Are you still stuck with only a few hundred followers, and are you looking for some creative ways to get people to start reading your tweets? Well, it’s not as hard as you might think.

I remember my first real Twitter experience, that was when I first visited my Twitter profile one year after I last used Twitter. What happened was this; I created an account at Twitter on October 28, 2007. But after playing with it for 5 minutes or so, I stopped, I couldn’t see the point. One year later I visited my profile and discovered that I had more than 1,000 followers.

I didn’t quite believe it. Why did people follow me? I hadn’t used Twitter, I jumped on the bandwagon a little early, that was all.

I discovered early that adding more followers was important when it comes to marketing. The more followers, the more people are reading my tweets, and clicking my links. It’s a lot easier to drive traffic to websites with more followers.

The challenge we’re all facing is how to get more followers. And especially, how do we get more targetted followers, that’s how do we get like-minded people to follow us?

Let me give you 10 ways to get more followers on Twitter.

#1 Follow more people

When you follow people, most of them follow you back. You can follow them one-by-one, or you can use software or scripts to follow a lot of people with a single click.

#2 Be different

If you’re not any different, why should people be following you? Think about it, you can tell the same story or send the same tweets, but do it in a different way.

#3 Participate in Conversations

When you talk to people, ask questions, provide answers, they won’t forget you as easy as if you’re just having a monologue on Twitter. Find conversations by searching Twitter, participate and you’ll get followers.

#4 Drive Traffic To Your Profile

Your Twitter profile is like any website. High quality content and lots of traffic is how you’ll get successful. The more traffic it gets, the more people will follow you. Link to it, send traffic to it, like you do with your website.

#5 You Need A Different Avatar

You can’t use the default avatar, you need a picture of yourself. People follow people. If you’re going to use an avatar of someone or something other than you, make it a really cool one. If people laugh at your avator, they’ll follow you.

#6 Share Share Share

Retweet information that you find valuable, and share information you enjoy. The more you share, the more people will follow you. But only share information you find valuable, don’t share crap. Crap won’t get you anywhere.

#7 Define the Outcome

You need a strategy. How many times a day are you going to tweet, what are you going to tweet about, how many followers are you looking for? If you have defined what your goal with Twitter is, it’s a lot easier to make it. Start your day with four Twitter tasks, add them to your schedule and remove them when they’re done.

#8 Wear Your Twitter Profile

There are many cool Twitter T-shirts. They can be customized, this way you’ll promote your profile just by being yourself. Or, you can add stickers to your car or to your business wall.

#9 Use Direct Messages

I have thought that using direct messages is just a waste of time, but not in all cases. If you’re very personal, or you’re always having one-on-one conversations, you should consider using direct messages more. This way it will be easier for people to follow your timeline and see how much value your sharing.

#10 Ask People To Follow You

The most effective way to get more followers is probably to ask. When you ask, people will retweet, and they’ll follow you. It’s that simple. You can add Twitter banners to your websites, or you can add a link in your blog posts. Please follow me on Twitter.

Do you have any other tips on how to get more followers on Twitter?

Image: Brood Wich

One of the most powerful features of Twitter is the search. I have especially been using it for support, by searching for whatever question I have, and it works great.

When you search Twitter you do it in real-time, and you can end up finding tweets that are just a few minutes old. That’s amazing. This way, you can be part of a brand new conversation, even though you have no clue who the people tweeting are.

You know the topic, that’s the important part.

Now, let me show you how to search using the best Twitter client available, HootSuite.

And, I’ll use an affiliate marketing example. Let’s say that you’re promoting TweetAdder, the powerful Twitter software that I’ve been using for several months.

What you want to do, is search Twitter for TweetAdder.

Type the search in the search box in the top right corner.

After you do, you’ll get the search results as a new pop-up box in the centre of your screen.

You will see the latest tweets using your the word(s) you searched for, and you can choose to see the users with a username matching the word(s) you search for.

The next thing you should do is to save the search. Save it as a stream.

When you save the search as a stream, you’ll get every new tweet with your keyword updated in real-time.

