Social Media Marketing is Not Easy

I’ll be the first to admit that social media marketing is not as easy as other forms of business promotion. There are so many rules, spoken and unspoken, that it is all too easy to make a mistake. However, there is a big difference between making a mistake and making a social media pest out of yourself. The guiltiest of the bunch in this latter group are multilevel marketers using Twitter, and other social networking sites, to do what I like to call Nuisance Marketing.

Nuisance Marketing is when you, either purposefully or inadvertently, use spammy social media marketing tactics which push away prospects and make the whole industry look bad. I’m not sure what is being taught at some of these company’s training seminars about how to use Twitter as a social media marketing tool but there are a number network marketers who are nuking their brands by becoming “That Guy”.

You may be “That Guy” who uses social media marketing wrong if:

Your idea of social media marketing is every tweet you post is a link to your program.

I get that you want people to look at your business and sign up. However, what you are doing is spamming your own Twitter feed and no one wants to read spam. Twitter marketing is about conversing with your followers. When all you do is post spam, there is nothing to talk about and your prospects find other people to engage with.

The only conversations you start are ones about your business.

So no one is paying attention to your Twitter stream because it is filled with links to your network marketing opportunity. Therefore, you decide to “start conversations” by sending your links directly to people in your target market using the @ reply button. This is like going up to someone at a party and yelling at them to go to your website.

You use the direct message function on Twitter to spam your link.

Even though people yelled at you for spamming your link at them or still completely ignored you, you decide to double down on the nuisance marketing tactic and start direct messaging people the link to your website. Then you wonder why people start mass unfollowing your or why your account is shut down by Twitter for spamming.

You don’t talk to anyone.

This is my favorite by far. Even though you are spamming like a mad man, there are a few people who actually want to talk to you. However, you don’t reply to their @ messages or direct messages. Why is this? Most likely because you are using a Twitter application, like Pluggio, to put your account on automatic pilot. Your brand of social media marketing is working and you have people interested in your business but you don’t have a clue because you are not there paying attention.

You pester people to promote you.

Okay, so you read advice by a social media guru who tells you that you can increase your popularity by getting other people to retweet your tweets and links. You then shift your nuisance marketing tactics into full gear and begin spamming people asking them to retweet your stuff. The problem is that you are not providing anything of value to retweet. So even if they did want to take pity on you and promote your stuff, you have nothing worth promoting.

You demand people follow you.

It’s crazy to believe that some people would be so bold but I’ve seen this happen and have had it happen to me. You realize that the bigger your follower count the more impressive you look to your prospects. But you don’t want just anyone. You want someone with clout who can really push your Twitter profile to the next level. So you begin tweeting to them to follow you over and over and over again.

Or, as a way of trying to avoid being called a spammer you follow and unfollow them repeatedly. You know that they are sent an email each time they get a new follower and you are hoping to get their attention by constantly showing up in the email.

If you recognize any of these social media marketing tactics as something that you have done or are doing, then you need to stop right now. You are actually doing more damage to your business than you are helping it. If you are interested in learning how to build a brand and get attention to your business the right way, then contact me. I can take you through, step by step, on the best way to attract prospects without having to resort to nuisance marketing.

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 social media marketing and other internet business tools.

TweetMiner (now Pluggio)

*** A new tool I just started using and it is awesome! ***

This tool allows you to schedule RSS feed for content from your favorite sites, RT your favorite people and either schedule specific time or add to rolling schedule. New feature to help you find people to follow ! Definitely check it out !

(Click the image to get a better look a the features.)

(Click the image to get a better look at the features.)

Pointless Twitter Tweets?

According to an August 2009 study conducted by Pear Analytics, 40% of the tweets on Twitter are nothing but pointless babble. Meaning a lot of people are posting tweets that do nothing to add to the conversations taking place on Twitter. This would include tweets about going to the bathroom or sharing the fact that you are eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I don’t know about you but that is information I could have lived a lifetime not knowing.

While pointless tweets do have their place (they help people get to know you better), if you are seeking to build a Twitter following then the bulk of your tweets should be of better quality than that. But what is considered quality Twitter content?

Quality content is subjective but a good definition to go by is that it is content which interests your target audience and adds value to the community. Some examples of quality Twitter content would be links to relevant news articles or tips that help increase productivity.

Twitter Tweet Categories:

Informational – These are tweets that tell the reader an interesting fact or relay a piece of information. These are generally accompanied by links to articles found on blogs and online newspapers that expand on the subject.

