Last week, I talked about the fastest way to lose followers on Twitter. In this post, I want to share the criteria I use before I follow someone. If just one is missing out of the four below, I don’t follow the person.
These are the 4 things I use to determine whether or not I should follow someone on Twitter:
- Upload a picture that includes only you. Even an avatar is okay too. But not one of your company logo, your children or a group shot. I want to know who I’m following and seeing your smiling (or frowning) face gives me the confidence that you’re a real person. Also, I find it creepy if I follow someone who is 30 years younger than me. Not cool.
- Include a URL. Before I follow someone, I like to check out his or her website. Doing so gives me a chance to find out more about you. If I like what I see, not only do I follow you, but I add my email to your list if you have an interesting offer on your website or blog. If you don’t have a blog or website, include a URL to your Facebook or MySpace profile. Just send me somewhere so I know I’m following a real person, not some smarmy spammer.
- Use your real name. According to Twitter, using your real name helps people to find you easier and recognize you faster. While your username can be whatever you like, such as your company name, I highly encourage you to use your real name under Settings > Account. If not, I don’t follow you because I can’t identify you.
- Unlock your profile. I NEVER follow someone whose profile is locked. When I come across a profile that has a security lock, I wonder to myself “What are they hiding why I need their permission just to see their updates? Is she running from the law? Trying to hide from his ex-wife so he doesn’t have to make child support payments?” Twitter is all about sharing and building rapport. If you already put up a barrier BEFORE we have a chance to connect, then it’s not worth the effort to follow you. Go to Settings > Account and uncheck the box that says Protect My Updates.
These are small tweaks you can make to your profile that will encourage more people to follow you. Be open so you can build traffic to your blogsite, as well as build rapport.
What other tips can you provide to help people trim and tone their twitter profile so they can get a ton of followers?
Thanks for the great info!
I would say don’t use the @ sign too much … Like send a DM instead right???
I agree with all this Leesa. Isn’t this just common sense? I would have thought so! And lately I have seen so many not using their real photos. I wonder why they feel the need not to use their real face, but instead a charicature drawn. Is this for privacy? Why would they think they were being annonymous if they were tweeting all day?! Strange indeed. And simply annoying. It’s almost like they are not playing by the same rules as the rest of us…
Anyway, thanks for te post. Great as usual!
Krissy 🙂
my main blog: Sometimes I Think
my twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iamkrissy
It’s amazing to me how many entrepreneurs who SAY they are focused on their business, yet miss the opportunity to publicize that business. Along with Twitter and Tweetdeck, I use Just Tweet It (justtweetit.com) and it is amazing to me how many people list their twitter IDs under entrepreneurs and small business, yet don’t give any information about their websites/blogs. They’re really missing out.
The other thing I want to mention is using a service like http://www.ping.fm to update activities. This service sends an update to ALL my social networks and followers at once and saves me TONs of time since I not only have two business sites http://www.livinginleftfield.com and http://www.deborahbeatty.com, but also the blogs that go with them. I’m ALWAYS doing something newsworthy to share.
Great site, Leesa. Keep up the good work.
I agree with Randy, think about using a consistent image across all profiles. But I would also like to add that you should stick with the avatar. Some people change up their avatars so much and I only recognized them by their avatars not their real names. It leads to a lot of confusion and inconsistent personal branding.
Great Great Post Leesa. When I first started with twitter I was torn between using a name related to my business and my own name. But I decided that whatever my business was I wouldn’t be changing my name and felt that it would brand me. I often wondered why someone would lock their profile. At first I thought it was because they made a mistake or maybe a sense of self importance. But in either case it will effect the number of followers you have.
Linda
I would add that for creating and displaying your avatar – make it distinctive and easy to spot at a very small size. You may want to consider using the same image across all your social media platforms for consistent branding.
Also, take advantage of the options for adding a unique background and style to your Twitter home page. And, most of all, have fun, be distinctive and let your personality shine through.
Also I follow a few great people who have locked profiles. So this is not a hard and fast rule either. There are some good reasons why some do this, although I agree that for most it is not the best idea.
There are reasons also for some not to use real names. We travel with a child, but lead a very public life so that we may share our adventures and knowledge with others, schools, homeschool families and with disadvantaged school kids through an award winning non profit ( Reach The World).
We have had almost a million views just from our first Youtube video (released in Feb) so we use pseudonyms online to protect our child from stalkers and an endless google line up.
Sometimes it is good to look deeper into the reasons why some make choices that you may not. There is some gold out there that you might miss without a deeper look.
Great site Leesa.
I hope to get to the point of doing some pod casting and will look you up.
Thanks
Great job on your site, blog and twiitter ideas. I am new so it helps.
Have a great day!
Ken
Good advice, but there are always exceptions.
We are a family starting our third year of traveling the world, so one picture doesn’t do it for us and our username is a very known entity, where our names are not.
The best way to get followers is have interesting tweets and enter conversations in positive ways, support others etc. The whole quality content thing.
One way to get followers is to follow a ton of people, but some will never follow anyone who follow so many. Often the best people to follow are those who follow few and have tons of followers.
http://twitter.com/soultravelers3
Hi Leesa,
Some good points in there. I tend to do the same thing. And I have to agree with one of you previous posts as well. When someone sends me some unsollicited spam through DM, that will be the first reason to no longer follow that person.
I should check this site more often, some really good stuff on here 🙂
Regards from Belgium,
Stefaan
Excellent tips, Lisa. On-Point. I always look for the URL myself when someone adds me on twitter.
Using your real name is important if you intend to do anything other than your current project. I started out branding ReelSolid.TV and switched to BillCammack.com. I wasn’t appreciating how people knew and loved my “site” and didn’t know who was behind it.
I had locked my profile temporarily, but decided to make a policy change and open it up but not pre-twitter locations and events. I didn’t appreciate people inviting themselves to events I was attending, but I found a way around that, haha.
When you link to your blog or website make sure it provides current and focused information that compliments your profile. Otherwise it puts up a red flag that you are not focused, not serious and lack good follow thru.
Great tips Leesa! You only get 160 characters for your Twitter bio, so I also would recommend using keyword-type search phrases in your bio instead of a wordy bio type description. The keyword tags should be things that are relevant to you and your interests that others would be searching for, and would use to find & follow you.