Is Auto Follow a Good Way to Build a Twitter Following?

In just under five years Twitter has become one of the top social media destinations for content consumers and producers alike. As a blogger and business owner you really cannot afford to not have a presence on there. In fact, every business should have a Facebook and a Twitter profile at minimum if you want to connect with your customers and become an integral part of their life.

However, many people find that staying on top of their social media marketing can consume a lot of time and effort. There are a number of  Twitter tools that can help you automate some or all of the tasks involved in building and maintaining a Twitter following. One of the things I’m noticing on the social media site, though, is that many business owners are using the Twitter follow tools to auto follow everyone who follows them.

Click to Follow Me on Twitter

I started thinking about this the other day. Is this really a good idea?

Reasons to Auto Follow

The main reason cited for auto following on Twitter was that it seemed like an easy way to build a following on Twitter. That’s sort of true. One piece of advice I often give people is to find your target market on Twitter and engage them by following their streams.

Suffice it to say, other businesses are targeting you as potential customers or collaborators. So they follow you in order to start building a relationship and they tend to stick around when you follow them back. If you have ten people adding you to their follow list every day, auto following them back can potentially net you up to 300 new followers per month.

Auto follow on Twitter is also convenient. I get about 100 new followers a day. With two kids, a husband, and a full time business I don’t always have time to go through and manually follow everyone back (Follow me on Twitter). It’s even worse for big brands and celebrities who get, literally, hundreds of people following them on a daily basis. So I can see the appeal of having a Twitter tool that tasks care of this task for you.

Reason to Not Auto Follow

But for all the convenience offered by Twitter follow tools, there are a couple of distinct disadvantages to auto following on Twitter.

- You will be targeted by spammers: Spammers love accounts that auto follow because it allows them to build their numbers quickly. They know that people are impressed by accounts that have large followings (a form of social proof). So they get lists of accounts on Twitter that automatically follows everyone and then they follow everyone on that list. Even worse, many of them will wait a few days and then unfollow you!

- Your account will be rendered useless: Being targeted by spammers brings me to the second problem with auto follow. Your Twitter stream will be filled with spam and other meaningless junk; not to mention the tons of auto direct messages you are likely to receive. Tools like Tweetdeck or Hootsuite can help you separate the wheat from the chuff. But that can be even more of a pain because then you have to manually look at each follower to decide where they should go or if you should unfollow them altogether.

So should you auto follow or not? There is no right or wrong answer. It really depends on what your goals are. If you just want to build a following then auto follow may be a good way to do it. If you want to build meaningful relationships on Twitter, though, then you will need to vet your followers either in the beginning when they first follow you or at the end when you are deciding whether or not to listen to their chatter.

What do you think? Do you auto follow on Twitter? Why or why not?

Speaking of Twitter, did you know I have a social media checklist you can download that will help streamline your social media marketing? You can download it for free. More information is located in the sidebar.

For one on one help with your internet marketing, contact me for a free one hour consultation where I will show you a few tools that will get your name in front of hungry customers just waiting to buy. You will never need to auto follow again.

Your Prospects Are On Twitter

Twitter is one of the world’s largest and most productive marketing tools. Careful use of Twitter can improve your visibility and reputation in the digital world. Twitter is perfect for a number of things including selling yourself to a potential employer and promoting a product or a web site.

The social media site has the potential to make you or your product known worldwide in a matter of minutes or days if used correctly. The right tweet at the right time will be read by millions of people worldwide and, if properly planned, can produce the attention and web traffic you are striving for.

Like everything else, though, it takes thought, preparation, and planning to improve your visibility and reputation on Twitter.

Differentiate Yourself from the Crowd on Twitter

An effective Twitter marketing strategy requires that you know differentiate yourself from your competition. If you are selling yourself as a prospective employee do not just post a resume. Post your accomplishments as well. Post tweets that prove you are the best choice for the open position. For example, show that you understand how new developments in technology will affect your industry.

For those selling products or services, stand out from your competition by sharing how your product can help prospects achieve their goals. Look at what your competition is doing and think of ways you can do things differently. Partner with people that are in the same industry who are willing to promote your business or service on their twitter page.

Think Before You Tweet

Many people have scared away prospective employers and customers by tweeting before thinking. Even if they didn’t mean to be offensive, the way they worded their tweet gave a negative impression.

