The BIG SECRETS to success on Twitter

[Jeremy Morgan]

No, this isn't an ad. Nor is it a plug for an ebook or link to my site. I decided for my 100th post to give a little insight on what it takes to succeed on Twitter. I've enjoyed a lot of success on Twitter, especially recently, and I want to share how I did it. I welcome any and all input on what I'm saying here.

Why people fail on Twitter

Before talking about how to succeed, let's talk about how you can fail. These are the common ways people fail on Twitter:

1. They have a company nobody cares about.

Let's face it, nobody is going to follow Bob's plumbing supply without a really good reason. If someone is so fanatical about your product or company that they'll join your Twitter page, that's fine. But for most people, especially small businesses, it's simply not the case. But there are things you can still do, I'll outline later in this post.

2. They use a picture of a half naked 20 year old girl as a profile photo.

This is the oldest trick in the book, and most Twitter users are on to your game. Unless you truly happen to be a really hot 20 year old girl, and can prove it, nobody really cares to see your picture or add you as a friend. Remember your picture comes up on their Twitter page, they may not want their boss or wife to see a picture like that there. This is a neat trick to get attention but it's not great for the long run.

3. They only post links to their own site or talk about their own products.

Again, if people are fanatics about your product or company this works well. But nobody really cares if Bob's plumbing supply is having a sale today on toilet gaskets. You can have the best product at the lowest prices, and if that's all you post on your twitter page, guess what? Nobody cares.

It may sound harsh, but it's the truth. Nobody cares about your product.

Why people succeed on Twitter

So what makes people successful on Twitter? A hot, hip new product? Sometimes. But what really makes people successful is relationships. Break out the marketing 101 here, because even though the rules have changed, the core game is the same.

1. People don't follow a company on Twitter, they follow a person.

Unless you are Nike or Apple, people aren't likely following your company. They're following YOU. So how can you make people want to follow you? By providing something useful. The number one question you have to ask yourself:

Why would anyone want to follow me on Twitter?

You have to ask yourself this, over and over. Nobody logs on to Twitter and says "Hey, I see this guy Bob and his plumbing supply store. I think I'll follow him, because I know he needs followers, and he probably needs my business. I really can't wait until he posts something I can buy!"

This sounds silly, but this is the mindset most marketers fall into when they get started. They think they can just set up a Twitter profile, follow a few people, and watch the cash roll in. It's never that easy.

So the number one thing you need to think of is simple.

2. You need to provide a service of value to your followers.

In reality, when someone comes across your Twitter page, and they think about following you, they say:

What's in it for me?

Give them a really good reason to follow you. Give them something of value. Nobody cares about Bob's plumbing supplies, but you know what? People get clogged toilets. People have crappy shower heads, low water pressure, or suddenly find their bathrooms flooded. And who can help them with this problem? Bob can! See what I'm getting at?

If Bob answers questions about plumbing problems, people listen. If Bob recommends taking the toilet out and putting in a new gasket, people listen. If Bob tells you not to use drano on your toilet, you might think about why.

You see, Bob serves a need. Anyone that's had a plumbing catastrophe can attest to value of an experienced plumber. When people who have that need, and find Bob, then the magic has happened. And Twitter provides that at the speed of light.

Answering people's questions and helping them with tips is a sure way to succeed on Twitter. Be helpful. Be knowledgeable. Be useful.

Even if you provide help to someone who never buys anything from you, it doesn't matter. They might tell someone about you. Others will see what you did, and ask you a question, or forward you on to someone else. Just because you don't make an immediate sale, doesn't mean you didn't make an impression on someone. In two years they could end up coming back to you. You never know.

3. You need to be dedicated.

Don't sign up for a Twitter account, follow a few people then abandon it for a year. I made this same mistake. Post stuff. Anything. Did you get a flat tire? What did you have for lunch? Anything can be interesting on Twitter. People want to know that you're a real human being. Real human beings have flat tires, good days and bad, and eat at restaurants they recommend to their friends. It only takes a few seconds to post something, so post it.

Make a resolution to yourself that you'll at least post once a day.

And last but not least:

4. Build Relationships.

This is an old tried and true tenet of Marketing. This is nothing new. You see, social media is changing the face of marketing fast. But the real change is the speed. You still need to build relationships. You still need to talk to those people who really need you. You still need to create and maintain the perception of your company.

Conclusion:

Twitter and other forms of Social Media are not a "magic bullet". You can't just create a twitter account and call yourself "in touch with web 2.0" and you can't disregard the basic rules of marketing now that we have Social Media. You still can't get something for nothing, and you can't get rich quick with no work.

Marketing is all about finding the right people to sell to, and managing their perception of your product. The only thing social media changes is the speed at which this happens. The old rules still apply, the only difference is now it happens at the speed of the light. You still need to provide great service, fill a need, and find the people who need your service. You still have to provide value. The only difference now, you can do it in seconds instead of days. You can reach thousands of people in a short amount of time.


If you liked this Article and find it useful, let me know, send me a nice comment or give me thanks. If you disagree with me, or feel like adding something go for it. I hope this helps clarify what "new media" is all about, and explains partially why some are succeeding (including myself) and some are not.

Good luck, and I hope your business goes well.

[Ryan6]

Instead of wasting his time on this 2009 web trend, Bob could be better spending his time developing his search engine rankings with fresh content, more backlinks and maybe he could even try article marketing, free classifieds and what not. Nice post here, but I just don't get all this Twitter hype - if you have to do the social thing then Facebook's considerably better.

[Joel O]

Good tips Jeremy.

