Twitter is the perfect social media platform to refine your brand and build a relationship with your audience. If Facebook and Instagram are used to showcase your business and products, then Twitter is used to showcase your personality. So, if you're wondering how you can start strong (or have been on Twitter for years and have yet to see great results), follow these five hacks to watch your profile following grow.

1. Monitor Events and Trending Conversations

Twitter gives marketers easy access to trending topics and events. With one click, you can view what most of the world is talking about - from politics to entertainment. Make a habit of jumping into these conversations. Why? Because users who monitor tweets on those topics will be exposed to your name and, if they're intrigued by what you said, they will visit your profile.

But here's a word of warning: don't follow trends so much that you stray too far from your brand or mission statement. Not only will this lead to you gaining a following of individuals with no intention of purchasing your services or products, but it will also confuse the following that does intend to buy from you. To avoid this, you should only comment on topics that connect to you or your business.

Tip: Type your industry into the search engine. This will give you access to conversations that your business can directly relate to.

2. Live Tweet

Live tweeting is usually done throughout an event that you're launching. And before you skip this step - know that "events" don't have to be something as big as a festival or concert. Events can also be as small as presentations or conferences. Whether one if generally more popular than the other, your live tweets have the power to create intrigue in the right crowd.

And it won't only interest your followers, either. If you strategically use the right keywords, users who are not yet aware of your business can stumble upon your tweets and grow curious about who you are. You can even attract the followers of your followers if your content is liked, retweeted, and commented on enough.

So the key to growing your following through live tweeting is to hype up your event! Let people know that you and the other participants are enjoying it; let people know that it's something they would have enjoyed, as well; and let people know that there will be future events that they can become a part of if they stay up-to-date through your Twitter.

3. Create Threads

A Twitter thread is a unique format that allows your followers to read through a series of connected tweets. It's very simple to make them: all you have to do is post a regular tweet, then respond to that tweet with another tweet, and then respond to the second tweet with yet another tweet, and so on, and so on. There's so limit to Twitter threads - but we recommend not overdoing it and overwhelming your audience.

Another factor of a Twitter thread is that your tweets should also be connected in topic. You don't want to connect tweets that don't relate at all to another one. For example, if you're talking about one specific product in the first tweet, then your fifth tweet shouldn't be about another product. People read threads because the first tweet interested them, so keep that interest by sticking to the subject.

When you've created a successful thread, you will most likely find that the impressions you get on the connected series is a lot better than impressions you get from one-off tweets. In fact, research shows that Twitter threads generally get more engagement than tweets with links. So there is no reason not to try this out! Start off strong with an engaging first tweet, and deliver on expectations with the tweets that follow up.

4. Respond to Everyone

This is probably the most important Twitter hack we can give you: if you're trying to grow on this platform, then the one thing you should definitely do is respond to everyone. Human connection truly matters on Twitter, and we can see this in how little social barriers seem to exist on the platform. If you scroll through a big business's replies, you will see that they try their hardest to respond to as many people as they can (even users who don't have large followings).

If this hack seems like it will take too much of your time, here's a positive: a short and sweet tweet just saying "thanks" can truly affect the person who mentioned you. It makes them feel seen and valued, which is something you want your audience to feel in regards to your business.

Tip: Take this hack a step further and also respond to your "haters." You can address any problem they have with your business and (who knows?) you might even change their minds about you.

5. Respond Quickly

Another important hack is to respond quickly to whoever is mentioning you on Twitter. Think of Twitter as an extension of your customer service: if someone calls or emails you about an issue that they have about their product, you want to give them answers and explanations immediately - not a few days later.

Why? For two reasons. The first is that you don't want your customers to be frustrated with you for too long. If they're upset, a quick response can ensure that they won't have negative feelings about your business later on. The second reason is because quick responses help your business appear attentive and caring of the community that you're building.

Final Thoughts

So here are the five hacks you can use to grow your business on Twitter - we hope you liked it! If you enjoyed this blog, or any of our other blogs, feel free to check out our upcoming social media marketing course: Social Media Marketing for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs | Holiday Selling Edition. This course begins November 17th, and is designed to help your business use social media to increase your sales and company size. And don't worry if you're not a professional social media user - this course is beginner to intermediate level.

Click the button below for more information about the course!