Recently, Abel Pardo asked if I would send him a Triberr invite. 

Happy to have him involved in my “Smartastic” Tribe, I obliged.

After just a week of using the powerful Triberr platform, below are the thoughts Abel shared with me regarding his initial experience.

I had to share. Triberr is sweeping through the blogging community at breakneck speeds; promoting visibility for all.

My feedback is here: I’m feeling the Triberr power, just a few posts and hundreds of visits.

I’m happy because my return rate is also great, so my participation is a win-win for Smart Tribe partners. It’s wonderful to give content and to spread good content.

Again, thank you very much for sharing this fantastic world to me, Christian.

-Abel

When I hear success stories like Abel’s, after using Triberr, I’m all smiles.

I’m just grateful I was able to jump into Triberr head-first rather early (through a wonderful invite by Dino Dogan).

Which reminds me; I’ll have to ask Dino what my user number is. Just wondering if I was one of the first 500 using Triberr!

Now, I’d like to know your thoughts.

Is Triberr working well for you? Are you running into any difficulties or roadblocks? What have you done to harness all of Triberr’s incredible power? Are you still confused on how to use the platform? What do you envision for Triberr’s future? Are you still looking for an invite?

I reached the 100,000 Twitter follower milestone recently and as naturally occurs, that is precisely the quesion I am asked most often.

“Christian, how did you get 100,000 Twitter followers? How do I get more followers? Will you get me more followers? Can you show me how to get more Twitter followers?“

I’ll be blunt in saying in the beginning that there is no secret to gaining Twitter followers.

Especially followers of quality.

However, I’m going to be open and frank with you in this post, and share most everything I know about the process.

Below I’ll do my best to uncover the Twitter secrets I do know about.

“The qualities that make Twitter seem inane and half-baked are what makes it so powerful.” - Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard law professor and Internet expert

Growing a Twitter following includes some of the following choices & habits.

• Starting a Twitter properly.
• The smart use of powerful Twitter management tools.
• Being patient with time.
• Being genuine and true.
• Actively engaging with followers each day.
• Striving to be helpful and needed.
• Finding ways to be intriguing.

I’ll begin by talking about how to start your Twitter account with the right goals in mind, and we’ll continue from there.

This guide isn’t meant to be all-inclusive, but should give you a good foundation on which to build your Twitter goals and aspirations. I promise to be genuine, and warn you now that I will occasionally ramble.

I apologize in advance!

Don’t start off with the wrong foot like I did…

Many jump into creating their Twitter account too quickly, and struggle to grow as a repercussion.

• Usernames are chosen poorly
• The Twitter account isn’t connected to a larger purpose
• Tweeting for the wrong reasons
• Quotes and rehashed Tweets are spewed ever minute like vomit
• Thousands are followed in hopes that others will followback

These are all signs that the Twitter account may run into difficulty down the road.

You don’t want that.

When I first opened my @SmartBoyDesigns account in the year 2008, I wasn’t tweeting for the right reasons. I was 17. By that I mean I was only tweeting information I “thought” I was supposed to share. It wasn’t from the heart. I shared quote after quote after quote in the high hopes of others retweeted my material. It wasn’t genuine. Often I’d fill my Twitter stream with one-liners. I was sharing more than I was communicating and responding to others.

There was no balance.

Since nobody was enjoying the content, I decided to take matters into my own hands. So I mass followed 2,000 people. Only a few followed me back. I was stuck. I was following too many people and nobody was following back. I didn’t know how to get Twitter followers.

I had become a broken Twitterer.

It was time for me to “rethink” my Twitter approach.

“Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.” -Napoleon Hill

Obviously, I wasn’t happy with how my Twitter account was developing.

People weren’t following me. Communication didn’t exist. Twitter was an empty pit where I shouted into the darkness, hoping others would listen.

And then, a change occurred.

I don’t exactly remember where or when, but the change was a grand experience in enlightenment.

You know what I realized?

Twitter was more about others than about myself.

Lucky for you, contained below is much of the new approach I developed after realizing that simple fact.

