Twitter has always been at the top of my list of favourite social media tools for business. Twitter, unlike Facebook, offers unlimited connection.

First off, Twitter is an open network so your followers don’t have to ask for permission to follow you or, in fact, even have to have a Twitter account to view your tweets. Additionally, Twitter has no algorithm, so your tweets are not restricted by the network. Finally, I love that Twitter allows me to connect with people all over the world with whom I share common interests, via hashtags.

I work very hard to create value through my twitter feed, and that has paid off in a following of nearly 10k of followers. But having a solid following on Twitter is not enough to make you a successful Twitterer. You also need engagement.

Engagement on Twitter takes the form of retweets, favourites, and @mentions. Retweets are the most important, because a RT introduces you to a new audience, new potential followers, and new potential clients or customers.

How to get more Retweets? Read on…

• Tweet valuable content. Be funny, give good advice, solve people’s problems. Valuable tweets get retwweted.
• Ask for it. Tweets that include a CTA asking for a RT get retweeted. Just don’t do it all the time, or you’ll look desperate.
• Include an image. Tweets that include graphics get more RTs. I use a Chrome extension called Twitshot to help with this.
• Keep ’em to around 100 characters. Twitter has a 140 character limit, but if you want to encourage people to RT you it’s a good idea to make it so they can RT you without having to modify your original tweet. Basically, make it as easy as possible for people to RT you.
• Include URLs and Hashtags. They also increase your chances of getting a RT.