- Those who admit that they care about follower count
- Those who do NOT admit they care about follower count
Because of this phenomena, there are people who publicly announce, or I should say, denounce any person who unfollows them.
@Andrew_K_Kirk @ryangrush @CEOtoCEO @BeYondxAmaZin and some others unfollowed me [ checked by March 23, 2012
There are even web apps which have been created specifically to help you track and tweet out about unfollowers.
- fflwrs - Besides tracking all your followers, Fllwrs can automatically tweet out on your account the names of any user who unfollows you.
- Unfollowr - Service will send you a direct message or email digest with information about your unfollowers.
- Nutshell Mail – A product of Constant Contact, which can keep you posted about unfollowers.
Business Reputation
Publicly announcing people by name is a terrible idea for your business and is hurting your online reputation. This web 2.0 form of public humiliation makes you appear vindicative and shallow. People use Twitter as a tool for discovery and a place to learn, accomplishing these by following the tweets of complete strangers. Your hope is that they discover your business and become a follower of you.
Big Picture: Business Goals
The fact of the matter is that not every follower of you, will always remain a follower. Often the decision to follow someone is made in a split second; it isn’t until later that we decide we made an incorrect decision. Or, may be our tastes of changed. There are plenty of reasons we follow and unfollow on Twitter. The ease of following another user is a strength of the service, but it can also mean that followers are finicky. Sweating this type of minute details will distract you from your real business goals.
Whatever the reason someone stops following you, you’re going to do more harm than good by announcing it to the world. Yes, I know there may be users who follow and then immediately unfollow in an attempt to artificially boost follower:follow ratio. But, publicly shaming other users will work against you. You’ll deter new followers, fearing that they may be publicly shamed if they ever unfollow you.
What’s your opinion?
Andrew K Kirk
Entrepreneurial-minded marketer and Founder of Face The Buzz, which helps small-medium businesses and startups harness the power of online marketing. His clients have raised over $3.5 million in funding while working with Face The Buzz.
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