March 3, 2010

How to Avoid Making Some Simple Mistakes When You Market with Twitter

Filed under: Marketing @ 8:54 am

Twitter has grown huge in a very short period of time and it has proven to be one of the most successful social media platforms out there. While the Twitter community was designed for social interaction just like personal texting, it didn’t take Internet marketers long to recognize a goldmine when they saw it. Just like anything else, Twitter will fail you if you don’t use it properly. If you put a little thought into what you’re doing beforehand, you can avoid those little mistakes that can derail marketing efforts on Twitter. As a social platform, Twitter is extremely public, and that can give your business a lot of exposure very easily. That’s a good thing to keep in mind as you learn to carefully use Twitter as a promotional tool for your business. We will cover a number of pitfalls to watch out for while marketing with Twitter in the following article.

Sending spam in the form of tweets to the Twitter community at large is undoubtedly the greatest misstep individuals make while using the platform, as Twitter users will overlook such tweets. Your tweets are like conversations you have at a dinner table, they are short and simple but convey a lot. The majority of people who are logging on to Twitter are there to socialize and enjoy themselves with like-minded people. 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. The solution? Present yourself as a guest looking to enjoy their dinner time chat with them rather than blatantly sell to them. Remember: short and sweet. And helpful. Down to the last word. Promote your business, by all means. Twitter’s a great place to make your services known. You just need to provide your followers with a significant value before you send them marketing tweets. 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. Your Twitter account needs to have a human face. Nobody wants to hang out with a corporate logo; they want to interact with other flesh and blood people. If you are able to be totally real and helpful in your approach, people will be willing to buy.

You should always use a real face of the business to represent your business on Twitter. Your followers use Twitter because it makes them feel like they know you personally. 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. What it all comes down to is giving your potential customers the feeling that you aren’t just there to sell them something, and that if they do choose to buy from you, they would be working with another person, not a computer. 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. Twitter, just like any other site is about social networking, and it is a great platform to launch a new ad campaign and stay in touch with your clientele. Never use your Tweets to sell anyone, anything since this is all about having a conversation, albeit with possibly thousands of people. Genuinely listen to what problems they have and if you can, give them a real solution. It may sound absurd, but the most effective way you can market on Twitter is to look as if that is the last thing on your mind.

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