91. Boosting Engagement and Expanding Reach on Twitter with Ben Landis and Michael Tetro

Jul 19, 2017

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Ben Landis and Michael Tetro (who just goes by Tetro) are the founders of Fanbase, a social media technology platform that helps brands and celebrities to massively expand their reach. I’ve used the tool myself and have seen a dramatic increase in my followers, as I’ll explain on the show! Fanbase came about after Ben grew his personal Twitter from 150 followers all the way up to 1.5 million over the course of two years. Together, they’ve helped more than 600 clients gain more than 40 million real followers, and they’re here today to share their advice and strategies with you.

Find Out More About Ben and Tetro Here:

business@fanbase.net Fanbase.net Ben Landis on Wikipedia Ben Landis @benlandis on Twitter @tetro on Twitter Michael Tetro on LinkedIn Michael Tetro on Facebook

In This Episode:

[02:16] - What are some of the big mistakes that people make with Twitter? Stephan clarifies the answer, which is not to just do straight text tweets all the time (but rather to upload images and content).
[03:42] - Another major mistake is using too many links to things off of Twitter, Tetro explains.
[04:58] - Ben offers his thoughts on the same question of the big mistakes people make (and, by extension, some best practices for Twitter).
[06:06] - Tetro talks about timing for tweets, suggesting that it’s important to be conscious of when you’re most likely to reach your audience.
[07:51] - We hear about using platforms such as Hootsuite and Meet Edgar to schedule posts.
[09:17] - Is there a penalty for always posting using a service such as Buffer as opposed to posting directly through Twitter?
[09:50] - Ben talks about what it is about intuitive.social that he really likes and gives a glimpse into its pricing.
[10:09] - Stephan brings up Twitter tools, mentioning Twitter Audit in particular. Tetro then talks about a few of his favorite tools, which includes Twitter’s own analytics.
[12:02] - Stephan clarifies how DMing works for people who aren’t yet familiar with how Twitter works.
[12:57] - Are there any techniques that will help you get noticed by a big influencer on Twitter? One way to get noticed is to get a verified account. Another trick is to do something to help promote that person, particularly if you have a big audience of your own.
[15:20] - Tetro talks about some of the other benefits of getting verified on Twitter.
[16:32] - Ben joins in to talk more about the pros of having a verified Twitter account.
[17:56] - How does one get Twitter verified? What would make somebody’s case more compelling to the team making the verification decisions at Twitter?
[19:15] - Stephan brings us back to talking about other tools for Twitter, and Tetro talks about a tool that he had mentioned to Stephan previously.
[22:01] - Tetro and Ben use Followerwonk, and we hear why in terms of what sorts of cool things the tool can do.
[25:30] - What are some of the best practices, or tips and tricks, for optimizing your Twitter profile and bio?
[28:15] - We go back to Twitter Analytics, with Ben talking about some of the things he likes from the tool. Tetro then chimes in to talk about some of the data visualization tools they use, such as Tableau.
[30:18] - What actions might Ben and Tetro take based on what they found in the type of analysis that they have just been talking about?
[32:21] - We learn a fun way of offering value to your audience, which is thinking about the “ah”s of social media. There’s “ah-ha” for insightful, interesting, or thought-provoking things, “ahhaha” for funny things, and “ahhhh” for heartwarming things.
[33:27] - Ben explains that in the case of an account with real followers but minimal engagement, the first step is to determine the goals of the account-holder. Another tip is to post more images.
[34:52] - Tetro offers his advice on the subject, then talks about the use of hashtags.
[37:46] - Is it a good idea to research a hashtag and see how it’s currently being used before using it yourself in your own tweets?
[38:48] - Tetro shares his opinion on whether lots of likes or lots of retweets are more indicative of a successful Twitter account. Ben then gives his thoughts on the same question.
[39:51] - Stephan brings up Ben and Tetro’s platform Fanbase, revealing how well it has worked for him in increasing his Twitter follower count and engagement.
[41:21] - Tetro points out that Stephan’s Twitter account is now a good example of how a Twitter account should be, and why.
[42:24] - Ben jumps in to explain the technology side of Fanbase.
[44:18] - We hear about the benefits of having a large audience (even if you never become Lady Gaga), with Stephan explaining how you might leverage your audience size to your benefit. Tetro and Ben then talk about other personal and professional opportunities that can come up from having a large enough audience, especially if it’s targeted and engaged.
[48:28] - Building up a large targeted audience is an investment in your own luck, because it can lead to wonderful things happening for you.
[49:20] - Are there any big-name clients and brands that Ben and Tetro can namedrop in the episode? Yes, including Digital Trends, SurveyMonkey, Startup Grind, Bulletproof, University of Southern California, WordStream, What’s Trending.
[50:27] - Where can listeners go to learn more about Fanbase (which also works on Instagram)?

Links and Resources:

business@fanbase.net Fanbase.net Ben Landis on Wikipedia Ben Landis @benlandis on Twitter @tetro on Twitter Michael Tetro on LinkedIn Michael Tetro on Facebook Hootsuite Meet Edgar Buffer Twitter Audit Twitter Analytics Audiense Twitter verified accounts Twitter verification portal Twitter notification settings and quality filter Followerwonk Tableau @sspencer on Twitter Digital Trends SurveyMonkey Startup Grind Bulletproof University of Southern California WordStream What’s Trending