• Tweet with a grand vision in mind! Visualize what you’d like your brand, Twitter account & followers to look like 5, or even 10 years down the road. What have you accomplished?
• Remember that often a Twitter account grows because it’s connected to other channels of promotion (e.g. blogs, Facebook, videos). For example, take a look at the Twitter accounts of celebrities. Often they’re widely followed simply because that celebrity holds great influence outside of Twitter.
• Offer Tweets that are valuable and useful.
• Be realistic with your goals. If you’re in a niche with only 10,000 people who practice the craft, don’t be too stunned when only 5,000 people follow you after a few years time. Don’t, however, underestimate the power of growing and pushing the niche as a whole with the power of your Twitter account.
• Tweet because you have an important message to share!
• Love what you do.
• Give more than you’re receiving!
• Serve others.

The above are just a few suggestions I offer to the beginning Twitter user. More ideas abound everywhere!

“You never achieve success unless you like what you are doing.” -Dale Carnegie

It took some time to fine-tune this new way of managing my Twitter account, and it’s continually evolving even today. Today you’ll find me striving to respond to every person that @mentions me, I thank others for their continued involvement and support & share content that I certainly hope is useful. I hope the Spirit of Thanksgiving I feel is evident in how I now manage my Twitter account.

If you have any of your own suggestions for a more majestic, grand Twitter approach; please add them to the comments of this post!

Let’s continue…

Twitter needs you to use the proper Tools!

I’ve used many tools for Twitter.

TweetAdder, Triberr, Tweepi, TweetDeck, HoostSuite, Buffer App.

The reason behind Twitter tools is to save some time in tedious tasks while giving you more time to do what’s most important. Connecting!

Now, if all you really wanted to do was grow your Twitter following (while suffering in quality) you could follow and unfollow (follow churning) until people started following back. Thus, giving you more followers. Twitter frowns upon this strategy, and as mentioned before, your brand is not going to benefit from this mass market method.

Trust me. I did that for a time.

The tool I used was TweetAdder. There was a time in my Twitter career when almost everything was automated. Hundreds were unfollowed and followed on a daily basis, auto tweets and quotes were sent out, and feeds of blogs I enjoyed were automatically turned into tweetable bits of text.

I wasn’t getting much out of the process. If Klout scores existed then, I’m sure mine would be next to null.

Fast forward to today, and I’m getting much more from Twitter all due to less automation.

I use a combination of tools. HootSuite, SocialOomph, Buffer App, Tweepi, Triberr and my iPhone.

• Hootsuite allows me to easily manage multiple Twitter accounts, lists and search terms. What I love about Hootsuite is its simplicity (it does its job well) and the subscription is cheap. I also use the actual Twitter site for tweeting as well when I’m just using my @SmartBoyDesigns account.
• I started using Buffer App this week. What can I say? I’m floored. I pay monthly for the Pro account (worth it) and it’s wonderful. It tweets at the best time and I’m able to save blogs and posts as tweets in one location. It’s lovely.
• I use SocialOomph for one reason. Its followback function. I enjoy following back all those who follow me. I’ve been running into problems, however, of late. Due to too many people following me daily, the system has trouble keeping up. Currently looking at my options in fixing this problem.
• Tweepi is the tool I use to find new tweeps to connect with and follow in my target niches of blogging, business, technology & making money online. The tool allows you to plugin search terms to find related accounts. At that point I follow, visit their blogs, comment, connect and network. It’s important to always have a flourishing stream of new Twitter users to follow and connect with. It keeps your followers fresh.
• Triberr is what allows me to be syndicated to nearly 9 million Twitter followers. How does Triberr work? You’re invited into tribes and then content is tweeted and promoted from various users. Basically, you tweet their posts and they do the same for you. Luckily, I was able to support and become part in Triberr from its beginning. Let me know if you’re interested in an invite. I’d be happy to help you get involved.
• My iPhone 4S has become crucial to my Twitter approach. I have a policy of replying to all @mentions (I do my utmost best) – and this helps me do so throughout the day, before bed & even while traveling. As long as I’m not driving of course!

There you have it! The tools I use to manage my current Twitter account. No secrets here! In later posts I’ll go into more depth of how I use each.

Total cost per month for these tools? $30

If you’re serious about growing your Twitter following (and saving time), you’ll see these monthly costs as a business investment versus a hindrance.

