Earlier today I was reviewing some of the older posts over on the Sponsored Tweets blog (which is a fantastic resource for all things having to do with Sponsored Tweets, by the way), and ran across this post about “growing your audience” which seems relevant for our other platforms as well. Although I’m not a fan of re-purposing content, I think the content here is very valuable, and am posting in hopes it will help you not only expand your Twitter audience but your blog audience and mobile audience as well. Great tips – let us know what you think!
One common topic we see fairly often our Twitter streams and in our Support Forums has to do with Publishers getting offers. While Advertisers of all kinds use the platform and are interested in hiring Publishers with varying audiences, it’s important to keep in mind that as a Publisher (i.e., Blogger, Tweeter, Mobiler), the more engaged your audience the more you will appeal to an Advertiser. This is also true of Publishers who have a healthy number of Followers.
So…how do you get a larger audience? One of the best things to do is to market yourself, of course. “How do I do that?” you’re probably asking yourself? Here are a few suggestions we can throw your way:
Digital Marketing
Well, first of all you should let it be known that you have a blog or a Twitter handle in as many places as you can. This might be in your e-mail signature (even work, if allowed), any place you might be sending a message through the Internet. Maybe you even want to create a newsletter that you send family, friends, and colleagues. Get creative – the ideas are limitless!
Events
Another thing you can do is promote yourself offline. Yup, you’re gonna have to get out there and meet some folks…talk to them. Know of any Meetups or Tweetups in your area? Why not plan on attending one, and network with other people who are there? This is the perfect opportunity to connect with people who are active in the social media space, and to promote yourself, your blog, and your Twitter handle. You might even have some business cards created, as an additional means for people to remember you after the event.
Engagement
Yet another way you can grow your audience, and this is the most time-consuming, is by connecting with other Bloggers and Tweeters who talk about the same things you do. Do you talk about entertainment alot in your Tweets? Movies? The hottest TV show? Your favorite actor? Then find other people who are talking about the same thing, and engage in conversation with them. One of the easiest ways of doing this is using a Twitter search engine. There are several you can choose from but one of my favorites is Search.Twitter.com. The site’s interface is clean and easy to use, and there are many different search options available to the user.
Twitter Search Homepage:
If you are a Tweeter who talks about movies often, and want to find out what other Tweeters are saying about the film “Inception,” for example, then you would type inception into the search field. You can also be very specific about keywords, locations (of the Tweeters), dates, and more by selecting the “Advanced” option at the top of the page.
Once you’re finished defining your query, hit the “Search” button and here’s what you’ll see:
Read over the Tweets being published, and if someone’s saying something interesting, or making a comment you want to respond to, simply hit the “reply” link and an “@” will open-up automatically in your Twitter profile. And BAM…you’re starting a dialogue! The same practice can be done on sites such as Technorati, for blog conversations.
Of course, if you have other areas of interest then you’ll want to do the same thing with those topics.
Success!
Once you start involving yourself in conversation with people who have like-minded interests, you’ll find yourself gaining more Followers in no time. Why? Because you’ll be developing authentic relationships…what social media is all about!
If you have any other great ideas about growing any of your audiences, or have done things that’ve worked for you, we’d love to hear about it!
