How to Properly Build Your Twitter Audience for Marketing

Twitter has grown from a somewhat isolated Silicon Valley startup into one of the hottest properties in the tech industry. A full-powered social media service, Twitter combines micro-blogging and social networking, giving public figures, everyday Joes, and internet marketers the ability to reach a truly huge audience with relative ease.

However, for all the opportunity that Twitter offers to marketers, few have decided to step up to the plate and demonstrate marketing value using the service. Search for "internet marketer" on Twitter and you will return thousands of results, each of which is generally struggling to move above one thousand followers.

Building a Twitter marketing presence is not just about signing up for the service and trying to follow the rules, but about actively marketing yourself and building an audience. This quick guide will help you build a Twitter audience, create online influence, and finally, market to the audience that you have built.

What does it take to build online influence?

Personality. It takes personality to succeed on Twitter, namely a personality that divides. The online world does not care at all for stale content, especially when it is of the 'satisfy-all' variety. Go out on Twitter with a plan to make your audience, and if it involves alienating some people; so be it. The most popular Twitter users and the most influential marketers did not make it to the top by trying to appeal to everyone, so do the same yourself: find your core audience, and cater to them without regard for anyone else's crowd.

How can you monetize an audience?

Remember to do it slowly. Twitter is not a platform that is particularly responsive to direct marketing, especially when it is marketing that people are mostly familiar with through email and search engines. Remember, Twitter is a social media platform, and it requires a social connection just like any other conversation arena. Build real connections with your audience -- not just faux marketing information -- and you will quickly find an opportunity to monetize your online influence.

How can I expand my following?

Most Twitter power users are not interested in maintaining the status quo, but in expanding their audience and boosting their online profile. However, while a large following can often be a positive, there are times when it can fool you into a false sense of marketing security.

Expand gradually, and ensure that your expansion is linear and value-building. While 10,000 followers may be a greater marketing resource than 2,000, it matters very little if their attention is divided. Focus on your following-follower ratio, not just the amount of followers you have built up.

How can I move my audience off Twitter?

There are going to be times where you will want your audience's attention off of Twitter, say for example, to your blog. Instead of trying the lock-out strategy that's failed for major media providers, give your audience a choice. If they want to stay on Twitter, do not move everything to your blog. Cater to both audiences and move once your ideal resource has developed, whether it takes one week or an entire year.

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