Recently I’ve become a bit of a Twitter fanatic, but building a large Twitter Network wasn’t really something I initially thought to be useful. However, after reading many articles on the value a large and targeted network of followers can bring, I decided to begin looking for useful hints and tips on ways to go about doing it.

So without further ado, the following 5 tips are some of the best I have found so far:

1. Make sure your profile picture represents you in an interesting way. Cartoon avatars are eye catching and can show your humorous side, but real portrait pictures give a more personal feel. It’s up to you to weigh up the pros and cons of each. I would not, however, advise using some kind of logo unless your twitter profile is a company one.
2. Try and describe yourself as best you can in the limited bio space you have. Make sure to include your interests and hobbies as this increases your chances of being found by people that share them.
3. Ensure that your tweets provide value to your followers. If you find an article that you found particularly interesting, tell your followers about it. Found something funny? Share it. It’s ok to tweet casual things like “Eating dinner, on @tweetie” but don’t limit yourself to the “What are you doing?” question.
4. If your looking to build a quick Twitter Network, checkout the following blog post, Top 237 Twitter Users Who Will Follow You Back. Also, make sure you add yourself to WeFollow.
5. Do not use automatic DMs to thank new followers. Whilst in theory this may seem like a good idea, people will know your not physically sat sending those messages to everyone that follows them and some may therefore see this as reason to unfollow you. If you don’t think you can give up automatic DMs, make sure you DO NOT start telling people to visit your blog or something similar in the initial DM. If you do this, you will almost certainly be seen as someone who only has one interest, themselves.

These are just a few tips I have found in my Twitter Network building journey. If you have anymore, please do post them in the comments – I would love to hear your opinions and feedback.