When used effectively, Twitter is a powerful tool for recruiters; it can help generate leads, solidify your branding and build connections with new clients and candidates. Without followers, though, the benefits that Twitter can bring are essentially unattainable. Read on for our tricks to build your social media presence and boost your Twitter following for free!
Be an Informer
Social media breeds two types of people; informers and so-called meformers. The former shares information, using their profiles as knowledge exchange platforms; the latter tends to focus more on sharing updates related to themselves. Researchers at Rutgers University originally coined the term 'meformer' and found a clear divide between those who share information and those who share only about themselves. Informers had more than two times the number of followers of meformers. So, a sure-fire way to get more Twitter followers fast is to actively avoid sharing excessive amounts of information about yourself, and work to share constructive and informative posts that are useful for your followers.
Positivity Pays
We're often told that positivity pays; happier people advance further in their careers and have larger social circles. Does this ethos transfer to social media though? It seems so! Award winning social media scientist and author Dan Zarrella (@DanZarella) has found that the tone of voice you use when posting on social media really does make a difference to your follower count. The percentage of negative remarks found in your updates has an inverse correlation with the number of followers. Share positive updates, respond enthusiastically and avoid coming across as sad or cynical - not only will people be uplifted by your content, you will enjoy using social media more too.
Join a Twitter Chat
Twitter chats are an under-used resource in the world of recruitment, perhaps because they tend to require a consistent period of engagement over a timescale you can't move - if meetings are scheduled a Twitter chat is the first thing to go! They are hugely worthwhile though; learn and engage with experts and leaders in the recruitment world, showcase your own specialities, and connect with passive candidates during industry-specific chats.
Not sure where to start? Here are a few ideas of hashtags to follow and interact with:
- #RecHangout (recruiters' hangout)
- #WorkTrends
- #Tchat (talent chat)
Once you've started to build up a following, you could always start your own hashtag or Twitter chat too; you can follow Firefish's antics using #lovethefish.
Practice Strategic Following
A lot of businesses resort to buying followers, or aggressively following multiple Twitter accounts and then slowly unfollowing them as and when they follow your account back. This does not pay off. Strategically following people in your industry, people who use certain keywords and people with similar interests and goals to you will help you to cultivate a loyal and engaged audience. As your followers follow you back, and you engage with them (more of that later), their followers will see these interactions and will follow you too. This will not only build up a captive audience rather than an ‘invisible’ audience of paid for followers, but it will help you build your Twitter followers for free too.
Engage with Other Accounts
Twitter is a brilliant hub for networking. Engage with influencers in your field and start conversations with smaller accounts by replying to their tweets, or retweet useful tweets to your own followers and add in a credit or tag to another Twitter account that may be interested in your content. The more you link to others, the more people will see your tweets and reciprocate – these interactions will allow others to introduce you to their followers. Improving your follower count via exchanges with accounts that focus on content related to job searching, career tips or specific industry news relevant to your field will boost your following to allow you to use Twitter for recruitment of candidates too.
Sharing and producing useful content in a positive way, and strategically following other Twitter accounts to facilitate discussion will encourage followers to come to you. Boost this by joining Twitter chats that are relevant to your specific area of recruitment, and you are sure to see an increase in Twitter followers quickly. Most importantly, don’t be tempted to buy followers; follow our simple tricks and you’ll cultivate a genuinely interested and loyal follower base without spending a penny. Starting a Twitter account for your recruitment business, or just want to focus your efforts a little more? Follow us @FirefishNow, and take a look at #recruitment and #networking for a start.
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