We all know that the key to success on social media, particularly Twitter, is activity. Engagement is the magic word. The more you engage, the more you benefit. Of course following good new tweeps, retweeting and mentioning others comes to mind here. Needless to say you should do this regularly. 

Conversations are key

But you should also go further when you can. And by that I mean don't just retweet someone a few times, or say "good point" in a mention. Actually try to start conversations that go on for a while.

You've got to sense when this is appropriate. Just as you can't force someone to chat with you in a real social situation such as a dinner party, it has to develop naturally on Twitter, too. So, you find that many attempts will not bear fruit. 

But some will. And they'll keep recurring with the same people. You'll really stand out in their feeds as "top drawer" tweeps. And they'll often be happy to help you with retweets, etc -- especially if you do the same for them. 

Influencers can help you greatly

If these people are influencers then the benefits are obvious. But even if they're not, they may well become influencers in time. And you can build your folllowings at the same rate and help each other out. It's these people who will be "the gift that keeps on giving". 

This is why it's so important to have a real, genuine interest in what you are tweeting about. You should also genuinely want to discuss it with others. And make sure that the people you try and engage in this way look like they will. That's why constant use of the site is important.

It's like when you are at a social event in the real world. You don't just talk to anybody. You mingle with the people who look attractive to you, who you know already, or who have heard about from others you know and trust. 

Always be sincere

If you just go into it because you've heard that you should engage with others, but you don't have any real desire to, then it's pretty clear to others.

I know from experience. Often I'll get a tweet asking how my day was or something like that. Then I'll go to their stream and see they've been saying exactly the same thing to numerous others. It just rings hollow in my opinion. 

I know others might not feel this way. But I do think it's better to only mention someone when you really feel like it. That way, the odds of a quality conversation -- eventually leading to a lasting connection -- go right up. 

(Image courtesy of jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

It's well established that a reliable way to build your following on Twitter is to follow good people who are in your niche. Some will follow you back, no doubt. 

Of course you don't want to overdo this. But used in moderation it's not unethical. And it's certainly effective. 

The challenge can be to find good new people to follow, though. Of course you can look through various lists, and that works. But you can often end up following people who are comparatively inactive. 


Focus on influencers 

With this downside in mind I think it's worth focusing on a different method. Instead of looking through follower and following lists, look at the individual tweets of your favourite influencers. You'll see that many of these have huge engagement, with lots of replies, retweets and favourites.

The retweets in particular are worth looking at closely. The retweeters are listed under the tweet itself. You'll find that many of these people are worth following. That's because they'll share your interest, since they are following the same influencer as you. Also, you know they're active, and engaged. They're also not stingy with the retweets. 

When looking at one of these as a potential tweep to follow, check his follower to following ratio first. If it's close to 1:1 then there's a reasonable chance he'll follow you back. 

I've been using this method lately and it is the most focused one I've found so far.