Carefully consider what you are tweeting and the reaction you want to elicit from your audience. Every word is judged by every reader. You want to make the best possible impression on the most readers. This takes careful planning because you only have a few words to get your message out there with.

Choose Your Twitter Friends Wisely

Do your homework about friends. Look up people that can assist you with your goals. For example, connect with potential employers or people who can help you in your job search and invite them to be friends. Look for people who can use your product or service as well as partners that would be willing to promote you service on their Twitter page.

Defriend advertisers, lost souls, relationship seekers, and anyone else who does not support your purpose for being on the social networking site. Get the garbage off your wall.

Maintain Your Twitter Profile

Regular maintenance of your account is essential to using to Twitter to improve your reputation or further your marketing goals. Respond to tweets and direct messages sent to your by others. Ignore the spam. Ask people that are your customers or supporters to retweet your best tweets.

Twitter is a numbers game and you need good planning, a definite goal, and regular maintenance to increase your chances of success in promoting yourself and your business. Knowing what you want to get out of Twitter, making a small number of well-planned tweets, finding the right friends, and regular maintenance of your Twitter page will improve your chances of attracting the right kind of attention.

Social media marketing is a large and growing industry that it is difficult to know exactly where to start. Save yourself some time and aggravation by downloading my social media checklist (form in sidebar). I love helping people to succeed so call me for a free consultation on the best way to use internet marketing tools, like Twitter, to increase your brand visibility and value.

Twitter Connects Businesses with Customers

Twitter is a social network that has flourished in the last few years. It came about because the creators felt that there was a market for people wanting to what they were thinking and doing at all times. Thousands of people started using it and it has become one of the most visited websites online.

As a result of this success, Twitter has also become a powerful business tool. The followers of an individual on Twitter receive every message that the person posts. If the person chooses to post messages regarding his business, then those will be pushed to all of the people that follow him.

This provides a way for you to promote your business as well as get others to do the same. If a celebrity decides to ‘Tweet’ about your business or service then you are one lucky person! The number of followers that a ‘normal’ person has pales in comparison to what a celebrity would have. One tweet from a celebrity like Kim Kardashian or Ashton Kutcher will expose your brand to millions of people around the world.

Tips for Using Twitter Effectively

If Twitter is a network that you have decided to use in conjunction with your business, be careful what personal posts you add to the site. It may be best if you have both a personal and a business account so as to avoid posting non-pertinent things on each profile. Post fresh and engaging content to keep people interested in following you.

Avoid posting nonsensical fluff that adds no value to the lives of your followers. Doing so may chase people away from your business feed. If they think that all they are getting from you is low quality content or spam then your followers will drop you like a hot rock.

Twitter is a great resource since you are able to obtain information and tips on how to accomplish your goals as well. Connect with industry experts who provide the information you need to be more effective in your field. Not only will you improve yourself and your business but you will increase the value of your Twitter feed when you share those tips with the people following you.

Be careful to be professional at all times on Twitter and make sure to do something interesting now and then, like a giveaway, so that people are more inclined to continue following your feed. There are other ways that you can make your feed more attractive. It will just take some time and research.

Twitter is a Powerful Business Tool

When used correctly, it can increase sales and traffic to your website as well as generate top of mind recognition of your brand. Download my free social media checklist (sign up in sidebar) for a daily to do list of all the things you need to do to increase your following. For personalized help, contact me for a free consultation on the best way to market your business online including using Twitter and other internet business tools.

Auto Direct Messages is Bad Twitter Etiquette

What’s the best way to tell a new Twitter follower that you don’t care about having any type of relationship with them? Send them an automated direct message!

I’ve written many articles about  Twitter etiquette and how best to use the social networking website. I’ve suggested a few times that you should use an automated tool like TweetAdder to help make updating your profile on the social networking site less time consuming. However, some people are taking things to an absurd level and using the tool to not only put their account on auto pilot but to also send auto direct message to their followers on Twitter.

Auto Direct Messaging is Like Slapping Your Followers in the Face with Bad Twitter Etiquette

Okay, let’s back up a little bit and explain what auto direct messaging (DM) on Twitter is. The social networking site has an onsite messaging feature that allows you to send private tweets to people who are following you. This way, you can have a separate conversation with other members on Twitter without worrying about offending anyone or letting the whole world know your secrets.

