There’s a divided world on Twitter about followers and following.

Some people are of the mind that, hey, if you take the time to follow me, I’ll reciprocate and follow you. Others go more along the lines of hey, if I take the time to follow you and you don’t follow me back immediately, I’m outta here. (So there!)  And yet there are still others who follow just to up their numbers and then dump you like yesterday’s garbage.

And then there are those that follow you because they think you have something of value to say or share. Or perhaps you made them laugh, or think, or strategize. Maybe you inspire them somehow. Maybe they just like you. They’re not necessarily following you just to get followed back, but they like you!

There are a few reasons I follow someone and it has seemed to work rather well for me. I’ve made some great friends, great contacts, learned things of value, had a few chuckles, and landed numerous clients on twitter.  So here is a quick look into why I follow folks on Twitter.

1. I think you’re interesting or funny or engaging. Somehow you’ve resonated with me.

2. I’m supporting you because you’re another mompreneur who’s doing the best she can do make it all happen. (I’m a huge supporter of other mompreneurs).

3. You followed me and I’m reciprocating because of either #1 or #2 above.

4. We’ve done business together, either past or present.

5. I met you either in person or online. It’s a great way to stay connected quickly and easily.

6. You’re my target market and I’ve got a 50/50 chance that you’ll follow me back and perhaps we’ll strike up a conversation.

7. You’re my competition and this is another way of staying on top of what’s happening in the marketplace.

8.You’re either directly or peripherally related to my industry.

9. You’re a local Vancouverite!

A few times a month I go into my list and see who my new followers are.  Sometimes I follow back, sometimes I don’t. It’s nothing personal; I have a lot of folks who don’t follow me back. So hey, whatevs. It’s all good.

I think the disconnect happens when people take Twitter so personally. Just because somebody doesn’t follow you back in the timeline you want them to doesn’t mean they won’t… they just might not have gotten around to it yet! We’re busy folks. We’ve got a lot going on! We’re all being pulled in ten directions at once. So chill.

And I think another thing to watch out for is over-doing the self-promotion. Keep it to the 80/20 ratio. People get tired and click “unfollow” faster than you can say “where’d all my followers go?” when all they see is a stream of self promotion or retweets.  ENGAGE with your followers. Talk with them. Strike up a conversation. Butt in! You’re allowed. It’s an open playing field.  And have fun. Meet new people. Learn new things. It’s all part of the new web. The new way of doing business.

So drop by and say hi. I’ve relaunched my twitter account to really connect with the folks I’m aligned with. Let’s get the party started!

Filed under: Business Integrity, Customer Service, networking