Of the useful tools that Twitter offers, most of the focus has gone to getting more Tweets with the variety of “tweeting” buttons available.

There is another tool that Twitter offers that can be great for getting more followers, yet I don’t see that tool being used as effectively as it could be.

That is the Twitter Follow Button, listed under Twitter’s resource section.

Today I’m going to show you 3 effective ways to use the Twitter follow button to get more followers!

What is the Follower Button?

If you haven’t used this resource before, I wanted to quickly go over what it does, and why it’s useful (if you’re already familiar, feel free to browse below for the 3 examples).

The Follow Button is an official Twitter tool that connects to your Twitter account and allows you to embed a small button that lets readers on any webpage follow your (or check out your profile) in a single click.

Here is my button below:

Follow @GregoryCiotti

The reason that using this button is more effective than a graphic (such as an icon) is that it has been proven time and time again that “one-click” solutions convert better in practically every instance.

In fact, in this very post I have an example where switching to this button helped a big blogger increase his Twitter following by a large amount.

The only problem with this button is that people don’t know what to do with it.

Where do I put it? What are effective locations? How can I ensure people will click it most often?

If you’re clueless as to what to do with the Follow Button, or just want to see some great examples of it’s use, check below, as I have 3 really smart strategies for you!

1.) Use it in your ‘Author Box’

The author box on any website is the “end of post” box that talks about the author who wrote the article.

These are popular on many blogs and websites because it allows the author to get recognition for good content, and is especially useful when guest blogging at another blog.

The author box is often placed at the end of posts because if someone has read the entirety of your content, it’s safe to say they mostly likely enjoyed (or were at least engaged) in what they read, so if they were going to take an action to support you (like following you on Twitter) they are most likely to do it here.

One great way to use the Twitter Follow Button is in this author box.

Hesham of Famous Bloggers employs this strategy nicely, and even allows guest authors to have a Follow Button in their author box.

This way, readers who made it all the way to the end of your content can follow you in a single click.

Done correctly, it’s a great bridge between your website and your Twitter following, and will guarantee you see more followers coming from your site content.

2.) Use it above the fold

Bloggers and website owners know the importance of what’s “above the fold.”

If you’re just getting into running a website, that just means the content that you can see as soon as you land on a page (no scrolling).

The reason that this “fold” is so important is that many people scan this page before scrolling, and so interactions with certain elements (like Twitter follow buttons!) are most likely to happen here than on places below the fold (although there are a few hot spots which we will mention, like the author box above).

This makes the top of your site a great place for a Twitter Follow Button, especially if the site is all about you.

Don’t know exactly what I mean? That’s okay, I have a good example for you:

Adding your follower count in an instance like this is beneficial (if you have a strong following).

Why?

It’s instant social proof on your site’s homepage, without having to scroll down even once.

“Hey, this person has thousands of followers…”

That can often be the only thing people need to see to stay around for just a few seconds longer to check out your content.

3.) Create a “social area” on your sidebar

Using the sidebar for important stuff is nothing new.

It’s common to find social media links to be placed there, as people’s eyes often naturally scan the sidebar for interesting things to click on.

However, did you know that by adding the direct button itself, you can see increased followers?

Neil Patel revealed exactly that in his overview of QuickSprout’s redesigns, which he states:

“With my old design I just linked you to my Twitter and Facebook profile, but the issue was you really didn’t click on it.

Instead of just linking you to my social profiles, I now give you the ability to add me as a friend with one click. Plus I use social proof by showing you how many other people are friends with me, which helps entice you to do the same.”

I like the touch of adding the social proof to this section, as I mentioned above.

Now, following people is done in a click, and there is incentive right on the page: when people see high follower counts, they will often subconsciously think “This person must provide a lot of value or be influential to have so many people following them.”

If your follower numbers are strong, it makes perfect sense to use this strategy.

However, even if they aren’t, it still serves a purpose: people might see that you are up-and-coming on the scene of your shared interest if you have at least a moderately strong following.

If you don’t feel comfortable showing you follower count, remember you can always disable that feature!

Over To You

What do you think of the Twitter Follow Button?

Is it something that you have incorporated into your website or blog?

Is it something that you plan to incorporate?

Do you have any other great uses on the Twitter Follow Button that weren’t mentioned here? Let me know in the comments below!

—

About the Author: Gregory Ciotti is a content marketing manager at Help Scout, the help desk software built for

companies who insist on delivering an exceptional customer experience.