There are several tools online, like SocialOomph and TweetAdder, which lets you to send direct messages automatically whenever anyone follows you as well as broadcast messages to multiple people. The most common way people auto direct message others on Twitter is when they get a new follower. It’s gotten to the point where I’m more surprised when I don’t get an automated message begging me to visit a website, download an EBook, or Like their Facebook page whenever I follow someone new.

So why is auto dm considered bad Twitter etiquette? It’s bad because you are basically spamming people on Twitter. It’s one thing to send a personalized invite to someone you’ve gotten to know and who you think may be a good match for what you are offering which I would classify as good Twitter etiquette. It’s quite another thing to spew out your sales message via a mass auto messaging service to people who may not even be in the market for what you are selling.

It’s also very impersonal. Social networking is all about getting to know each other. All of the auto DMs I’ve received have no identifying information. They all pretty much follow the same lifeless pattern: “Hi. Thanks for following. Visit my website (or download my Ebook or buy something from me please. Please!)”.

Imagine how this instance of poor Twitter etiquette would translate at a party. Very few people would want to interact with you. And, in fact, many people I surveyed on Twitter said they would unfollow someone who auto direct messaged them.

Yeah, it’s that bad.

People are inundated with unwanted sales messages in their email, on the telephone, and even on YouTube videos. The last thing they want is to be dealing with that on a social networking site where the point is to engage in conversation with likeminded people. If you really want to build a profitable business, then your focus should be on developing long term relationships with the people in your network.

The Golden Rule of Twitter Etiquette Is If You Don’t Have Anything Personal to Say…

Now this isn’t to say that auto direct messages is always bad Twitter etiquette. If you have a group of people that you know well and who are open to receiving that type of communication from you then, by all means, go for it. However, when it comes to new followers or people you don’t know don’t shoot yourself in the foot by asking a robot (automated Twitter tools) to shake hands with them.

If you want to engage in good Twitter etiquette then send them a personal thank you that acknowledges a common interest. Trust me you will make an impression on them which will get them paying attention to what you have going on in your business. If you just don’t have the time to welcome everyone in such a way, then it is probably best to not to do anything at all.

What are your thoughts? Do you think auto direct messages are evil? What are your tips for good Twitter etiquette?

Contact me for a free one hour consultation where we can go over some effective strategies for getting your business noticed online. If you want to learn more about Twitter etiquette and how to use the social network the right way then check out my previous social media marketing articles.

My biggest pet peeve on Twitter is the automated dm on Twitter. It drives me crazy. And I’m not the only one. I’ve spoken to other people on Twitter who say that they will delete anyone who sends them an automated direct message on Twitter.

I don’t blame them. All it does is clog up the inbox and makes no effort to actually start a relationship with the person who has chosen to be a part of your network. I don’t want to get a robotic message from you. I would rather talk to you about what you do and see how I can help you.

To me automated direct messages on Twitter just sends a message that you don’t care enough about your followers to personally interact with them. What do you think? What are your social media pet peeves?

When you building your brand on Twitter you have to remember that perception is everything. It is important to learn how to build your brand on Twitter and learn what to do and not to do.

What is Twitter?

Setting up a Twitter profile:

Twitter definitions:

Twitter Etiquette:

Tweeting:

The Wrong Way To Tweet : Example in video

My Twitter Marketing Strategy:

Getting Twitter followers:

Building Your Twitter Network:

Marketing through Social Media – Is This Strategy worth Your Time?

Social media has become a common buzzword lately and has gained a lot of popularity in the business world. Social media can be defined as any website where users can upload their own content and share it with the Internet. Sites such as Twitter and Facebook are very well attended and have millions of users connecting with each other day and night.

The big question is if marketing through social media is worth your time. According to Facebook, 50% of their users log onto the site every day; Twitter now has 15 million active members that actively post Tweets; LinkedIn has over 50 million members looking to network. If that isn’t proof positive that there is a huge opportunity in social media nothing will convince you.

What Social Media Offers Marketers

The question is how can you use social media to help grow your business? By being present on these sites, you are opening yourself to more possibilities in your marketing strategy. Facebook and Twitter are essentially viral by nature and if a user happens to like your product or service, they will announce it on their page.

When the announcement is made, it goes out to everybody on their friends list and their friends might announce it to their list, and so forth. By putting up strong content and sharing quality information, you can spread the word about your business very quickly.

Social media also gives you another way to stay in touch with your prospects and customers aside from email marketing and blogging. You will be able to reach more people when the time comes to start marketing your new product or service.

