot I don’t know about twitter.
You learn best by doing jump right in and start Tweeting and soon you will be a Twitter expert.
I’ve just started using Twitter as a tool to get more readers to my blog too.
Great Twitter is a fantastic way to get more traffic to your blog and get your new blog posts noticed. I recommend Tweeting every new blog post a couple of times.
Hmm, never thought of this one, mainly because I am not all that much into twitter or facebook. But your strategy seems pretty good.
Being helpful and sharing your knowledge will always bring you the appreciation of others!
Let me check to see if whole strategy works or not. Only 12 followers followed to my twitter profile and wanted to rise it. Hope, this will get more followers for my small business.
Good Luck! These strategies should help alot. Just remember to provide great valuable information.
Mark,
Everything in this article is useful and informative, but I think the thing I will take away most from it is the simplification of the Internet. Just writing that the Internet is a place where people look for answers to their questions is brilliant! We all think about the Internet everyday (especially if we are involved in online business)… but I’ve never brought it down to its barest description like that! I think you’ve forever-changed the way I’ll think about the Internet.
Thanks Dave, I really appreciate the support and good look with your website. I see you are already helping people with the questions with that great support/QandA box on your homepage, really great idea.
I hope you continue to find and provide answers on the internet.
This is a really great strategy. I have never thought that we can use Twitter this way! Hehe…
This one proves that if you offer some benefits for free, you will obviously be liked.
Exactly. I think it is all about providing value that is higher than whatever the actual price was, even if it is $0 to $1,000+
It’s really new strategy for increase twitter followers. I will try it.
Nice post. With Twitter, Facebook etc you should only be adding followers/friends that are genuinely interested otherwise you are just wasting your time chasing the wrong customers. Its the same thing with keywords, only go after buying phrases.
Exactly, not only to you gain followers you get more valuable followers that interact with your tweets more often.
That means when you release a new product or link to an affiliate product your followers will be more likely to buy from you or your affiliated products.
Mark
Link Building Mastery
I have never thought of using Twitter like that! This “trick” is really interesting… looks something like Yahoo Answers. Good sharing!
great reading this, will try it tonight. many thanks
Interesting technique, the first I’ve heard of it for using on twitter that is.
Well since I’ve been on twitter I’ve not seen many questions being asked, but I’ll have to try implementing your technique and see what it turns up.
If you are looking for the followers this is more than acceptable on Twitter, if you don’t feel comfortable doing it in public then try find their email address and send them a short private email. Mark
That is a rather nice strategy. Maybe in blogging niches, this strategy will be very useful. I believe gaining followers should be done without the need of sending them a “please follow me” tweet or private message. People decide to follow you because they want to keep updated with what’s on your blog or business, not because you asked or begged them to.
what an idia, i must try.Maybe in blogging niches, this strategy will be very useful. I believe gaining followers should be done without the need of sending them a “please follow me” tweet or private message
hay! i dont have account on twittwr.I want to creat an account on twitter.But facing some problem to make. So tell me how to make?
Really great idea Mark! People are always appreciative when you go out of your way to help them. This is also a smart way to brand yourself as an expert in your particular industry. Thanks for the tip on adding the question mark into the search queries.
Clever strategy. Could work for a tech site like mine. Many Thanks!
Yes, good strategy! I think all good networks follow your instructions… like, ClickBooth, AdsMain, Filinet…etc.
one can use twiends as well.
Hmmm… gonna try it when i reach home. I dont do twitter that much and i have anything but good number of followers. but sounds like an easy way to get them.;)
On Twitter I follow only one rule.Just follow every Tom Dick and Harry that you can find and your own followers will increase.May sound Unethical but It works.
We can also purchase followers via many sites on the net or can use twiends to increase our followers
The followers will be your readers and visitors only, so you get Instant Twitter Followers based on your Traffic.