I’ve learned a few new things about Twitter in the last few weeks: If you follow the right people, more people will start to follow you. It’s also become apparent that a number of folks who “follow” me (@mwhit14) are doing a version of Internet marketing, hoping that I’ll return the favor and maybe even visit their websites.
There are two basic ways to use Twitter. One is to send messages (tweets). The other is to follow other people’s tweets in hopes of learning something, being entertained or finding a bargain. So far, I’m not much of a tweeter. Since I opened my account May 1, 2008, I’ve sent just 55 messages, or updates.
However, I’m an avid follower. I check my Twitter feed several times a day to see what people are talking about and to discover links to articles of interest. I follow people I respect in the news and online advertising industries like Steve Yelvington (@yelvington), Vin Crosbie (@vincrosbie) and Kathy Schwartz (@kathyschwartz). I follow some friends and colleagues, and I get news or info from David Pogue of the NY Times (@pogue) and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat writer at the Post-Gazette (@dejan_kovacevic).
A few weeks ago I started following Jay Berkowitz (@JayBerkowitz), who is the lead instructor for an Internet marketing class I’m taking through the University of San Francisco. Jay is an Internet marketing expert and CEO of Ten Golden Rules, a consulting and marketing company. For comparison, Jay has 5,440 Twitter followers and follows 2,269 folks.
Almost the moment after I began following Jay, I began receiving notifications of people starting to follow me. Most of them are Internet marketers or consultants. I’m sure they’re hoping I will return the favor by following them, thus adding to their own cadre of followers. The more followers you have, the more traffic you are likely to have to your website. And, if you’re selling something on your site, more traffic can lead to more sales.
I admit I haven’t returned the favor to all of my new Internet marketing followers, but I have added some. I may even have time to visit their sites now and then. And, by the way, I’ll be tweeting a link to this column. Visit me!