Marketing Through Social Media via your Mobile devices

Social media sites also offer applications that are designed for smart phones such as the Android and iPhone. These applications are used by millions of people and many users check these sites regularly throughout the day by using their phones.

This means that you gain more exposure and it enables you to stay in touch with your prospects and customers more frequently. Other features such as private messaging through social networking sites and SMS notifications also offer another opportunity for Internet marketers.

Using Social Media as Part of Your Overall Marketing Strategy

Social media is not a replacement for your existing strategy; it’s a strategy that can make everything in your business more effective. Many Internet marketers are allowing their prospects and customers to receive their information through multiple channels.

Why do this when you can focus on one? It is because people have different user behaviors. One user may like to receive content on Facebook while another one would like to stay in touch by subscribing to your blog with an RSS reader.

By pushing your content out onto multiple channels, you’ll be able to reach your contacts wherever they are, making your marketing through social media an effective way to promote your products and services.

So to answer the question – marketing through social media is definitely worth your time. Many Internet marketers are combining social media and email marketing as well as blogging to get the most out of their promotions and spread the word about their business very quickly.

Want to succeed as an entrepreneur? Learn the skills and strategies you need to succeed as an online marketer. Get in-depth advice on personal development, online promotion, social media, and web traffic by visiting http://www.hasseandre.com/

Article from articlesbase.com

More Marketing With Social Media Articles

Here is a training video that shows you how to use the popular Twitter application Tweetdeck. This application can boost your effectiveness on Twitter ten fold. It’s only ten minutes. Give it a watch.

Twitter Tools and WordPress

Like caramel and chocolate, some things just go well together and nothing epitomizes this sentiment more than integrating the social network juggernaut Twitter with the blogging software giant WordPress. There are a number of Twitter tools on the market that, when combined with WordPress, will turn your blog into a marketing magnet that attracts readers and followers.

5 Free Twitter Tools for WordPress

1. Twitter Tools - This WordPress Twitter plugin provides a couple of cool and useful functions. The main one is the ability to automatically tweet your blog posts to your Twitter account. Other options include using Bit.ly to shorten URLs, add hashtags to the tweets and to post a daily or weekly digest of your Twitter tweets on your blog.

2. Tweet This Plugin – This WordPress Twitter plugin adds a Retweet button to each blog post so visitors can easily tweet your posts through their Twitter accounts. You can also set the plugin to automatically shorten URLs and to send new and upcoming blog posts to your Twitter account. The nice thing about this plugin is it keeps track of how many people retweeted your post using the button so you can see at a glance how popular the article is.

3. TwitterLink Comments - The producers of CommentLuv also created a WordPress Twitter plugin that allows a commenter to add a link to their Twitter profile each time they leave a comment. Let’s face, if people see they can get an extra link that will promote their projects, they will usually leave a comment.

4. Twitter Widget - Twitter Widget by TwitterCounter is not a specific WordPress plugin but it might be nice to have on a blog. This widget tracks Twitter users who most frequently visit your blog. This is nice for creating a sense of community and for rewarding active users with a little publicity.

5. WordPress Greetbox - This isn’t a Twitter tool per se but it still is a great plugin. This tool detects where your visitor came from and greets them with a personal message that you define in the admin panel. So for example, if your visitor came to your blog by clicking a link on Twitter, they will be greeted with a custom message that says something like, “Hi Twitter user, thanks for stopping by my blog”. This is great for personally welcoming people to your home on the net.

There are many more Twitter tools for WordPress that you can use to create community and to help you manage your social networking. You are only limited by your creativity and imagination.

Download my free social media checklist (sign up in sidebar) for a daily to do list of all the things you need to do to increase your following. For personalized help, contact me for a free consultation on the best way to market your business online including using Twitter and other internet business tools.

(photo credit: Mr. Boombust)

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How to Unfollow people on Twitter

UnTweeps

Unfollow Tweeps who do not Tweet often enough

Your Twitter Karma

Who is following you & who is not – Bulk unfollow

Friend or Follow

Who is following & who is not – Se more detail on each person

*TwitFresh (New one I came across – Awesome !)

Unfollow everyone not following you – happens within minutes (WARNING – does no take you to another screen or allow you to pick people. If you put your info in and hit submit then BAM they are all gone)

Download my free social media checklist (sign up in sidebar) for a daily to do list of all the things you need to do to increase your following. For personalized help, contact me for a free consultation on the best way to market your business online including using Twitter and other internet business tools.