When there’s a new tweet in your stream, you’ll get notified with a sound and a number of how many new tweets there are. You’ll see it next to the name of your stream.

Think about it, every time someone are having a conversation on Twitter regarding “your product” you’ll be notified and you can be part of the conversation.

I’m searching Twitter all the time, are you?

Yesterday was an awesome day. The weather was perfect, and I wrote a blog post about The Best Internet Marketing Newsletters while I was relaxing in the hammock.

The best part of this story is that I didn’t think about it at all, but as soon as I published a tweet about my latest blog post, I started to get more traffic than usual. I started to get more subscribers to my newsletter than usual, and all of them where signing up from that blog post.

A few minutes later I realized what was going on.

Wow, copyblogger tweeted my blog post, and that’s why I received a lot more traffic than usual. And that’s why I received 28 new subscribers to my newsletter, and not the regular 5 or 6.

This happens when people with more than 54,000 followers are publishing something about you and a link to your website.

It doesn’t happen often, but what a great feeling and what a great experience it is when it does happen.

What I did, was not intentionally at all, I didn’t think this would happen. The blog post was about the two best Internet marketing newsletters, and one of the two best Internet marketing newsletters I’m subscribed to is the newsletter from Copyblogger, it’s called Internet Marketing for Smart People.

When you mention people or websites in a blog post or on social media sites, and especially if you link to them, sometimes, not always, it grabs their attention and they read the story. Sometimes they send a comment or a link back as a thank you.

That’s what happened, and I’m very pleased.

It seems that the people I follow on Twitter tweet every single day, but the times they tweet and how many times a day they tweet seem to vary.

How many tweets do you publish daily?

I don’t have a strategy myself, I tweet when I feel like it, no matter what time of day it is, no matter how many tweets I’ve published earlier that day.

Usually, I don’t publish less than 5 tweets a day, that’s on a regular day. If I’m on vacation or something irregular is happening, it might be less. I don’t think that I have published more than 15 tweets on a single day. Usually I publish between 5 and 10 tweets daily.

To me, this seems fairly normal.

I’m thinking that if I publish less, like once or twice a day, my tweets will probably not be read, because my tweets usually just end up in the twitter timelines of my followers along with hundreds or thousands of other tweets.

Let me ask you this.

Is it really a limit for how many tweets you can publish daily for it not to be considered spam? The more tweets you publish the more visible you’ll be. On the other hand, if you tweet a lot, like 50 times a day, people might start unfollowing you because your tweets clutters their timeline.

Consider this, it might not matter how many times you tweet, it’s the quality of your tweets that matter.

I’m really interested, how many tweets do you publish daily?

Twitter Location is currently only available to users in the United States, which means that I can’t use it and that I have never tried it.

But I want to.

Twitter location is basically a way to show people where you are tweeting from. This means that if you live somewhere in the United States, and you’re tweeting about an awesome new restaurant you’re currently at, people can actually get a google map and see where you are. In other words; they’ll find the restaurant from your tweet.

To me, this sounds awesome.

In order to start using this feature, you’ll need to activate it. It’s not activated by default.

1. Log in to Twitter
2. Click settings
3. Click Tweet Location (Add a location to your tweets).
4. Click save

If you’re looking for people tweeting from somewhere specific, you could use Nearby Tweets. This way you can find out what people in specific locations are tweeting about, and you can even search for specific words / topics. For instance, you could search for tweets from people in New York about restaurant.

I just did, and I found this interesting tweet:

“heading to Nick and Toni’s with the 2 Tonys for Father’s Day celebration. Never tire of that restaurant”

From this, you’d know where the restaurant is, and you understand that this is a rather awesome restaurant. Why not give it a try?

Twitter Location is interesting and useful.

But, on the other hand, there are privacy concerns.

Just read the following blog posts, and you’ll understand why you might not want to use it:

- Twitter’s new location features work well, but at what cost?

- Twitter Location? Thanks, But No Thanks

- Privacy, Schmivacy! Twitter now lets you broadcast your location too…

I understand the privacy concerns, but I’m really looking forward to test Twitter Location.

