subject: You Have More Twitter Followers Than You Think [print this page] You Have More Twitter Followers Than You Think
Recently a client questioned the effectiveness of their Twitter account, particularly the question of why people weren't following at a higher exponential rate as the months passed. One might expect, if you spend enough time tweeting about your business, products, or services, that eventually word will catch on and people will click that magic button to add you to their feed. In theory this should be the case, but to be fair we should consider how no two Twitter accounts are alike, and the reasons why people use Twitter will affect your business regardless of whether or not you are followed.
You may not realize it now, but there are people reading your tweets now and finding the information useful, but deciding not to follow you. Before we get into an explanation of why, let's ponder a few points:
1) If you operate a niche business that caters to local market where the population is about five thousand people, don't expect a million followers.
2) In fact, don't expect a million followers unless you are Conan O'Brien, Lady GaGa, or that guy whose Twitter account became a television show.
Feel terrible now? You shouldn't. You may look at your hard numbers and think that because your followers have yet to round up to three digits means that nobody is getting your message. This isn't entirely true. One thing to remember about Twitter is that - unlike Facebook, where somebody is expected to register and/or log in before information is made visible - the data is there for anybody to see. One doesn't have to have a Twitter account to read Conan's 140-character long bon mots, nor does one need to subscribe to Lady GaGa's feed to find out which Pulp Fiction inspired brassiere she plans to wear in concert tonight. Go to Twitter's main page and search anything you like: people are either tweeting opinions about it or telling you where to buy it.
It is through Twitter Search where the accounts with low followers can achieve conversion. If your follower count is sub-100, you may feel discouraged and consider writing off Twitter altogether. This wouldn't be a wise thing to do, mainly because every word you type and every link you paste is cached in Twitter's search database. Let's say you operate a bed and breakfast in the heart of Virginia wine country and want to fill up some rooms during a lull period. Tweet specials using the essential keywords (discount, Virginia, B&B, etc.) and maintain a regular stream of commentary on what visitors can expect when they're in your area. Repeat tweet every few days - not too frequently to turn the people who are following you. Whether your activity will attract new fans is up for debate, but notice what you have achieved: you are advertising your inn to one of the most used search engines on the Internet. You have created the opportunity for somebody looking for something to do in Virginia to find you, click to your profile, then click through to your website to make a reservation.
This is where the true value of Twitter lies for businesses and people with niche appeal. It's nice to say, "I have ten thousand people following me on Twitter," but it's even better to say, "Last week ten thousand people visited my website after seeing my tweets."
Even if ten percent of that ten thousand follow through to convert a sale or other goal, that validates the necessity of your Twitter account. Of course, this may lead you to ask, "Well, if they're willing to click through and buy or opt-in, why don't more people follow?" There are many answers to that. Some people may wish to designate specific accounts to their feeds - friends and family, or media outlets - and aren't savvy enough or willing to create lists. Others, who are interested in your industry but don't want updates pushed to them constantly, may have your page bookmarked or recall your brand and wish only to come back when they want to see updates.
Remember, too, if your Twitter account promotes your Facebook or blog or other site, people who find you this way may sign up for updates elsewhere and don't feel it's necessarily to received duplicated information. You gain a follower, but not a statistic.
So if you're concerned about hard numbers, focus your energy instead on giving people pertinent information. You'll get bodies through the door, some will use a different entrance.
