Author: Chris Herbert, B2B Specialist & Founder of mi6
Audience: Business Executives and Marketing Leaders
The Question
I’ve been having some conversations with people in person and on Linkedin about bulk following on Twitter. Automated software tools like Tweet Adder are used to bulk follow people on Twitter in order to accelerate the number of followers you have.
The expectation is that a certain %age of the accounts you follow would in turn follow you back. So, if you follow a lot of people fast, you’ll have a lot follow you back fast. In fact I would suggest that the folks out there claiming they can get you tons of followers fast are using bulk auto following tools/services.
Let’s Do The Math
Here’s some crude math to illustrate how this tactic is used:
- You use a bulk following tool/service and configure it to follow the maximum number of followers per day
- I don’t know how many this is but let’s say you set a target of 200 follows. You assume that 100 will follow you back.
This tactic is being implemented by people to build their following. In fact I bought Tweet Adder software and tried it out. Once I dug deeper about the risks of bulk auto following, I chose to build my b2bspecialist following manually/organically. In fact, I’ve stopped actively following people through my mi6 agency account until I’ve established clear differentiation between this account and my b2bspecialist account.
So, Is Bulk Automated Following The Right Thing To Do?
Personally and professionally I don’t think this is a wise tactic to use. Here are some reasons as to why:
Reason #1: Twitter Doesn’t Allow It
According to Twitter bulk auto following violates their rules as high lighted below.
Reason #2: Your reputation matters
In building your b2b brand I talk about reputation as being the most important brand attribute. By bulk automated following you are violating Twitters rules and your account could be suspended. This is what happened to Tweetadder, a software tool for bulk auto following. Check for yourself, go to http://www.twitter.com/tweetadder and you’ll see the suspended notice (see screenshot below). They now have a new Twitter Account
Reason #3: You want to establish quality connections
Your objectives must drive your actions. If you’re looking to amass a group of followers to create awareness for your products and services you need to invest time and effort to find people who are on Twitter that might be interested in what you know, what you have to say and yes….what you offer. Find out where they are by using lists, networks and directories like Listorious, Linkedin and WeFollow.
In Summary
You can use tools/services to bulk auto follow, but I advise against it. I view it as unprofessional, unauthentic and one sided. Instead, you should start out with the intention of making legitimate connections with people and to earn their trust by providing them with quality information, insights and interactions. Over time, you will earn your followers trust and they will share your tweets with their followers. They will start referring/recommending you via #MarketerMondays and #FollowFridays (#FF).
Ultimately it is up to you how you build your social networks and relationships. I hope that this perspective helps you decide what you think makes sense for you and your business.
Oh, if you’d like to follow me I recommend you view my profile and look at what I’m tweeting about. If what I’m saying and sharing is of value to you then follow me. If it doesn’t interest you then following me would make no sense would it?
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Wisely put. I agree wholeheartedly. Paying attention to individuals who decide to follow you is common courtesy and good business.
Ian, thanks for your comment. As more and more of us jump on the social media bandwagon one gets concerned about things like “oversharing” over Retweeting and really annoying @chatter.
Hi Chris,
Great post! – I did a webinar in the UK today about social media marketing, specifically for UK construction companies – One of my main points about Twitter followers, was that it’s about quality, not quantity. Many recommend an auto-follow, but I don’t. I believe that companies on Twitter should segment their markets and appeal to specific audiences. Who cares if ‘Debbie from Dallas’ with no blog, follows 10,000 people with no real followers, starts to follow you? If they aren’t relevant to you, or your target audience, then block them! It’s just spam. I may sound naive, but if this medium is really going to work for all, then it has to be about engaging with people/businesses that you have something in common with. thanks
Hey Kirstie,
Thanks for the comment. In the B2B world, especially small to midsize businesses, making sure who you follow first/follow back is really important. You want a quality “list” for lack of a better word of people that are important to your business and who potentially feel the same. I tend not to block people unless I catch them in what I call the auto follow/unfollow insanity loop. I’ll block the “make a million” and “get a million followers” people because I’m not interested and quite frankly I don’t want them to get my tweets.
If a Mom entrepreneur follows me because she gets value from what I tweet I may follow her back (I may not as well) but I won’t block her. It could be that if she retweets something of mine that someone in her network ends up following me and doing business with my agency Mi6.
Thanks again for the comment.