Have you tried it, and if you have, do you find it useful?

I’ve read a few books by Tony Robbins about personal development, and from the reading I got a lot of great tips. The easiest and probably the most powerful advice was that in order to become successful I should learn and copy what successful people are doing.

When it comes to Twitter, I decided today that I wanted to take a closer look at the ten latest tweets from three well-known Twitter experts; Joel Comm, Yaro Starak and Ashton Kutcher and see if we can learn anything just by looking at the tweets.

Let’s begin.

Joel Comm is a famous blogger, author and a business person. He’s written the book Twitter Power. His 10 latest tweets are:

@barefoot_exec you are welcome! @bobhutchins is a great guy. And congrats on the super secret mojo you got workin’ less than a minute ago via web in reply to barefoot_exec

Are you going to AffCon2010? Listen to my appearance on Denver radio this morning –> http://TwitPWR.com/KEy/ (see you at AffCon!) about 2 hours ago via web

@internetdream yeah, but why not zap the huge statue in Rio to make a bigger statement? about 2 hours ago via web in reply to internetdream

Now HERE is a theological paradox! –> http://TwitPWR.com/KEl/ about 2 hours ago via web

Family-Friendly Yippy Chosen #1 Search Engine –> http://bit.ly/amkBZf about 3 hours ago via TweetMeme

Well where else are you supposed to put a goat? –> http://TwitPWR.com/KCu/ about 16 hours ago via web

@ed, you know what? You ARE Twitter. about 16 hours ago via web

Start the Presses (How to write and distribute press releases) | Top One Report http://bit.ly/dynWZ1 about 21 hours ago via TweetMeme

Breitbart.tv » Congressman Assaults Student on Washington Sidewalk: http://bit.ly/9udcnu 7:27 PM Jun 14th via mobile web

It’s a new dawn, a new day, and the world is at your fingertips. Get ‘er done! 5:10 PM Jun 14th via Twitter for iPhone

——–

Yaro Starak is a famous blogger and he’s having a huge success earning a living from his blogs, his products and as an affiliate. His latest 10 tweets are:

A really solid podcast interview I did for a paid product, just went public (free!) – Blogging For Business: http://bit.ly/acbxyT about 4 hours ago via TweetDeck

@pippostramazza I actually declined 75% of the applications last round. I’m not going to choose people I don’t think can benefit. about 4 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to pippostramazza

@pippostramazza No, I’m not sure, there are no guarantees. I only take clients where I see potential, hence the application process. about 4 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to pippostramazza

I just opened up my private coaching- taking FIVE new clients on for 12 weeks starting July – http://www.entrepreneurs-journey.com/elite/ about 5 hours ago via TweetDeck

RT @GideonShalwick: my latest video blog post: How I Make Money From Video Blogging (Video Interview) http://tinyurl.com/27wd88e about 5 hours ago via TweetDeck

@pippostramazza Convincing regarding what? about 5 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to pippostramazza

@cominback Great – let me know if you are going to apply and I’ll look for your email. about 5 hours ago via TweetDeck in reply to cominback

Just paid the tax man. My bank balance hurts. about 14 hours ago via TweetDeck

GREAT coaching call folks, some really good stuff in this one. Thanks to the members who joined us and @GideonShalwick my co-host. about 15 hours ago via TweetDeck

——–

Finally, it’s time for Ashton Kutcher, the expert with the most followers. At the time I’m writing this, he has more than 5 million followers! I don’t think that I have to introduce him, you’ve heard of him for sure.

