To grow your network, make your "Follow me on Twitter" request compelling

Some people at least ask.

"Will you follow me on Twitter?"

Others just issue a command.

"Follow me on Twitter."

Over the past couple of months, I've been trying to learn more about the goals of people and businesses using Twitter. How people use it to build and maintain relationships. How entrepreneurs and larger companies use it to build communities.

I'm not personally Twittering yet. I don't know that I will. Facebook and blogging seem to be taking up enough time for now.

One thing I've noticed is that many people don't give others a compelling reason to follow them on Twitter. They may do this indirectly, by meeting people and building relationships in actual "real life." Or by building great content on a blog. If you are a compelling person offline or on a blog, then it logically follows that you would be compelling in 140 character increments on Twitter, too.

But what about a Twitter elevator pitch? If you give people a concise, benefit-oriented statement about why they should follow you on Twitter -- the what's in it for them -- won't you be more likely to build a following faster? (If building a larger following is your goal, that is.)

When you put your "Follow me on Twitter" statement out there, do you connect it with a benefit? For example:

• Follow me on Twitter for insight on the Tampa Bay real estate market

• Follow me on Twitter for more tips on baking amazing cakes

You get the idea. Again, this isn't for everybody. Many people just want to give personal status updates to friends, and that's great. But many others are using Twitter to build professional reputations and networks. It seems to me like offering a concise and compelling reason to be followed will help you build your network faster.