“He does not have too many followers, so suggest we wait.”
“He will seldom retweet our messages.”
“Oh, she already follows us. We don’t need to follow her.”
Sounds familiar? Find it difficult to reason with the client when you hear something like this?
I have had several conversations lately about how to use Twitter and how to decide who to follow. I know everyone has a different methodology and goal when using Twitter. Some brands want more followers, some want to increase the reach for their content and some want to hear from their customers. But the one goal that remains common is engaging with the customers.
As brands are becoming more and more cautious about their moves, there is a great deal of planning that goes out in creating a strategy for Twitter. And while the strategy answers some critical questions, including – what kind of content is suitable for consumption, how to answer customer queries, who to engage with etc. – there is a larger question that awaits each brand custodian. Who should a brand follow on twitter?
Here, in this case, there is no rule book though. The answer is based on certain questions that you can ask yourself. The first and foremost thing a brand should keep in mind is relevancy when determining whether to follow an account. Don’t ever feel obligated to follow an account simply because it follows you. But when someone in the same domain, with a recognizable status reacts to your content, it is a good idea to follow back and tweet a thank you.
Also, never go by the face value – there are a lot of very interesting people on twitter but the content they tweet is self-serving.
At times, trusting Twitter for its recommendations is a good idea. On the Twitter homepage, the ‘Who to follow’ section has suggestions based on the types of accounts you’re already following and who those accounts follow. These should be evaluated from time to time. A lot of people who have a huge followership or who churn our relevant content may not be of value if they do no engage with your brand. So do not get carried away by one’s follower count while deciding.
Twitter is about engaging with people. If you are only broadcasting information without following people and interacting with them on content, you are killing the purpose. Instead, if you engage with people who are talking the same language, they would, in no time, become influencers for your brand.
If I have to quickly recap, I would say – do not follow rules, do not be too cautious, and last and most importantly, do not be conservative in following people. By following people, you are just extending your network. Do that, rather than coming across as a snob brand!