Over the past 5 months, We’ve personally created a number of targeted Twitter accounts that now have in excess of 20,000 followers in aggregate.

We started the accounts initially to become more involved more in Social Media, and to research Twitter Automation as it related to using it as a medium to market services, information, and goods.

We needed to expand our reach, meet new people, and network with those with connections or interest in our areas of expertise.

The Economy had taken it’s toll on part of our market segment and we had to expand our sphere to gain new clients. Twitter became a must that we HAD to do right.

We wanted to leverage  followers interest through engaging content and giving direct reply to any comments or mentions the accounts might receive.  We wanted to be more than an automated account spitting out “Make Money At Home” opportunities or drone on about useless information.

We had to hit a very narrow target.

Since we started creating accounts on Twitter for Individuals and Businesses, what everyone is unanimously telling us is that their end goal is for some gain, monetary or other, but they are not on Twitter simply for the sake of Twittering.

You have to build a REAL Twitter following to expand the reach of your business.

By a REAL following, we mean Twitter accounts that follow you, with a human  reading your content from time to time, influencable, and are not just on automatic and programmed to follow you when you follow them, or by automatic follow utilities like http://www.twollo.com that can follow thousands, but YOU have to take the time to get an idea who is real and who is not.

High Follower counts mean NOTHING if no one is reading what you publish on Twitter, or if what you publish is always for the sake of selling.

Real Followers want REAL content, not a bunch of  ”get rich quick” garbage. We all have spam folders for that on our computers. Do we really have to deal with that on Twitter too?

Twitter has really cracked down on pages build solely for marketing, and perhaps that will rid them of many of the spammers that have migrated to Twitter from MySpace and Craigslist.

When the sellings starts, most Followers simply tune you out or say “Bye-Bye!

If you use Automation for your content, make sure it is targeted content that your Followers will want to read.

If you advertise on your Twitter account, make sure your ads are brief, well timed, and interesting to the niche you are following. All it takes is one or two complaints to get your account suspended.

If you send Direct Messages (DM’s) to new Followers, LOSE THE MARKETING PITCH! Tell them thanks and let that be that. Don’t start selling to someone you have never met until you have the chance to interact with them.

DO interact with your Followers. Comment on things they Tweet that interest you and RT (Re-Tweet) those posts they make that are really good. That will show your Followers that you are REAL and INTERESTED in more than your content and selling.

The human side is the key (in my opinion) to building a base of Followers that reads what you Tweet. Losing that human touch is a sure way to get Un-Followed or Blocked.

Last – Watch who you follow. If I am a serious business, interested in what you have to Tweet about,  and I see that you have Mary’s Brothel following you, I am going to wonder if all you want is warm bodies (no pun indended) or if you are serious about your niche.

Auto-following software will get those types of users, so make it a habit to go in from time to time and purge the “bad elements”.

Take the time to fine tune what you Tweet and keep in touch with the people that follow you, and show a human side to a service that has become filled with Robot accounts. The positive effects on your business or personal goals will surprise you!