If you’ve ready our guide, Twitter is Just a Personality Contest, then you’ll know that the numbers that count on Twitter aren’t the ones listed on your profile.  People keep forgetting that, so as a friendly reminder, we’ve got a new example:  Anil Dash.

You see, Anil was added to Twitter’s “suggested user” list – which means when new users join Twitter, he’s one of the guys the system suggests you follow.  Pretty cool huh?

No, Not Really

As Anil states on the article linked to above:

“Being on Twitter’s suggested user list makes no appreciable difference in the amount of retweets, replies, or clicks that I get….for the most part [new followers] don’t interact with me at all.”

And then comes the punchline.  Wait for it…

“Being on the list just adds followers, not real connections.”

Bingo!

What are you building on Twitter?

Are you trying to work on increasing that meaningless number on the upper right hand side of your profile?

Or, are you trying to reach out and make real connections with people who:

• are existing customers you can get feedback from
• are potentially new customers to meet and greet
• are media and PR folk who are great to know and network with
• are other small businesses in your niche or geography that can provide support and guidance

I’m not sure about you, but to me it’s pretty clear which strategy is going to be more effective for the long term.

To Learn More

Feeling like Twitter is the next big step for you?  Or already there and not feeling effective in making real connections?  No worries – have a look at any of our Twitter resources to see if something might be just what you’re looking for.