Tips – Twitter users like to share nuggets of advice that has helped them navigate life a little better. Tips range from dating advice to productivity to what store is having a sale on shoes.

Quotes and Observations – Oftentimes these tweet are quotes from well known thought leaders but can also include original observations about life which are condensed to 140 characters.

Conversation – This is the normal back and forth talking that happens when people gather together. Tweets either start a conversation or respond to an ongoing one.

Retweets – This is the sharing of content posted by other Twitter users which the poster feels would interest his/her followers.
Self-Promotional – This category includes the selling of products and services as well as links to personal websites or things the user is involved in.

What Makes a Good Mix of Twitter Tweets?

The honest answer to this question is that it depends on your target audience. If you are using Twitter for your online political magazine, then the bulk of you content will be informational with some Conversational and Retweets thrown in to round things out. On the other hand, if you are tweeting for personal networking, then you’ll probably be posting a lot of Conversational tweets, Retweets and probably even Quotes and Observations.

It is best to monitor the feeds of people you want to network with on Twitter to see what they are posting. This will give you an idea of the type of content they are attracted to which will help you fine tune what you are offering in your Twitter stream.

Posting quality content on Twitter is the best way to stand out from noise and attract followers looking for substance. Using Twitter effectively is just one way I generate traffic to my business and increase sales. 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.

What does # Hashtag mean on Twitter & Why do people use Hashtags?

If you are truly brand new on Twitter, then you are probably wondering what in the world does # this mean? You will see it for #FollowFriday also known as #FF, #music, #jobs, #MusicMonday, #ecoMonday and much, much more.

#Hashtags are used for trending topics on Twitter and as a way to make categories. These categories can be searched by using the search tool on Twitter. It is pretty cool because many people put themselves in categories like #green, #eco, #health, etc.

This is a great way to find people with like interest or participate in something fun happening on Twitter at any given time.

Twitter Hashtags for Events

There is also another cool thing you can use the hashtags for if you have a group of friends or maybe you are all at a cool event? Let’s say you are at an event and you decide to use the hashtag #rock23, then you all tweet and use this #rock23 hashtag so you can see what everyone is saying about the event.

If you want to see what is happening right now on Twitter and all the #Hashtags being used then check out this site… http://www.hashtags.org/

More Help with Twitter Hashtags

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.

Twitter Marketing

In a previous article on Twitter marketing, I passed along a few general tips on how to gain Twitter followers. Today, I want to delve deeper into the process of gaining more twitter followers. I hope that by doing so you will understand the secret behind why so many people are able to easily amass thousands of followers and how you can use this information to increase the size of your Twitter following.

The Real Secret to Twitter Rock Stardom

Marketers who sell Twitter programs that claim to increase your Twitter following emphasize the need for you to be a good Tweeter. Even in my previous articles, I talked about the dos and don’ts of being a good Twitter community member. However, through my time using Twitter marketing I’ve come to understand that being a good tweeter is only a small part of the equation.

If you look at any top ten Twitter list, you will notice that most people on the list are famous for other things besides being a Twitter celebrity. In fact, their fame came long before they decided to join the social networking community. A good example of this is Oprah. The day she signed up for a Twitter account, she had tens of thousands of people following her and she hadn’t even written her first tweet! Those people followed her to Twitter because of her stardom and not because she did any Twitter marketing.

Now you don’t have to be a mega superstar to get the Twitter followers you want. But you do have to understand that having a popular Twitter profile is less about posting tweets at the right place and the right time and more about raising your visibility and selling yourself as someone worth following on Twitter.

The Twitter Marketing Two Step

Getting more followers on Twitter is a two part process. The first part involves getting found on Twitter. After all, people can’t subscribe to your feed if they don’t know about you. The second step entails convincing people you are awesome and that following you would bring about world peace. Okay, that’s exaggerating things a bit but you get the picture.

Twitter Marketing Tips

Market your Twitter Profile – In addition to putting your Twitter profile link in as many places as you can (on your website, in your email signature, other social networking profiles), use other conventional marketing tactics to raise your visibility on Twitter. Organizing a contest or offering free premium content to Twitter subscribers are both great ways of getting people to notice you.

Hashtag Your Tweets – Hashtags are Twitter’s tagging system that aggregates all the tweets marked by a specific keyword. They are called Hashtags because of the hash mark (#) used to turn a keyword into a clickable link that pulls up other content similarly marked. Research hashtags that your target audience follows and tag your tweets with them whenever possible.