“Successful people are simply those with successful habits.” -Brian Tracy

Take the time to familiarize yourself with each tool, understand its uses, and then go full throttle in harnessing their power daily. Daily effort is the key to continued progress. Use these tools daily and not weekly. Therein lies their power.

Twitter loves an active, daily user.

Be patient. Twitter takes time.

Time is the great equalizer within Twitter.

Even with a brilliant product, high-traffic blog or fame in the real world – it’s difficult to attain a large Twitter following. We’re not talking celebrities here. Their brands are entirely different animals.

“The results you achieve will be in direct proportion to the effort you apply.” -Denis Waitley

I’ve been tweeting for almost four years now, so I can say it’s been a long road. As you’ve already noticed from this post, I’ve had my ups and downs.

I’ve shared in the mistakes. I’ve celebrated the success.

Nobody wants to hear it, but the truth of the matter is that it takes ample time to grow a solid Twitter following. Sorry.

• There’s no overnight 100,000 Twitter followings (unless you pay for an established account or gather fake followers).
• I don’t have a secret formula for getting you thousands of new followers every day.

You see, I’ve been tweeting for nearly four years. At a total of 1460 days, I’ve only been gaining an average of 71 visitors per day. Although it’s a faster gain rate than many, it’s still been a long process.

“Your greatest asset is your earning ability. Your greatest resource is your time.” -Brian Tracy

During the entire year of 2010, I wasn’t online. I was serving as a service missionary in Colorado, and I didn’t have the option of even touching my Twitter account. It was stale. The interesting part of the time away, was that I still gained 10,000 followers. People were searching for related tweeters in their niches, and obviously came up with my account a few times. Just goes to show that it’s important to have a clearly defined Twitter bio!

And why do I tell you this story?

Building a Twitter following takes time.

What are you? Human?!

I feel this last section of the post could be summed up into a few words.

Be a person. Be human.

People want to follow and learn from others who care, are inspiring, share information & live life.

I have this odd hypothesis that you’re only as interesting online, as you are offline.

Whether it’s true or not – I believe it.

“It is not what we get. But who we become, what we contribute… that gives meaning to our lives.” -Tony Robbins

You may consider all this talk about “being human” to be fluffy and boring, but it works. Being a genuine human who cares about other’s needs really works in growing a brand. Especially on Twitter.

Trust me.

Although it may come across as pompous and pious, but I know people have chosen to follow me because I really, genuinely care about their businesses.

I strive to share information that will help the small business world, grow brands online and aide others in making proper business choices. People feel that I care about their business. You need to find that same passion in your own niche, and share caring information within your own sphere of responsibility.

Why? Because humans are gifted in the art of feeling.

Am I an active Tweeter? You better believe it!

I also know that people follow me because I’m an active tweeter.

I don’t have weeks where there’s no content being shared on my stream. There’s always something new to feast upon. People crave information, and your Twitter stream becomes a way to deliver that content to followers. They’ll learn from your thoughts, share you with friends – and you’ll see an influx of growth. Bam!

Some more ideas…

• Thank people for sharing your material. Show that intense gratitude!
• Engage in Follow Friday and share personal recommendations of users you admire.
• Be so interesting, that people will have no choice but to follow you!
• Share information so valuable, that others will find reason to share your Tweets.

These are just a few thoughts in becoming a stronger Twitter engager.

Many more ideas are contained within this blog, on the web and even in your mind! Take time daily, weekly and monthly to ponder ways to engage with your audience at a deeper level.

Seek for new ideas daily. They’ll help grow your Twitter account.

So how do I build Twitter followers in just a few words? By being an actively engaged human!

Some parting thoughts on getting more Twitter followers.

“If we don’t start, it’s certain we can’t arrive.” -Zig Ziglar

I could go on and on and on about how to be a better human on Twitter. How to care. How to connect. How to share.

At this point, however, I don’t want to bore you.

You’ve skimmed (or gobbled) over 2,000 words if you’ve made it this far. I’m quite certain you’ve read enough to start running with my thoughts.

It will take more than a single blog post to learn how to connect with others, because you must connect in your own way.

This post is a start.

By reading more blogs, learning, trying, failing and growing  - you’ll really be on the road to success.

