In today’s Twitter world, the number of followers you have can give you bragging rights. It’s like being the popular kid back in school, the first one picked in dodgeball who everyone wants to be friends with. Who doesn’t want to be that kid? So we spend our time online networking, connecting with friends, new and old. We hunt down colleagues, classmates and business contacts, searching relentlessly, even for that one guy who’s friends with your accountant’s cousin’s college roommate who you met once briefly at a baseball game. Hey, I know you! Let’s be Twitter friends!

But once you’ve made the connections and have the attention of those that have decided to follow you, what now? How can you add value to their Twitter experience and keep them engaged and listening? Here are some tips that just may help keep them from losing interest and leaving.

• Tweet Regularly: Tweeting on a daily basis is always a good idea. Make it a habit like checking your email everyday. People who haven’t heard anything in awhile will tend to get bored and unfollow people, moving onto greener pastures.

• Quality Over Quantity: I know, I know. We just said to tweet regularly and often. But before you send your 100th tweet for the day, take a minute to evaluate the content of the tweet. Sure your mom might find it very interesting to know that you ‘Just downed my fourth soy mocha espresso macchiato for the day,’ but will anyone else? Make sure the information you’re sending out is useful and interesting to the majority of your followers.

• Separate Personal and Business Accounts: You may want to consider setting up separate business and personal accounts. You don’t want your personal views reflecting negatively on your professional image. It’s easy to lose followers with just one tweet.

• Be Engaging: Reach out and get to know your followers. We all like to feel that we’re more than just some pixels on a followers list. Use Twitter to help build relationships and establish communication.

• You’re More Than Just a Link: With millions of people using Twitter everyday, it’s important to make yourself stand out from the stream. Don’t just post or retweet links. Keep it interesting and provide your thoughts and insight on the subject matter.

• Keep It Real: Don’t lose sight of who you are in the process. Don’t be afraid to just be yourself and don’t try to be something you’re not. People will appreciate you more for it.

Follow these tips and you’ll be on your way to building a loyal and lasting Twitter following!

And now that we have your attention, why not follow us on Twitter?