Have you ever attended a football game or any other sporting event where the game seemed to drag just a little? Either the game is a blow out where the competition just isn't there, or the plays are so awful you lose interest. So what keeps you there? What is that driving force to keep you there? It's the cheerleaders and those crazy devoted fans. Watching these two groups of people gets you back involved in the game and then everything seems more fun and exciting, you start to see what they see and realize that this game, this situation, is pretty awesome and now you want to be a part of the cheering as well. Cheer on your favorite team to help them be successful. Every team needs someone cheering for them, if you don't, then they might just become a memory.
Some colleagues and I were throwing ideas around about following companies and people we like and eventually being noticed and even followed by them on Twitter. We coined the phrase #tweeleading or #tweeleader, to describe how you can make your way into the hearts and minds of the people and companies you like, love and care about one tweet at a time.
So how is this done and what do you need to do to get started?
1. Read their Stuff!
What person is going to care about you when you don't care about them? No one! (Generally) If you want to be recognized for your view points on the subject of the blogger, let's call him Bob, then you need actually read his blog and make insightful comments on it. Sure you can say "Great Blog." You might get a "Thanks" in return, but Bob the blogger and his other followers will most likely not follow you or care what you say unless you say something important to the topic at hand. This leads to our next step.
2. Say something that Matters.
You will have more people retweet your stuff and eventually follow you when you say something that matters about the subject. A great way to get people's attention is to be controversial. Most writers/readers will enjoy opposing viewpoints as long as you're not hateful or rude. If you start bashing on people you will leave a bad taste in their mouth, but if you give a different opinion professionally and back it up and also ask opened ended questions to drive conversation, people will respond.
Another way is flattery, let's face it, everyone loves to be told that they're awesome and that their material is what people like to read/listen to all the time. How does that not feel great when people say that? This can be a slippery slope however, you can become overbearing and your flattery can become annoying and not feel real. So when you're being overly nice, don't do it all the time, pace yourself.
3. Site the Author and paste the Link.
This will also get you more recognized, plus it's courteous. Find the Twitter handle for the author; put it and the link to the blog in your tweet. You should always do this, it sends the tweet to the author and also to all your followers, they will see the author's name and link to his/her page. Say something pertinent about the blog/article in your tweet, and also if you can fit a hash tag in there somewhere, that is a plus because it puts the author and their material out to even more people.
4. Don't Forget to Follow.
You should be following the people that you are #tweeleading for. That way they know you really do care about what they have to say. Don't stop there however; you should also follow their followers. (Not all, but some.) These are your fellow #tweeleaders and they care about what Bob the Blogger has to say as well. If you follow them and they see that you follow Bob and make comments about his blog that makes one think and drives a conversation, your fellow #tweeleaders will start to follow you as well. So don't stop with the big fish Bob, go get some of the guppies as well.
So go forth and begin your #tweeleading empire. You can make the game more enjoyable for you and for those around you, and soon enough you'll have some fellow #tweeleaders who, maybe one day, might be #tweeleading for you!
image: cheerleading/shutterstock