There's no denying, the best accounts to follow on Twitter have the most followers -- that's why they have the most followers (and if you disagree, please, keep reading). But what you don't realize, is that every one of those people are selling you something. It's true -- even if it's not obvious.
Let's start with just the people YOU follow. There are your friends, your family, and everyone else. An everyone else is selling you something.
Take the list of the top 10 people on Twitter with the most followers (this does not include corporate brands, which, obviously, are trying to sell you something):
- Justin Bieber: @justinbieber - 39,673,026 followers
- Lady Gaga: @ladygaga - 37,703,992
- Katy Perry: @katyperry - 37,075,529
- Barack Obama: @BarackObama - 31,982,994
- Rihanna: @rihanna - 29,756,835
- Taylor Swift: @taylorswift13 - 28,329,970
- Britney Spears: @britneyspears - 27,372,412
- Justin Timberlake: @jtimberlake - 20,778,620
- Shakira: @shakira - 20,773,482
- Ellen DeGeneres: @TheEllenShow - 19,301,628
And then there are the corporate brands. Common sense tells you they are trying to sell you something, but you wouldn't know it by reading their tweets. There is no mention of "Buy this" or "Try that" -- just simple content marketing and engaging conversations. And that's why they're the best brands on Twitter:
- YouTube: @YouTube - 10,259,054 followers
- Twitter: @twitter - 8,856,790
- Twitter en español: @twitter_es - 8,480,198
- CNN Breaking News: @cnnbrk - 6,923,605
- TwitPic: @TwitPic - 6,615,838
- UberSocial: @UberSoc - 5,826,875
- The New York Times: @nytimes - 4,700,907
- NBA: @NBA - 4,525,421
- Google: @google - 4,465,778
- E! Online: @eonline - 4,267,255
Brands and Twitter are all about content marketing. The best brands -- whether personal or corporate -- are the best content marketers. They post interesting tweets that are relevant to their followers. By doing so, they promote their brand. That's why they have the most followers. And that's why all the best Twitterers are marketers.