His 10 latest tweets are:

Good luck today @realkaka http://brizzly.com/pic/2RVJ about 1 hour ago via Brizzly

Y does it seem like the only GOOD thing on the news is the occasional weather report & sports. 2day a lot of healthy babies were born! about 17 hours ago via Brizzly

new music (and wisdom) from the PS22 Chorus – http://youtu.be/XQ65FvokArM about 17 hours ago via Brizzly

CONGRATS!! RT @caro: PS22 Chorus wins Webby artist of the year award, comes onstage for live performance. Huge applause. about 18 hours ago via Brizzly

Pick up the jacket… 5:47 PM Jun 14th via Brizzly

@moonfrye GL!! 5:20 PM Jun 14th via Brizzly in reply to moonfrye

My prediction for game 6. The team with the most points will win! 6:01 AM Jun 14th via Brizzly

Of the lakers lose today what are the chances they can still win the series? 4:04 AM Jun 14th via Brizzly

@AXLSN it’s not mine it’s the car from killers 2:06 AM Jun 14th via Brizzly in reply to AXLSN

I would but its a loaner I gotta give it back RT @lnascimento_rj: I hate @aplusk hahahahahaha, can you lend me 2:06 AM Jun 14th via Brizzly

I think we can learn at least five things from this experiment:

- We need to be personal
- We should answer and ask questions
- We should retweet interesting conversations and resources
- We should use whatever Twitter application we enjoy
- We should tweet at least 5 times a day

Did you learn anything different?

Article by Ben Johnson

How is Twitter making money? Well, who cares! Instead of thinking about them, you need to think how you can make money online using Twitter. What can you achieve on Twitter by typing up to 140 characters? What kind of message can you convey to increase sales? How can you engage your market and make them come back frequently? These are just some of the questions that small business owners have and they anxiously look for the answers to make use of this famous platform effectively.

Now, let’s discuss the top 3 ways to engage your visitors and make them visit you frequently on Twitter:

Write Attractive Messages to Enhance Your Communication:

A lot of people type really boring messages. They update people with just about anything they do. When they wake up, they update, “I am awake.” When they are ready to hit the bed, they say, “I am going to sleep now.” Twitter allows you to do much more than that. As a business owner, there is no need to write such boring messages just to tell people that you are a real human being and you are trying to interact with your market.

You need to come up with nice and catchy messages. This is where creativity is required and, probably, some copywriting skills too. If you are good at writing headlines, then you can write good content for Twitter. Yes, it will require some brainstorming. Plus, the time that you will put in will be used to enhance your communication. It won’t be a waste of time. So, don’t write haphazardly. If you have links to good articles, you may share them as well with a nice, short, introduction in your own words.

Start a Competition and Offer Valuable Prizes:

This is an excellent, excellent way of connecting and interacting with people on Twitter. This is how you can engage them and bring them back all the time. You should start a competition, ask questions and give prizes to winners. Some businesses are already doing this and they are really enjoying the benefits of this great activity.

Now, the prizes that you offer don’t necessarily have to be physical products. You can offer services in return too. For example, if you own a writing service, you can offer free content to winners. If you own a logo design company, you can offer a free logo, and so on.

Offer Special Discount to Your Twitter Followers:

People like to tweet about valuable things, especially discount offers. So, when you offer a special discount on Twitter, people will re-tweet to share this valuable news with their friends and contacts. Hence, it will give your business a significant exposure and bring interested people to your website.

So…What Do We Learn From All This? We have got to engage our contacts and we have got to stay in touch with them consistently. With effective communication on Twitter, you will be able to give a powerful push to your business. No question about it!

Ben Johnson is the Alliance Manager at Logoinn, a custom logo design company. He writes about the effect of design on marketing and brand identity and helps small businesses find design solutions for effective marketing.

I’m not sharing a lot of pictures via Twitter, but I have done it, and I do it every now and then. I do it because pictures are awesome when it comes to telling a story.

Some stories are easier to tell using pictures.

It’s important to understand that Twitter is not only 140 characters of text. It’s easy to share audio, video, and there are several really interesting services available for free when it comes to sharing pictures.

I have only been using Twitpic and Ow.ly. That’s because they’re integrated in the Twitter clients I’m currently using. Twitpic is integrated in the one I’m using for my iPhone (Tweetie) and Ow.ly is integrated in the one I’m using on my Mac (Hootsuite).

I’ve been searching and I’ve found many interesting free tools that will help us share pictures via Twitter.

