5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More Followers

Getting more Twitter followers is a great starting point to becoming a social media star. How you get a big Twitter follower count is actually more important than the sheer quantity. You can use gimmicks and race to 100,000 followers easily. However, you want a high quantity of high quality followers. Based on Dan’s research, the 5 scientifically proven ways to attract more followers are:

1. Display a profile picture – The lowest hurdle of anyone serious
2. Stop talking about yourself – even if you are awesome
3. Reply – Don’t just broadcast
4. Identify yourself as an authority – Be official, a founder, or a guru
5. Be positive – Good attitude goes a long way

Check out this epic social media infograph…

Optimal Link Placement for Clicks

Historically, most of us put a link at the end of a Tweet. That practice may change based on some research Dan just published. It looks like the end of the post is okay. However, the sweet spot for clicks is to place your link approximately 25% of the way through your post.

As a bonus tip, your click through rate will also increase by adding a clear call to action. It’s amazing how powerful the simple act of asking someone to click or download gets results.

5 Scientifically Proven Ways to Get More ReTweets

Followers are good, but the success of your campaigns is to go viral. You need retweets. What type of tweets are more likely to be retweeted? Dan reviewed tons of retweeted posts and came up with the top 5 factors to getting more retweets:

1. Tweet links
2. Ask for ReTweets
3. Stop talking about yourself – a repeat Twitter best practice!
4. Report something new
5. Tweet about Twitter – not Facebook or LinkedIn

Here is the infograph…

If you want an even more high impact how-to guide from Dan, he just published an incredible book in August. I highly recommend it. The ROI you will get for $10 is amazing.

Zarrella’s Hierarchy of Contagiousness: The Science, Design, and Engineering of Contagious Ideas

 Disclaimer: This link is an affiliate link. However, my recommending Dan’s book or the very cool infographics is not based on my financial gain. His exceptional work speaks for itself and is worth sharing.

Related posts:

1. Using Twitter as an Effective Business Tool
2. 7 Creative Brief Secrets Every Marketer Should Know
3. Linkbaiting and Freebaiting

© Bob Angus for bobangus.com, 2011. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: best practices, books, graphics, results, social networks, tips, traffic, Twitter, viral marketing

LinkedIn

How can that be? Facebook is the #2 highest traffic website in the world and reaches 43% of the global internet according to Alexa. LinkedIn is not too shabby with over 100 million profiles, but it is the #12 most visited site and has a 6% reach. Plus all the experts say that every business needs a Facebook fan page and that everybody needs an active Facebook profile. That is absolutely true.

So how can I write that LinkedIn is more important for your personal professional brand than Facebook? The distinction is your personal professional brand versus your personal life. Get in your professional marketer mindset. LinkedIn is the best place to promote yourself and connect with similar business professionals.

Then add an amazing complement of social networking features tailored to help you accelerate the development of your professional image. LinkedIn has it all.

Not just for finding jobs

Many of us started using LinkedIn for the first time to find jobs and to post a better online resume. That was how most users used to think of the network, especially in the company’s early days. That is no longer the case. People in the corporate world are keeping LinkedIn open all the time just like they do Facebook at home.

Also you don’t need to worry any more that LinkedIn activity means you are job searching. You are not raising a red flag when share a relevant article, get a recommendation or update your profile. You are adding value, standing out from the crowd and representing you and your company in a positive light.

In fact, a LinkedIn profile is now expected if you are in sales or marketing role or in a technology industry. Before you meet somebody face-to-face, I guarantee that they checked out your LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have one or it is obviously neglected, then you are setting off the warning alarm.

High impact social networking

Connections, timelines, likes, comments, groups, apps, events, polls, an advertising network, news and much, much more. LinkedIn has all the social networking features you can want. Leverage these to stay visible with connections, promote yourself and supercharge your personal brand. More importantly these features are incredibly effective. The difference maker is that you and everyone on LinkedIn are there to represent yourself as a professional and to do business.

Farnoosh Brock sums it up perfectly in her recent post How to Use LinkedIn to Create Unique Opportunities for Your Blog Business on ProBlogger.

1. The LinkedIn community approaches networking with a business-oriented mindset and wants to hear about your business, your offers, your products, and your services.
2. The spirit of the LinkedIn community is to support one another as business professionals, as opposed to Facebook and Twitter where we are first peeps and friends before we talk business.
3. The LinkedIn professionals are very likely decision makers in their business and your connection with the right person could mean real business and profits.

Not just a numbers game

Lastly, if you do want to find a job, LinkedIn is the best. I am biased though. When I was unemployed before joining PayPal, I was being contacted by 2-3 recruiters a day. In fact, I got my interview with PayPal because the recruiter found me on LinkedIn… not because I had an inside contact or had submitted my resume online.

I have a word of warning though. You look terrible if you are only blindly adding dozens of connection daily and adding nothing else, just like on other social networks. Sure the bigger your network, the better. But on LinkedIn business professionals in your field are paying attention to your every move. Contribute to a group discussion. Recommend a co-worker or valued customer. Post a relevant article.

Don’t be a connection spammer. On Twitter, people just choose to not follow you back. On LinkedIn, you don’t get the call for your next job.

How do you use LinkedIn? Comment with your favorite LinkedIn benefit.

And of course, feel free to connect with me.

Related posts:

1. 3 Infographs That Hold the Secrets to Your Twitter Success
2. Using Twitter as an Effective Business Tool
3. MySpace Opens the Door to Developers

© Bob Angus for bobangus.com, 2011. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Facebook, LinkedIn, PayPal, results, social media, social networks, Twitter

Well, my excuse for not blogging here is not really that good. We moved to Mountain View… um… 5 months ago. I also broke my promise that I would start making some serious cash from affiliate marketing, since I was no longer under the rules of Valueclick. Nada.

What can I say? I have been working my tail off at VeriSign. I am responsible for marketing 3 of our SSL brands and the partner channel. Plus, there is sooooo much for me and my family to do here in No Cal. We even got to see my old team, the Modesto Nuts, play the San Jose Giants.

Blogging and making money online have had to take a back seat. Actually, that is not exactly true either. I just launched a new blog at VeriSign… Bob Angus: The Ecommerce Evangelist Blog. It is not your standard corporate sales pitch thinly veiled as a blog. The blog focuses 100% on the world of e-commerce news, trends, and best practices. Please check it out, subscribe to the feed, and join the discussion.

Since you are here, please subscribe to BobAngus.com and/or follow me on Twitter.

Related posts:

1. Jack Hates My Angus
2. Angus PieFest 2011 – Holiday Pie Fundraiser
3. About Angus

© Bob Angus for bobangus.com, 2008. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: angus, Commission Junction, Twitter, VeriSign