Quality Over Quantity: Who do you follow on Twitter?

Twitter. A great way to connect with people, fans, clients, friends. It's an amazingly instantaneous way to get information and news. As a business it's wonderful for connecting with your clients and potential clients and to keep in contact with them. But sometimes, Twitter can seem like a game of jacks (how many can I get this time?)

As we try to grow ourselves, businesses, and causes can we really take a chance banishing quantity over quality?

I recently read an article, by a fellow blogger, entitled "Words Done Write: 5 Phrases that Ruin Your Twitter Bio." It got me thinking. So many people get on to Twitter for the sheer purpose of the numbers. Which is okay...if you are a celebrity where it's effortless to have millions of followers. However, if you are a small business or an up and coming personality, where you actually have to work at gaining notoriety and awareness, do the number of followers really count?

What makes Twitter slightly different from say Facebook or LinkedIn is that you can connect with anyone, any where, at any time, about any thing in 140 characters of less and have your brand's awareness go up instantly with a simple Retweet or mention. You can't afford to follow or be followed by people who aren't going to add true value to your business. Just because you have 3000 followers does not necessarily mean that they are listening to what you have to tweet. When you take the time to make connections it makes brand building all the more easier.

Every day I get notifications about a new follower, I am mostly interested in who the follower actually is and whether or not I can gain something from them...whether it be knowledge, affiliation, or business. I'm almost irritated when I am followed by someone on the #teamfollowback train or a marketer or a spammer. They are of no real value to me.

For me it's all about the quality of followers than the quantity. I am happy to tell you that the SOA Event Concepts twitter page only has about 260 followers and we're following about over 440 people. Those 260 followers are people with whom we have met or who have found us and the 440 that we follow are people we gain plenty from and see them as valuable contacts. Because we are a new and small business, we can't afford to play "the numbers game" on Twitter. That game is best reserved for our website, blogs, and newsletters. THAT is where numbers count the most.

Look at the people who are following you now and ask yourself if they are of much valuae(quality) or dead weight (quantity). Also, look at who you follow. Is it mostly celebrities and gossip sites? Or is it a diverse portfolio of potential and current contacts as well as industry leaders to provide you with the knowledge to grow? You'll be amazed at how much dead weight you carry on your Twitter page.

Remember: Quality> Quantity every time.

The Unemployed Entrepeneur