Growth: 
I began this Twitter account (@KiaraBunting) with 7 followers. To date, I have 53 followers. Additionally, I have a Klout score of 33, which has increased tremendously since the first days of my Twitter account.

What Worked: 

I found that there were three very effective ways to gain followers, and influence. The first was real-life connections, there is no better way to begin a relationship on social media, than with a real-life introduction (hello, business card exchange). Followers that you know, even a little, in the real-world are more likely to interact with you online and exchange honest opinions. The second strategy that proved to be effective is HASHTAGS. This cannot be emphasized enough, hashtags allow you not only to reach wide audiences, but to reach audiences that want to engage with the topic you’re discussing. Hashtagging things like ‘social media’ or ‘advertising’ brought me followers and engagements that I would’ve never gotten otherwise. The difference is clear in analyzing the top tweets from my account; the posts with hashtags did far better than the ones without. Lastly, I would encourage the use of photos, gifs, or videos as often as possible. As with hashtags, media impacts who wants to see your content. If people want to see your content consistently, you get followed more often and your network grows.

What Didn’t: 

It would be redundant to express in detail that not doing all of the above things results in less engagement and fewer followers. However, there are other things that don’t improve content. Negativity was something that, from the beginning, I avoided as much as possible. Even in the case of relatable negativity (like complaining about final exams), those posts never did as well as positive posts. Additionally, posting links without click-bait or intriguing captions basically ensured a lack of engagements and no link-clicks. Following influential accounts does not ensure a follow-back (following anyone doesn’t, for that matter), the most important thing to remember is that people follow an account because they want to. If posts can make someone want to keep up with you and your content, you’ve succeeded in growing your influence

By Kiara Bunting