Use Keywords – People also use Twitter’s search function to find tweets on topics of interest. Research regular keywords you think people in your target audience would use to find information on Twitter and sprinkle your tweets with them.

Participate in Memes – The Twitter community has a number of hashtag memes going on at any one time with the most popular one being FollowFriday. Observing the trending topics is a fantastic way to find these memes.

Talk to People – Put your party face on and strike up a conversation with your fellow tweeters. Showing interest in others is a sure way to gain Twitter followers.

Tips for Selling Yourself to Visitors

Build a Good Brand – Your overall presence on the internet will greatly influence whether or not people follow you. So you want to work on building a strong and consistent brand in the online community as a whole.

Your Bio – Don’t leave your bio space empty. Fill it with something interesting that hooks visitors’ attention and makes them want to get to know you better. Tell them about your business and your quirky interests.

Personalize Your Profile – Use a custom background that includes a picture of you (or a representative avatar) and your contact information. Use Twitbacks to design a background that reflects your tastes and personality.

Post Quality Content – Last but not least, make sure you have quality content that people will want to follow you for. Twitter marketing is about making people want to pay attention to you. Quality content will do that.

Gaining more Twitter followers is a challenge anyone can tackle as long as you have the right moves. I have been effectively using Twitter to promote my home based business. 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 marketing and other internet business tools.

Similar to a cocktail party, Twitter has become the hot spot for everyone seeking news, friendships and everything in between. Using Twitter as a marketing tool, therefore, is an excellent way to introduce your business to people who need your products and services.

But using Twitter as a marketing tool does not involve setting up a free account and lobbing tweets about your business to everyone you can find. Twitter marketing requires a soft touch that attracts qualified buyers and convinces them to purchase from you. Here are a few pieces of advice that I picked up when I learned how to Twitter that will help you make the most of this social media juggernaut.

Mmm, Twitter. Delicious.

Don’t Spam Your Followers

The very first misstep that almost every new Twitter marketer makes is using the social networking service like a bullhorn to shout their sales message to their followers all day every day. Not only is this annoying, you will almost certainly alienate the very people you are trying to attract because they will think you are a spammer.

It is perfectly alright to promote yourself on Twitter. But you must maintain balance if you want to use Twitter as a marketing tool. Twitter marketing is about striking up a conversation with your followers that eventually leads to an opportunity to sell to them. Therefore, you want to create a well rounded profile that includes relevant content and interactions with other members in addition to your sales proposals. Your followers will grow to trust you which will have them turning to you when they need the product you sell.

Don’t Auto Direct Message

Twitter allows members to send private messages to each other via their Direct Messaging function. You are still limited to 140 characters but you can use the feature to contact other members without cluttering up your Twitter stream or exposing sensitive information. Unfortunately, some people have taken to sending automatic direct messages with links to affiliate products or their websites whenever someone follows them.

While it is certainly good manners to thank someone for becoming a follower, sending an automatic message to do it is an insult. Especially if you send links or the message is promotional in nature. That’s like saying hello to someone but instead of greeting you back, they immediately try to sell you car insurance. It’s just rude.

If you don’t have the time to craft individual welcome messages to your followers then don’t send anything. It’s better to say nothing at all than to create a bad impression right out of the gate.

Do Post Quality Content

There is a lot of noise on the internet and, to effectively use Twitter as a marketing tool, you must think of yourself as a radio station that broadcasts on the only channel your followers listen to- WIIFM (What’s In It For Me). To stand out from the other “broadcasters” on Twitter, you must post good quality content that fulfills your “listeners” needs.

People use Twitter for a variety of reasons. Some want to keep up on the news in the world, some use it to find helpful information on a topic and others are just plain bored. Usually it is a combination of all these things. Good Twitter marketing involves finding out what your target audience wants and giving it to them.

Do Create Relationships

It is much easier to convince someone to buy from you if they trust you. That trust only comes from their experience with you and the relationship you have developed with each other. Creating relationships means you have to go beyond using Twitter as a marketing tool and take the time to get to know your fellow Tweeters. In the long run, this will help you service their needs better which always translates into more sales.

It’s true that Twitter marketing will drive the traffic and sales you need to make your online business a success but only if you make an effort to do it in a way that respects your customers. I have been getting fantastic results using Twitter as a marketing tool to attract customers and prospects to my online shopping business. Visit RockYourBusinessOnline.com to learn how these techniques can take your business to the next level.

(photo credit: topgold @ Flickr)