by Jennifer Nelson
A lot of Internet marketers get on Twitter to use it as a marketing platform for their products, to build their own email lists and to maintain contact with their existing customers, etc. This is effective in and of itself at driving traffic and improving sales. Yet, if you enter into this precarious marketing world blindly, you will not only squander your energy and time, but you could ultimately devastate the integrity of your business and your name. In order to avoid this from happening, you need to avoid certain mistakes.
A primary mistake made by over-anxious marketers is to start right in with their marketing on Twitter. As funny as it may sound, if you want to see some real results, beginning with a marketing strategy right away is a bad idea. However, by developing confidence and reinforcing your connections in the beginning, you will create a loyal stream of followers. In other words, you have to literally take permission from your market first before you do any promotion. How should you get such consent? The key is to engage yourself in the Twitter community. The creation of strong relationships in which people come to trust you as part of the community results in an ability to use Twitter as a tool to drive additional traffic to your site, build your list, and achieve essential targeted sales. Every time you appear on Twitter at the beginning, become socially accessible and easy to talk to. Apart from this, don’t be too serious with your tweets and make it look like a boring presentation. Of course marketing is a serious business, but it will benefit from a little humor inserted here and there. Show your personality, be yourself. If you can manage to do this, you will be helping people in a fun way and they will trust you better. Be engaging and easy to deal with, that’s the secret to winning their hearts.
First, let’s talk about spam. No one likes getting it, no one reads its. Spam is spam, whether it’s sent via email or tweets. As through any other venue, these advertisements are frankly ignored, if not reviled. Think of your tweets as dinner conversation at the table - they should be short, simple, but powerful in the information conveyed. People who login to Twitter want to have some fun, have a good time by socializing. When they realize they’re being spammed by a sales pitch from a stranger, they are going to feel a sense of irritation almost instantly. Your tweets need to have a benefit for those on your followers list and shouldn’t be blatant sales pitches. They should be helpful in every sense of the word. No one is suggesting that you should not ever recommend anything. However, you want to make sure that you do so after you’ve given them plenty of value. If most of your tweets are helpful ideas and suggestions, and you recommend a product here and there, you’re going to be off to a good start and the results will start adding up. Gentle persuasion from a guest come for dinner will always go further than a suit-and-briefcase salesman. Also, make sure you give you a human face to your Twitter account, because people like interacting with people, not corporate entities. If you keep it real and give people helpful information, they will buy your products and services.
On the other hand some people try to market on Twitter with a little too much mystery. IF no one can figure out who you are you’re going to be ignored. One way to clarify yourself is to create a biography that will hook your prospects, and include a photo so they could identify you. You shouldn’t waste a first contact with any prospect because your photo is impossible to make out. But you don’t have to be too serious. Taking your product or your business too sternly can be a death knell to your business and any chance of having a successful marketing movement. People log on to Twitter to socialize and have fun. They might be seeking a break from a hectic day, so you want to help them with that. Your tweets need to be spiced up and have a tinge of humor to them. When you Tweet, your are officially in the business of “Infotainment”. This is where you are giving out information but in a fun-filled way. Give your followers something to think about or something to chuckle over.
Don’t put a corporate face on your Twitter account, that’s a big mistake. When you use Twitter, you need to project your humanity. People will respond and react to another human, not a lifeless company logo. Your product or service will be better served if your followers feel that they have a personal stake in how successful you become. This takes a little effort but it is worth in the end, there is nothing like knowing that the person on the other end is real. Don’t give them the impression that you are exclusive because this could make potential followers back off and that means lost profits. No, don’t do that mistake on Twitter; it’ll cost you your reputation. Always remember that Twitter is a social destination, and should always be treated as such. Interact with other Twitterers here, connect with them and talk without having a promotional tone. Genuinely listen to what problems they have and if you can, give them a real solution. If you want to be successful marketing your product or business on Twitter, then you really need to learn how to make personal connections and your followers will end up doing the entire campaign for you!
About the Author:
By avoiding the above Twitter mistakes, you can start making some money from Twitter. Just the other day I setup a
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