Alexis Kestler
About a month ago, HootSuite wrote a blog about How To Get More Twitter Followers Without Breaking a Sweat. While the post made some great points, the concept that companies need to amass as many Twitter followers as possible or they hold no relevance is an idea that has permeated the minds of many users on social media. However, we believe businesses should instead focus on each Twitter follower gained as being a prospective customer or advocate, and here’s why.
Big Numbers Don’t Necessarily Mean Big ROI
Having 150 engaged Twitter followers who read your blog, visit your website, and remember your business is undoubtedly better than having 1,500 people who have forgotten why they follow you. They have no interest in what your posting, and (more importantly) what you’re selling. Those 150 are much more likely to invest in what you’re selling because they have a personal connection to your brand. They’ve gotten to know you, they are interested in your content, and they feel like they can trust you. Also, keep in mind that having 150 dedicated followers who ReTweet and reply to you are much more manageable and enjoyable than having 1,500 who don’t read any of your posts or care about your message. Thus, let’s say 75 of those 150 followers end up using your product because of the time and effort you’ve put into your content and engagement on social media. That’s a huge victory over the maybe 5 or 6 users that would have tried your product should you have only focused on growing your following.
Engagement is The Key
Engagement is the key to amassing a following that directly corresponds to ROI. It’s hard to see the point of being present on social media if engaging with your customers isn’t a top priority. If you’re wondering if your following is hiding secret potential to be future customers, ask yourself if they’re engaging with your content. That means, are they responding to what you’re Tweeting about in your industry? Having a lot of followers seems great because it implies that you’re popular, but what really matters is if you’re engaging with your prospective customers on these social networks. At the end of the day, what matters is if they’re being driven into your sales pipeline.
How to Find Them
If you’re reading this and wondering how you can possibly have a Twitter following made up of potential customers, it’s relatively easy. By using either application like Socedo or Twitter search, you can find your ideal customers by using keywords relevant to your industry. Consider seeking out influencers and assess the best way to connect with each lead. Remember, it would be foolish to assume that every follower is going to be a potential customer, but it’s the mindset that the number following you doesn’t matter, the number of potential customers, does.
Instead of followers being viewed as potential customers, they’ve instead become a number businesses are obsessed with increasing. In reality, what we, as businesses, should be focused on is how many leads we drove from social media. 50 followers who care about you, your brand, and your product are infinitely more valuable than 500 followers who just added you and then forgot about you.
