There are four main ways to gain Twitter followers: build, befriend, beg or buy.
1. Build. When you tweet quality content, people will find you, and follow you. This takes time and consistent effort, however, it means that you will have followers who are interested in your content.
2. Befriend. Find people with similar interests, and "follow" them first. If they see that you are tweeting about a relevant topic, they are likely to follow you back. Engage with other people. Respond to their tweets with an @message.
3. Beg. Or ask, really. Ask your e-mail list, put a your Twitter information on your social networking profiles and a Twitter icon on your web site and the bottom of other online communications. If you use Gmail, Yahoo or AOL for e-mail, you can search your address book for others who are already on Twitter.
4. Buy. Yes, you can buy Twitter followers, but DON'T. If you buy into one of the "gain followers fast" schemes, sure you will boost your follower numbers, but the only value you get will be bragging rights. You'll end up with a large list of people that have no interest in your content, don't click on your links, don't engage with you and just generally don't engage with you/your brand.
Please add your thoughts or experiences about gaining followers in the comments below.
For every person in account management who has suffered through the "what is it, exactly, that you do" line of questioning, the season three finale of Mad Men offers some great validation.
Roger Sterling: I'm not going to throw it all away because he doesn't want to work at McCann.
Don Draper: Do you want to work there?
Roger Sterling: You don't value what I do any more than they do.
Don Draper: I was wrong. I learned that with Hilton. I can sell ideas, but I'm not an account man.
Roger Sterling: You're not good at relationships because you don't value them.
...and in a later scene.
Roger Sterling: Yes we want your accounts, but we also want your talent.
Pete Campbell: Really? What are my talents?
Roger Sterling: You'll do what it takes.
Pete Campbell: No. I want to hear it from him.
Don Draper: It's not hard for me to say, Pete. You saw this coming, we didn't. In fact, you've been ahead on a lot of things: aeronautics, teenagers, the negro market. We need you to keep us looking forward. I do, anyway.
That should put a smile on the face of account managers everywhere. Except McCann, of course.