When it comes to Twitter, followers want to read engaging, interesting tweets. If you think of Twitter in terms of a book, readers do not keep reading the same boring books (or tweets) by the same boring authors (or tweeters). For followers, Twitter is just that: reading. For brands, Twitter is a social platform for which interacting with customers is essential, NOT marketing. Twitter is not an advertisement; it’s a conversation.

So, let’s start increasing your Twitter followers.

1) Use Twitter as a Social Outlet, Not a Marketing Tool

MORE: Secret Social Marketing Tip: Tweet This, Not That! – Socialbakers.

But you’ll need a good reason for an engaged social follower to become an email subscriber. You need to show not just the value of your emails, but appeal to the unique social character of that follower. And guess what — not all followers are the same.

MORE:  How to turn social followers into email subscribers – iMediaConnection.com.

Now, for the good news: There are, in fact, a few magic bullets for Facebook and Twitter. The following discussion covers only Twitter and Facebook. The best research is available for these two platforms more than any others. So let’s take a look at some of the available data to find the buzzwords that ignite your social media followers.

The buzzwords: “Please” and “thank you”

Why they’re powerful

Didn’t your mother teach you anything? Sheesh. The exact same behavior that keeps everyone in the real word from thinking that you’re an asshole applies to the social media world too. Every time you post content for your fans, you are implicitly asking, “Take time from your day and look at this thing that I just posted.” You’re asking them to do something for you, so say “please.” And if they engage, say “thank you.”

MORE:  9 buzzwords that ignite followers (single page view) – iMediaConnection.com.

But, as Josh Sternberg of Digiday describes, smart brands actively strategize on Google+, rather than treat it as yet another presence they need to fill. ESPN for example has 1.2 million Google+ followers. Sports fans like rich media, and ESPN knows that, so relies on high-quality images and videos of all-things sport, and interactions with fans.

The news media seems not to know what to make of it, and the highly-circulated Wall Street Journal, New York Times and USA Today have piddling followings on Google+ compared to their other social platforms.

SOURCE: Dismiss Google+ At Your Own Risk – MarketingVOX.

via Twitter’s Most Viral Brands Of The Month! – Socialbakers.

If you are owner of one of these branded pages or if they fall in the area of your industry benchmark, take a look at this interesting distinction, which in easy numbers outlays the difference between these two social influencers.

via Do Top Facebook Brands Top Twitter as Well? – Socialbakers.