One interesting finding gleaned from Zarrella's research: Twitter users with more followers tend not to reply as often as those with fewer followers. So while you may feel compelled to respond every time someone sends you an @reply, it's not necessary, he says. Instead, balance your @replies with other content.

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State authoritatively in your bio what legitimizes you and why people should pay attention to you. If you've written a book, call yourself out as an author. Or, if you speak frequently, brand yourself a speaker.

"One of my favorite 'unicorns-and-rainbows' myths to pick on is the dog-eared 'don't call yourself a guru,'" Zarrella says. "I've heard said a bunch of different ways, and it's present anytime someone maligns the term 'social media expert' or suggests there is no such thing. It turns out, though, that when you pull the rainbow-colored wool from your eyes and look at the actual data, Twitter accounts that use the word 'guru' tend to have 100 more followers than the average Twitter account."