The following guest post is submitted by Corey Perlman, the author of the #1 Amazon.com bestseller eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business.
Here Corey answers the age old question, to twitter or not to twitter as part of your marketing mix.
If you haven’t heard the buzz going around about the micro-blogging site Twitter.com, you soon will. It’s by far the hottest social networking application in the ever-evolving world of Internet marketing. But, should you join the cyber-party? Well, I will humbly offer you my answer to that question in this article.
What is all the Tweet About?
I always like to begin by providing a layman’s term definition of exactly what we’re talking about. Twitter is a Web site where you can follow what people are saying and they can follow what you are saying. The unique thing about Twitter is that they only allow you to write your “tweet” (or written message) in 140 characters or less. Yep, in the ‘more is less’ world of Internet communication, they have the audacity to make us be short and to the point with everything we write. The nerve!
When you follow someone, each of their tweets shows up on your personal Web page. And when you tweet, each of your messages shows up on their Twitter page. One of the distinct differences between Twitter and other social communities such as Facebook or Linkedin is the more liberal screening process people seem to have on Twitter when deciding who to connect with. It’s not uncommon to follow complete strangers based on knowing very little about them except maybe that they are following someone you are following. You can blink and have hundreds of people following you or vice versa. For an even clearer definition of Twitter, go to www.twitter.com and watch the video in the top right-hand corner of the page.
To Twitter or Not to Twitter
So, on to the question of if you should add Twitter as part of your Internet marketing repertoire. My answer is Yes and No. ? Let me explain. My answer is no if you’re simply looking for a tool to sell more of your products or services. In my opinion, it’s just not being used that way and people frown upon heavy promoting and selling. However, if you are looking to create more online relationships, expand your brand, or stay on the bleeding edge of information in your industry, then I wholeheartedly recommend that you jump on Twitter right away.
A colleague of mine, Perry Belcher, had a great analogy of how to view Twitter. It’s like hosting a huge party. You wouldn’t invite someone to your party and immediately try and sell them the second you opened the door. Instead, you’d greet them, invite them in, have a conversation and potentially engage in business if the opportunity presents itself. This is exactly how Twitter seems to work as well.
Getting Started With Twitter
So, are you still interested in trying out Twitter or did I scare you away? I hope I didn’t because I think Twitter can be a great opportunity for you to engage people with similar interests in an incredibly fast and effective way. So here are the steps to create your Twitter account:
- Go to Twitter.com and register for an account. It’s free!
- Take some time and fill out your profile. The more thought out your profile is, the more likely people will follow you.
- Write your first tweet. Let everyone know you are new to the site and find a fun way to introduce yourself.
- Look for some of your friends on Twitter. You have a friend in me! Just go to www.twitter.com/coreyperlman and www.twitter.com/ebootcamp and click “follow” and you will then be following me. You’ll be able to see all the people that I follow and can follow them as well if you choose.
- For the next few weeks, tweet at least once a day. It takes all of about 2-3 minutes, so don’t worry about finding the time. You can also write your tweets via your cell phone. See Twitter.com for instructions on how to do that.
Helpful Twitter Marketing Notes
- Try not to just tweet about what you are doing. Although that is the theme of Twitter.com, most people like to offer some value in some of their tweets. For example, did you see a really good article (maybe like the one you’re reading ?) and want to share it with your followers? Simply highlight the article link and add it as a tweet.
- You don’t have to be too picky on who you follow. It’s easy to un-follow someone if they are tweeting too much or for any other reason.
- On occasion, it is ok to promote your products or services. Just remember the party analogy – don’t overdue it and annoy people. Communicate on a personal level with people and build trust. There will be plenty of opportunity down the road to conduct business if the opportunity presents itself naturally.
Ok my friends, enough with the analysis paralysis, get out there and start TWEETING!
See you in Twitterville!
Author Bio:
Corey Perlman is the author of the #1 Amazon.com bestseller eBoot Camp: Proven Internet Marketing Techniques to Grow Your Business. The book provides easy-to-do strategies and techniques to help you market your business on the Web. To learn more about eBoot Camp or to purchase a copy, go to www.ebootcampbook.com.
What do you think about using Twitter as part of your marketing strategy? Is it working for you?
Can’t visit Small Biz Bee on a regular basis? You can stay up to date by having the latest Small Biz Bee news delivered to you for free via RSS or Email.
For exclusive Small Biz Bee content and offers, sign up for our free newsletter:
Photo Credit: mfilej
Similar Posts:
- 20 Surefire Ways to Use Twitter for Business
- Unlock the Power of Twitter For Your Business in 3 Steps
- Seven Questions To Ask Before Hiring A Social Media Expert
- Netbiz Case Study: The Importance of Online Reputation Management
- Seven Habits of Highly Effective Twitter Users
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
The answer is yes Twitter!
