Hello,
I'm Mervi Eskelinen!
An artist, nerd and sorcerer, dedicated to make world softer and better for everyone, and to get you to make more art. Make art, change the world!
Twitter Tuesday: Build a small and loyal audience of those who care
Imagine yourself in an event. A party or something. Lots of people have arrived. There are celebrities, people of influence, that person you admire, funny folks, chatty and quiet ones and a huge bunch of those who like to spill quotes all around. Most are talking at the same time. Everyone has so much to say.
You mingle, you talk with some, you try and get their attention. Of course you are trying to impress that person you admire and perhaps to gain attention from a couple of those celebrities and people of influence. In times you are raising your voice, so that everyone would hear and notice you.
All of a sudden you notice there a couple of people who are actually paying attention to what you say. They might not seem very important, they aren't that person you admire or celebrities or influential ones. But they are really interested in what you are saying and are trying to have a conversation with you.
What do you do? Do you give them a quick smile, turn back to the others and somewhere back in your mind hope these a couple of people won't get bored with you? Or do you turn to them and return the attention?
Don't invest into the popular kids
Often Twitter is kind of like a school yard: The popular kids are hanging together and the rest are trying to become one of the popular kids. Desperately.
If you want to build connections and audience that will click your links, @reply, @mention and ReTweet, you've gotta forget the popular kids. They already are so popular they don't have that much interest in you. Well, unless you are a popular kid yourself.
Sure, keep following them. And sure, you can click their links, @reply, @mention and ReTweet them. But don't get too invested in them.
Concentrate on those who care
Get invested on those two or three most-likely-not-that-influential people who are actually paying attention to you. Those who are reacting to what you Tweet. Those who care.
Those who care are rare. There are only a few of them. They are loyal, friendly and they try and help you out. Because they care.
Popular ones may give you brief moments of attention. They will forget you after a sec, though and they will not keep up giving you the attention.
Those who care are more likely to give you the attention you wish for (who on Twitter doesn't wish for attention?). Also they are more likely to spread your word, in addition to having conversations with you and perhaps answering your questions.
Connecting with those who care will also bring you more audience. It won't happen tomorrow, next week or in a couple of months. And it won't happen in huge rush of crowd. It takes time and they will come one by one.
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