If you've been on twitter for awhile now and pulling your hair out because you are struggling to get followers then hopefully the following tips will give you a light bulb moment!
1) Current Affairs
The most important thing to remember is to make it interesting (sorry to state the obvious) as you are trying to attract followers and encourage interaction. Rather than just tweeting out 'sale pitches' it is better to mix it up with current news that perhaps also relates to your business in some way.
2) Hashtags
Make use of hashtags inorder to be found more easily in a twitter search. Use popular hastags that make sense to use, by that I mean not placing a hastag before #every #word.
3) Twitter Username
If you are tweeting about someone/oraganisation who are on twitter then also include their twitter username because if they reply or retweet, you are then exposed to a larger number of potential followers! So try to converse with people who have already gained a large following.
4) Link analysis
Of course you also want to tweet about your business in the midst of topical tweets and direct them to your website. When using links make use of services provided by bitly/tinyurl to shorten your link(as every character space is precious) and analyse the number of clicks.
5) Interaction
Interact with your followers by asking questions as it should be a 2 way communication.
6) Consistency
Space out your tweets! Don't go days without tweeting and then one sunny morning decide to bombard your followers. You should be tweeting on a daily basis so you don't get forgotten and don't irritate your existing followers.
Managing a twitter account does take time and effort. However, once you understand how to use it effectively, it will boost your digital presence and you get noticed by potential customers!