Here are a few:

Ow.ly
Twitpic
Twitgoo
TweetPhoto
pikchur
yfrog
picktor
TweeTube
TweetCube
TwitWall
Twadl
MobyPicture
Twixxer
Twitxr
SnapTweet
BeenUp2
Skitch
Posterous

Let me ask you this.

What’s your favorite way of sharing your pictures via Twitter?

… and, should I add other services to the list?

Thanks for reading.

I’m not sure if I’m right about this, but I don’t think that there’s a way to filter direct messages in Twitter.

Hence.

I never use direct messages, I have, but not anymore.

The reason I stopped, is that the messages I receive are close to all, either automated or spam.

Just read the last 10 direct messages I have received:

#1 – Hey Thanks for Following Me! Many More Tips on My Blog (link) or on FB (link)

#2 – Multiply your follow count FAST! (link)

#3 – Thanks for the Follow. Please check out Newbie Rewards. 1000s of ebooks, videos courses and more. Free Memberships (link)

#4 – Were is the love. Please download this free app because its a win win for both of us. (link)

#5 – Hey, I’ve been using Digsby and thought you would find it very useful. Check out the demo video: (link)

#6 – Twitter Software, Mac or PC, Auto Tweet or Reply, Mass Follow/Unfollow, Proxy Support, Niche Marketing, It does it all! (link)

#7 – Twitter Software, Mac or PC, Auto Tweet or Reply, Mass Follow/Unfollow, Proxy Support, Niche Marketing, It does it all! (link)

#8 – If you’re one of those that says ‘Just Say No To Another Juice Company’ – (link)

#9 – Guys buy in total safety!!! (link)

#10 – Thx for following! Stop by for good cheer. Can I help you achieve? Smokers, have you seen the cleaner cigarette? Go to, (link)

And it continues, the messages never stops.

It takes forever to read all new direct messages, and when 99% of them are not interesting, then I don’t think I have any choice but to not read them at all.

That’s until I find a way to deal with them, filter them, or stop spam and automated (boring) messages.

What about you, are you using direct messages on Twitter?

As I’m writing this, I’m on the island of Rhodes. That’s in Greece. The weather is awesome and I’m currently at the beach.

I’m here for fourteen days. It’s my vacation.

I could have updated all my followers every hour or so.

“I’m swimming in a beautiful sea.”

“I’m finally getting a tan.”

“I’m playing fetch with my kids. They’re like dogs, only better.”

“I’m eating lunch, ahhh tzatziki.”

“I’m swimming again. not with dolphins, but fish.”

“Ahh, the sun is hot. Finally, I’m red.”

“Nothing tastes better than a really cold Coca-Cola under the sun.”

But I don’t.

When I’m on vacation, I’m on vacation from everything.

I’m not using Twitter regularly. I’m not blogging. I’m not checking my e-mail, I’m not updated on current events, I don’t know what’s going on in the world, nothing.

I’m just spending the time with my family, and I’m currently spending most of my time in the sun, without a mobile device, without a computer.

I’m reading books, and I’m writing using a pen and a notepad. That’s it.

This blog post was written with a pen, then, a few days later, I used a computer.

Vacations are very important to me. I need to be offline, I need to quit everything I don on a regular basis. That’s how I survive, that’s my secret to eternal life.

Well, almost.

I have written a blog post, and I’ll probably write another. But when I do, I have to do it in a different way.

I’m not doing any research. I’m writing it on paper, either at the beach or by the pool. Then, when I feel like it, I’ll find a computer and I’ll go online to publish it. That’s what happens if I’ll be sending a tweet. it feels like a completely different world.

So far, I have published a few tweets, but they’ve been scheduled. They don’t really count.

I could have used Twitter to plan my vacation, and I could have published several questions about Rhodes in order to find the best restaurants, the awesome beaches and interesting places to visit. I’m sure I would have received a few tips.

I’m doing it the old-way, by reading books. I have recently bought “a complete travel guide to Rhodes (a book that includes information about archeological sties, nature, beaches, maps, history etc.).

I’m sure Twitter could have helped me, but it’s more important to me to be offline and to be focusing on being on vacation.

Twitter is not part of my plans, but what about you?

Are you using Twitter during your vacations?