Remember: Don’t give up!

Your Twitter stream will grow. I know it. And if I know and believe in you, you sure better believe in yourself! Trust and believe in yourself enough to know that you’ll reach the people whom you need to reach.

Visualize them. Call them out from crowd.

Whether you operate a following of 10 or 250,000, know that the message you’re delivering is important…

…So share it well in the Twitter world, my friend!

Are you happy with the growth you’ve experienced from within your Twitter account? Do you want more Twitter followers? When will you be satisfied? When will enough be enough? Did you learn how to get more Twitter followers? Still need more information? Ask in the comments and I’d be happy to answer.

“We’re afraid, it’s because we don’t know enough. If we understood enough, we would never be afraid.” -E. Nightingale

Alice, a young 15 year old girl, is fighting terminal cancer.

She’s working on her bucket list (which she documents on her blog) and one of the items is to be a trending topic on Twitter. The current hashtag to do so is #alicebucketlist.

Fighting cancer rings wild within me. My family has a long, terrible sparing history with the disease. A great grandmother was taken due to breast cancer, a few Uncles and Aunts have cancer, and my 18 year old cousin was taken in the prime of her life.

One of her wishes, my cousin’s, was to go to Disneyland. She didn’t last long enough.

Helping trend a topic is certainly something I’m able to help with. It’s something within my power (and the realm of social media) so I’ve decided to put together this little post.

As a small token of support in honor of Alice, my cousin Jessica, and all those who are fighting cancer; I send my love. I proclaim with a single voice, although one within billions, strong and tender in the cause. Hold on a little longer. You are surrounded by friends, family and strangers who dearly love you.

Be strong.

Alice, herself, is rather strong. Just take a peak at what she has to say about life in the opening of her blog…

I’m 15 and I have terminal cancer. I’ve created a bucket list because there are so many things I still want to do in my life … some are possible, some will remain a dream. My blog is to document this precious time with my family and friends, doing the things I want to do. You only have one life … live it!

To show your support for Alice, be sure to retweet the #alicebucketlist hashtag and join the cause. It’s important to stay strong and passionate for the things you believe in!

Thank you.

This is the 3rd Triberr experiment I’ve conducted since using the incredible platform.

You might wonder why I’m basing my experiments around Triberr, if they have to do with such broad topics as psychology, marketing and brands?

The answer is that I feel Triberr has a special ability to aggregate accumulative thought and “temperature” of current social media affairs. I hope to honor Triberr in some way, by conducting these experiments.

The Situation

When putting together these situations I feel a little like a realty show host. Setting up the situation, preparing for the public reaction, etc. It’s a whole lot of fun. Dino Dogan understands a little of my crazy…

In this specific situation, I wrote a post about how I’m going on house arrest until I reach 100,000 followers. Obviously this is ludicrous (maybe we’ll see someone doing so due to the post), but I wanted to test a few specific avenues of human psychology, nature and reaction.

To set the record straight, I never intended to actually go on self-imposed house arrest. In both the post and video I included subtle hints to intend that it could go one of two ways. Either go through with the action, or present it as a joke.

Remember, I’m not a psychologist, these experiments are just a way for me to grow in my own way.

• A gauge of friends. Some who know me best, know that I’m a little goofy, sarcastic and “joking” in nature. There were a few friends who immediately knew this post was a joke, and took it for just that.
• Wrong impressions. I like to test the impressions we receive when reading something online, whether for good or bad. Sometimes we judge too quickly or receive the wrong impression from text we’re reading on screen.
• Post title creation. It’s fun to come up with snappy, eye-catching blog post titles, and see what grabs readers attention and what doesn’t.

The Reaction

Luckily I received reaction and input of which I was hoping for. A few contradicting comments and negative votes on Triberr.

For example, Mark Schaefer in the comments of the post, asked why all my worth and value was placed in a number. He gave me the advice to take a break and go for a hike in the mountains. The ironic part of the entire experience was that I was indeed, crashing through the mountains at the exact time that comment was being left. Much of Friday was spent on a nice run, and then getting lost in the dark in the woods behind this home I’m staying at in Idaho.

Another grand thought was by Adrienne Smith. I really enjoyed her thoughts. If I was actually going to go through with such a stunt (or anyone for that matter), her advice would be something to live by.

