Far too many people these days use unscrupulous blackhat techniques to grow their Twitter followings. We’re sure you’ve seen some of these methods in action. Think along the lines of paid likes, bots, and serial followers. The fact is there are a whole lot of spammy Twitter accounts out there.

And while many of these methods of gaining new Twitter followers do work, they don’t do anything to actually build meaningful relationships. If you want your business to truly grow, you need to establish meaningful relationships on your social media accounts. Taking an ethical approach to building your Twitter following has big-time long-term benefits.

So how can you grow your Twitter following without resorting to blackhat techniques? It boils down to three main strategies: content, engagement, and rewards. Below we explain a handful of the best ways to incorporate these strategies and gain followers of value.

1. Create Valuable Content

 Content really is king. And not just any old type of content. It needs to be meaningful. It needs to bring something of value to the table. Better yet, it needs to be content that people want to share. Stick to this and your Twitter following will grow as if by magic.

2. Retweet Relevant/Valuable Content

To fully unlock all the benefits of Twitter, it’s important to interact with others. And one of the best ways to do this is to retweet content that is relevant to your brand and customer base. Of course, it’s always great to retweet valuable content posted by your followers. But take things one step further by identifying the thought-leaders in your industry. Retweet the content they’re sharing to inject your brand’s voice in an ongoing conversation.

3. Ask for Retweets

As long as you’re actually sharing content of value, there is no reason not to ask your followers to retweet it. If some of your tweets are already being shared, then that’s a sign you’re putting out the kind of material people actually want to see.

So ask for the participation of your followers by requesting that they retweet certain posts. You might even want to try a “flock to unlock” promotion. This is when a certain number of retweets unlocks a special prize for your followers, such as a discount on your product or services.

4. Try Out Twitter-Only Deals

 Twitter-only deals have been shown to be a highly effective promotional tool. Give your followers a discount on a certain product or service just for following you. Or give them access to unique content. On top of boosting engagement, this strategy also prompts new people to follow your account. Try out a variety of Twitter-only deals to find out which method works best for your brand.

5. Treat Your Followers Like People

 Possibly the most important Twitter tip of all is to treat your followers like people. Use Twitter as an opportunity to actually connect with and talk to your audience. In other words: engage, engage, engage. Join as many relevant conversations as you can and let your followers actually talk to you.

Simply put, you’re on Twitter to connect with people. And people are on Twitter to connect with brands they’re interested in. So focus most of your social media marketing efforts on maximizing these connections. At the very least, you should respond to each and every follower that leaves a comment with a thoughtful response. It’s all about interaction.

Once again, remember that growing your Twitter following like a boss is all about content, engagement, and rewards. While you can get by with just one or two of these, the most effective brands utilize all three together.

When you give your followers what they want, your followers will give you what you want. And that’s more followers that aren’t bots or serial followers. Stick to the tips above and your Twitter account will soon become a meaningful online destination.