The Twitter world is brutal, it’s honest and it’s real. Everyone is not going to like you and that’s okay.   Accept it, own it, deal with it! But don’t sweat it.   With millions of followers, Twitter has so much content, until it hurts! You can’t possibly read every tweet of individuals you follow, or keep up with all of the conversations that are going on. But, you can keep your Twitter sanity and still add value to an audience near you! Here’s how.

1. Be You

No one wants to be friends or follow, anyone who is being anyone but him or her-self. Twitter is an extension of you. It is an extension of your brand. Make sure that what you are saying and how you are saying it reflects your style and the points you are trying to get across. There is no need to try to be something for the sake of followers. Authenticity wins you points and keeps you consistent.

2. Be Relevant

Talking about last week’s news is not going to get you more followers. In fact, it will lose you quite a few. Make sure that what you are talking about is relevant to what is going on within your community. Tie topics into what’s hot in the news at the moment and piggy-back off of hashtags that may coincide with your posts or conversations. As long as it’s a proper connection, it is perfectly acceptable.

2. Be Different

Posting the same information every day is dreadfully boring. Don’t post the same quotes, talk about the same topics or repopulate the same content over and over again. Switch it up every day for your sanity and for the sanity of others. Also, add your own twist. You are already different. Sprinkle those differences throughout your social conversations.

4. Be Engaging

The fact that so many individuals and brands are still not utilizing the visual stimulating capabilities of social media is beyond me. From pictures, to videos, to memes you are able to do so much to engage your audience. Make sure that you aren’t just tweeting 140 characters every day. Throw in a visual image to stimulate your followers and even more importantly, talk with them. If they respond to you, Retweet you, or favorite a post take the time to interact with them. After all social media allows us to connect with others.

At the end of the day it’s not about the amount of followers or the amount of likes or the amount re-tweets. It is about building an audience or a following that is going to interact with you and be interested in the things you have to say. If people don’t care about what you are saying, they aren’t going to follow you.   But be patient, your Twitter following isn’t going to grow overnight. Organic social media growth takes time. You will get there.

The Burnette Agency offers public relations and social media services to a variety of clients. For more information on our services, please visit our website or email us at info@theburnetteagency.com