Ashton Kutcher is a Genius! He should get IM of the Year Award!

[dave147]

it's because of his popularity as an actor and tv host not because he is an IM genius - No! he should not get IM genius of the year award

[Stanley Tang]

And the cool thing was that he followed me and recommended me for #followfriday.

Sent me 1,000 followers in 15 minutes.

That's powerful.

[Always-A-Warrior]

I'll see if I can get the guy to come to WF and maybe we can work out something with his twitter list. Hold on ...

[Jason James]

Originally Posted by Mark Kaye

Last week Ashton Kutcher made history when he became the first Twitter user to have 1,000,000 followers. He did it by openly challenging media giant CNN, who held the Top spot until Ashton came along, to a "Twitter Race to 1,000,000 followers."

When Ashton began his quest on Monday he had about 880,000 followers. Four days later he was over 1 Million. That is an increase of 120,000 in just a few days! Incredible!

Since Entertainment Reporting is what I do for a living, I followed the story very closely. By the end of the week I realized that the Kutcher/CNN Twitter battle was not just a fun human interest story, it was also an amazing lesson in Internet Marketing.

As I followed the story I learned a TON about my own Twitter account and how to boost my own numbers. By reading about Ashton and CNN I also found some FANTASTIC Twitter tools to help build my following.

For example:

Top Twitter User Rankings & Stats | Twitterholic.com ranks all of the twitter users by number of followers.

1. Ashton Kutcher
2. CNN
3. Britney Spears...and so on!

However, you can also search for your own statistics and see where you rank in your local area. For example, In Jacksonville, FL I am currently ranked #40 among all Twitter users: Who has the most Followers on Twitter? (Top 100) (Jacksonville, FL Edition) | Twitterholic.com

This is useful if you have a local business. You can find out who is your area has a ton of followers and start following back. I have found that most of the time if you choose to follow someone they will also follow you and you can seriously build your following.

Tools to Boost Your Productivity on Twitter TweetLater.com is a program that automates a ton of functions for Twitter including "Auto-Following" and "Auto Messaging." When someone follows you it will automatically follow them back. Also, when you get a new follower Tweetlater will send them whatever pre-written message you choose. It's a fantastic way to open up a dialogue.

The Most Important lesson I learned is, that if you really want to BOOST your Twitter Following then you have to get some GREAT exposure. Ashton was all over CNN and every other TV network when he threw down the gauntlet. On Friday he appeared on Oprah and helped her make her first "tweet."

You can easily do the same! Start with your local media. People love a competition and are very eager to help when they know that something is on the line. START YOUR OWN TWITTER BATTLE AND WATCH YOUR FOLLOWERS SOAR!!!

I challenged the local News Station in Jacksonville (also on Twitter) to an Ashton/CNN style battle. We both are very Twitter-literate and are always looking for cross-promotional ideas. So, I stole Ashton Kutsher's model and posted my own TWITTER CHALLENGE (Scaled-down for Jacksonville, FL)

YouTube - Twitter Challenge - WAPE's Mark Kaye vs. WJXT The Local Station

In just 2 days my following has increased from just over 100 to 637!!! That's a 500% increase! And, I have every intention of winning this battle so I will be over 1000 in the next few days!

Also, the News has accepted my challenge and I will be a guest on their morning newscast this coming Monday. More exposure for me!!

YOU CAN DO IT TO:

1) Challenge a local radio station, news station, or newspaper to a Man vs. Media Ashton Kutcher/CNN battle. Offer to come on their program or be interviewed by one of there hosts/writers about Twitter. become a local Twitter expert!

2) Challenge a fellow Blogger or Business Competitor in your niche to a Twitter Battle. You with both be blogging about each other and, therefore, you will both increase your followings!

3) Challenge your friends. Make a "Twitter League" or a "Fantasy Twitter Competition. Set a goal and come up with some kind of prize. The winner gets a night on the town paid for by the losers. (I'm not suggesting you gamble on something like this because that would be illegal

Competition gets you moving. It gets your butt in gear and gets you firing all cylinders toward a specific goal. I have had a Twitter account for months, but it has only been in the last few days that I did anything with it...why? Because I want to win. I have zeroed in on building my Twitter following and my attention to it has led to results!

"What you focus on the most, becomes the most."

Great post, I especially like getting in touch with radio DJ's, TV personalities and celebrities of all types. It's fun and it can lead to profitable relationships.

Along these lines, a buddy of mine Brad Callen has a site called TwiveAway where you can run contests to increase your following and exposure on Twitter: New, Free Twitter Follower and Value Building Tool

I haven't tried it yet, but in theory it seems like it has amazing potential.

[seenu]

Great post, thanks for sharing.