I am surprised at how few people are actively using Twitter.

There is so much potential to reach people on Twitter and the only drawback is that your messages are limited to 140 characters or less.

Some people find Twitter to be a little confusing compared to Facebook.

There’s a learning curve just as there is in using any technology tools.

But, you can build a much bigger network on Twitter more quickly than you can on Facebook. That is part of the attraction.

I currently have over 24,400 followers on Twitter. That compares to only 4,200+ friends on Facebook and 1,500+ Likes on my business Facebook page.

Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rickcooper

Here are 7 strategies to attract more followers on Twitter:

1. Follow/Follow Back Strategy

The simplest way to get followers on Twitter is simply to follow people. When you follow people, they tend to follow back.

Unfortunately, you can only follow about 10% more people than follow you. So, if you have 1,000 followers, you can follow about 1,100 people.

2. Actively Retweet

A simple way to get the attention of people and encourage them to follow you is to retweet them. A retweet is where you share someone else’s post.

You can click on the Retweet button or copy and paste their message and start it with RT and their twitter ID. For example, my Twitter ID is @RickCooper.

3. Respond back to people communicating with you

One of the ways to interact with people on Twitter is to click on the Connect button and then check to see you is trying to communicate with you.

Look for:

1) People replying to you
2) People retweeting you
3) People favoriting your posts

Then, respond back to people.

Each interaction you have with other people creates the opportunity to attract new people to you.

4. Favorite

A simple way to get other people’s attention is to favorite one of their posts. Some people use Favorites as a bookmark, but I think it’s a great way to get on someone’s radar. In other words, people will see your name and may follow you.

This is great especially if you are maxed out and can’t follow any more people.

5. Gratitude

A simple way to build a great reputation on Twitter is to express gratitude.

Thanking people for retweeting you is easy to do and it’s easy not to do.

Develop a habit of retweeting other people and of thanking people for their retweets.

6. Twitter Chats

A great way to attract people to you on Twitter is through chats.

For example, each month Gary Loper hosts a Twitter Chat. He uses the hashtag #GLTP.

You can participate in the chat through Twubs. Login with your Twitter account ID and you will see a streaming conversation with questions and answers from the participants.

Your messages will post to Twitter and others will see them in their Tweet Stream (Twitter newsfeed).

For example, if I want to reach Speakers, then I can participate in the Twitter Chat on Tuesdays at 4pm Pacific using the hashtag #SpeakerChat.

7. Trending Hashtags

A final way to attract people is to tweet so that your tweets will be seen by a larger number of people.

Every day, tens of thousands of people click on the hashtag links on the sidebar of Twitter, referred to as trending hashtags.

If you tweet a message with a trending hashtag, then thousands of people might see your tweet and follow you.

Of course, the key is to attract the right people.

But, any exposure will attract new followers. And the more followers you have, the more people you can follow.

All in all, Twitter is a great social media site. Yes, there is a learning curve. And you have to realize that it may take years before you begin to really realize the benefits of your social media marketing. But, it’s where people are at and if you want to develop relationships online, sooner or later you will realize it’s where you need to be.

Rick Cooper
Online Marketing and Social Media Trainer