Okay Christian… Do I need to blog about this too to get you more followers? Heck, I only have a little over 5,500 myself so to me it’s no big deal. You don’t want just anyone following you anyway. You want to connect with those who are really interested in what you have to share.

If you get stuck in that house for four months, how are you doing to meet with the producers for your album? Not a good idea my friend. Your music is a lot more important than 20,000 more followers. The rate you’re going, you’ll have that in no time anyway. Everyone is #FF mentioning you now so I’ll do my part too!

I’m extremely grateful Mark, Adrienne and others spoke their minds and initial reactions. Most are afraid to do so.

What I hadn’t expected, was the amount of comments that came back from friends who shared their concern for me. They talked about how I shouldn’t have to “prove” anything, or “seek” after those big Twitter numbers. They cared enough to share. To hopefully move me in a different direction. It was interesting to see, that if they thought I was going to go through with the house arrest stunt, they wanted to move me in another direction.

They loved and cared. Isn’t that just incredibly special? I learned something a little more about the relationships we might develop through social media. We’ve got each other’s backs. Love abounds.

What I’ve learned.

First of all, I apologize for mixing up the pot a little here and there.

It’s just what I enjoy doing.

Testing the waters, learning, growing & maybe even pushing those boundaries that might uncomfortable for some. You’ll just have to live with my pschotic behaviors.

So, here’s the lowdown. This is what I learned.

• It’s important to concisely and accurately get your point across in blog posts. It’s easy to be vague, and let readers wonder what the “real” message is. Thus, the reason for making the house arrest post rather vague. Many probably wondered, “Is he joking, or is he actually going through with it?!” Others, like Ryan, I’m pretty sure understood the ultimate purpose.
• Our blogs display personality. Sometimes I go off the deep end and share my sarcasm, humor and maniacal way of thinking. And why not? That’s my personality. Isn’t that what a blog is for? Although everything needs to be balanced, as Jon Hardie pointed out, you don’t want to mess with your reader’s minds.
• Publicity stunts are crazy. Who in their right mind would lock themselves up for Twitter followers? Sadly, I’m pretty sure some are desperate enough to do so. Now I’m just waiting until someone uses the idea, and I see them all over the news. At that point, I’ll giggle inside.
• Speaking your mind is important. Not everyone stepped up to the plate and shared what they were really thinking in regards to what I had written. We’re often afraid to respond adversely. Although we shouldn’t be completely negative, it’s okay to work towards a better answer. I really enjoyed the comments that identified their concern of me being crazy! It shows people care.
• There are many who care about you. Good friends can look past a stunt like gaining Twitter followers, and realize that it’s probably not the best idea. I’m surprised so many shared their thoughts of concern all with my best interests in mind. Although I’m sorry to put them such a rigorous emotional experiment, I benefited, and I hope others did too.

Well that’s that.

Maybe you learn something from my madness, and maybe you don’t. I just present it here, humbly, as someone who’s seeking to learn along with you.

There’s no better way to learn than through blogging. It’s magnificent how we are able to share our thoughts, become grounded by friends, receive feedback & grow.

I love it.

So let me ask you. Do you write in more of a figurative or literal manner? How has your writing style changed? Are you afraid to write with “humor” in fear you’ll be misunderstood? Do other bloggers help guide you in the right direction if needed? What did you learn from this experiment? It’s okay if you just want to call me crazy. Let’s talk.

I’ve been thinking about the different tactics celebrities use to grow their Twitter following and position themselves in the media. I decided to follow suit.

My plan goes as follows.

I’m placing myself on self-imposed house arrest until I reach 100,000 followers.

At 84,000 followers currently, it might take four months to reach my goal. I’d appreciate it if you helped me out and followed, so I might feel the warmth of sunlight quicker.

Follow me on Twitter: @SmartBoyDesigns

I think it might work…

Share with me. What makes a good Twitter account? Who are your favorite tweeps? What makes them so special?

Update: Read the followup to this post titled Triberr Experiment #3: House Arrest and Twitter. This was all just an experiment in blog post reactions. I was very pleased with the results. Luckily, I never intended to put myself on house arrest.