Here is my two cents. Basically as in most social media if you act spammy people will frown upon that type of behavior. My philosophy is be genuine and add value to the community and people will naturally want to know more about you. Networking online is the same as IRL.
I detailed my thoughts on how to use Twitter in a post I wrote in January 10 Twitter Commandments
I can definitely vouch for Gerald practicing what he preaches. We “met” over social media, he never came across as spammy or self serving, and as such we’ve been able to help each other out naturally. I consider him a friend, and we’ve never met, that’s what your social media interactions should be about.
Matt
Hey, I can’t get by without it. I’ve met great folks, I am closer to people in my industry than I ever thought possible, and I get decent traffic on my blog because of it.
Twitter- Yes!
George
George @Tumblemoose is another good example of the power of Twitter. What’s cool is that we’ve never met either, but I feel like we know each other well enough if we were to go to lunch there’d be no “getting acquainted”, we just pick right up on the conversation – that’s the power of Twitter, and social media in general.
Matt
Right on, Matt.
That is a true statement. I’m excited to be around doing this at this point in time. I feel very lucky.
George
Thanks for sharing this insightful post… Twitter is really something nice and great. We can tell how good it is by just the number of people twittering.. Looking forward to reading other great post.
Also, I think following new people and tweeting should be done concurrently. There are three number columns at the right sidebar of every profile and they must be kept balanced. The last thing that a new Twitter user should do is two follow 2000 people and not having more than 1000 tweets.
When relationships are built properly and you are being interactive being your followers, Twitter can become really powerful for marketing purposes.
Perry Belcher is an awesome guy and I recall watching the videos where he discussed how social medial works.
I would say that Twitter is a great place to meet new people and usually in your field of interest.
Question, is there a fine line between posting questions on twitter, links of other resources and links to your own site/blog?
@Holly
Twitter gets bigger every day, and there’s a reason for that!
Thanks for coming by,
Matt
@Wayne
Keeping the realtionships real, and interacitve is important, yet very difficult as your following grows. Some have been able to scale quite well as their follower count balloons (Chris Brogan comes to mind), but it’s certainly not without it’s challenges.
Matt
@tom
Not so much of a fine line, but defintely a balance. Too much of one, and not enough of the others may not be the best route. Then again, I am not a person who feels there is “one right way” to use Twitter. Do what you want, what feels natural, and then see how your followers react. If you post a bunch of questions, get no reponse, and 25% of your followers unfollow you – they are telling you something. Do what you want, but listen to them.
Matt
Corey,
Great article……..and as a perfect example of how twitter is influencing traffic…..i found you through @CMChadwick through one of his tweets.
I’ve been a member of twitter for a couple of years, and only just “got it”……….am really into it.
Thanks!
Kevin
Twitter is how Matt and I met. As a result of that, I was able to get the benefit of being a Featured Entrepreneur on SmallBizBee. I am selective in whom I follow, and am not shy about blocking followers who are spammy or outside of the audience with which I want to interact. Keep in mind that the quality, not quantity, of followers/following will give you the best results of your Twitter time.
Rock
oh @kevinmontgomery is my twitter!! sorry
@Rock
That’s the coolest thing about Twitter…the ability to follow/unfollow. We completely control the conversations we want to participate in, and follow. We don’t have to listen to anything that we don’t find pertinent, spammy, or uninteresting. I just love that aspect of it!
Matt
HA.
funny because I received an email newsletter sent out to all the Realtors® from the National Association of Realtors with an article titled “To Twitter or not to Twitter, that is the Question!”
I must admin that I have not been on Twitter long enough to say that I am grandfathered in or anything, but I can say that I am really digging the service. In the last two months I was able to pick back up few prospects that become sleepers, just because I have a small “small follow me on twitter: button on all of my websites.
I fell like this service will be a must for every Realtor® wanting to present themselves to clients as transparent and trust worthy as possible and stay on top of the local, national and global market through “real people” experiencing first hand – not just media outlets alone.
@Agent_Luke
Haha, funny about the newsletter. Twitter seems to be working well for Realtors…you should blog a case study one of these days on how you are using it and the results you are getting. You can guest post it here, I’d be interested in seeing it.
Matt
sure thing Matt,
I will definitely accept the invitation.
Current market has me and my office super busy.
Someone has got to move all those foreclosures, reo’s and short sales and unclog the market you know.
But if I can somehow help out a fellow Realtor® or interested party then I am all for it.