One thing I would add would be that to help you first build up some "followers", that you start building a relationship with those that are already considered authorities in the market on Twitter. It does depend upon the niche if there will be others there or not, you might have to go a step beyond your micro niche, to a the bigger niche to find more people.

The more that you can communicate and have "open" conversations (not DM's) with authorities, the more followers you will gain as well.


Joel Osborne

[mikeyman120]

Nice post. I too am trying to make money via twitter. But I don't spend all my time posting links to Clickbank products. I usually post 7-8 normal posts and 1-2 links for products. I see that Twitter has awesome potential and am trying to carefully try a technique I think will work and will not turn off followers.

But i definetly see the potential of Twitter.

Mike

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by Ryan6

Instead of wasting his time on this 2009 web trend, Bob could be better spending his time developing his search engine rankings with fresh content, more backlinks and maybe he could even try article marketing, free classifieds and what not. Nice post here, but I just don't get all this Twitter hype - if you have to do the social thing then Facebook's considerably better.

Twitter is not for everyone. But it should be a part of everyone's formula for sure. SEO and good content on your site are essential, but Twitter and other social media sites can provide that extra boost that can really help out.

Originally Posted by Joel O

Good tips Jeremy.

One thing I would add would be that to help you first build up some "followers", that you start building a relationship with those that are already considered authorities in the market on Twitter. It does depend upon the niche if there will be others there or not, you might have to go a step beyond your micro niche, to a the bigger niche to find more people.

The more that you can communicate and have "open" conversations (not DM's) with authorities, the more followers you will gain as well.


Joel Osborne

Joel, thanks for the addition. This is exactly what I was hoping for in this thread, for me to plant some seeds and get participation from others. Yes, you definitely want to follow the "authorities" in your area, and interact as much as you can. And using that to expand your niche is always a good idea.

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by mikeyman120

Nice post. I too am trying to make money via twitter. But I don't spend all my time posting links to Clickbank products. I usually post 7-8 normal posts and 1-2 links for products. I see that Twitter has awesome potential and am trying to carefully try a technique I think will work and will not turn off followers.

But i definetly see the potential for Twitter to be big for me.

Mike

It's always good to keep a ratio of posts. Personally, I like to post:

5% - My own links
50% - Someone else's (useful) links
20-30% - Personal stuff (what I'm eating, doing, etc)
10-20% - Quips, quotes and jokes


It's been working pretty well so far!

[Mo Goulet]

Great stuff but I do believe people will follow a company if it is providing valuable content and targeted to a specific niche. I have several accounts that target specific industries.

[Dave Ryan]

Nice article...

It's surprising the amount of people that do nothing but run promos on there.. they get deleted right away. I've ended up meeting people that turned into business partners over time there as well. It's all about conversation with an audience, not shouting at them...

Dave

[Shrinivas]

Very nice post. What you have said is true not just with twitter, but any other social network out there and even private blogs or website...

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by proapc

Great stuff but I do believe people will follow a company if it is providing valuable content and targeted to a specific niche. I have several accounts that target specific industries.

I agree, if you're a big or a popular company, then you'll definitely have a following. There are groups of people who will follow just to be associated with the business, or be part of the group. But if you're a small business, especially a one person business, this isn't an option for you.

[centextkt]

Great thread...

Isn't that the key to ANY type of business -- online of off???

Building strong relationships and providing products or services that meet people's needs???

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by centextkt

Great thread...

Isn't that the key to ANY type of business -- online of off???

Building strong relationships and providing products or services that meet people's needs???

Definitely, but I think a lot of people forget this. A new fad comes along, and some people think the standard rules don't apply. Right now a lot of people are in the "get a twitter page and watch the money roll in" type of mindset. But it's never that easy

[Jeremy Morgan]

Twitter recently released Twitter 101 for Business. Some really good info in here.

[Jeremy Morgan]

After writing this, I've found a lot of other good articles about the subject as well. Here is a great one:

How to Change the World: How to Use Twitter as a Twool


From Guy Kawasaki. I don't have to tell anyone here who that is, but he lays out some really good points. I don't necessarily agree with this:

The reason you want more followers is the law of big numbers: the more followers, the more people talking about what you do, the more you can reach the tipping point. If you think you “know” exactly who can and will help you, you are deluding yourself.

I disagree because the limits placed on Twitter following. Before their limits, you could follow 10,000 people, and get 7,500 to follow you back, and just keep going on and on. That would be great, and definitely worth doing.

However, now they have a lot of limits on following, follower churning, and things of that nature. You have to be more particular. So just following random people will get you some big numbers, but you'll have to work far harder to get them, and if none of them are interested in your product, you've wasted all that time. Just a thought.

[Emily Meeks]

Great tips. I'm amazed at the number of people who have the mentality "Hey, if I do nothing but send out my Clickbank affiliate links, people will start buying like crazy!" I know what an affiliate link is, I'm not gonna give you my money (even indirectly) when you haven't technically earned it >:P Surprise me, enlighten me, make me laugh, give me SOMETHING other than a "buy now" link the vast majority of the time, and I just might buy from you.

[achivement84]

Originally Posted by Joel O

Good tips Jeremy.

One thing I would add would be that to help you first build up some "followers", that you start building a relationship with those that are already considered authorities in the market on Twitter. It does depend upon the niche if there will be others there or not, you might have to go a step beyond your micro niche, to a the bigger niche to find more people.

The more that you can communicate and have "open" conversations (not DM's) with authorities, the more followers you will gain as well.


Joel Osborne

I agree , we should consider this point to have the basic base of building followers.

[AceHazel]

Great tips from you. Aside from getting help on how to succeed in twitter, good to have things to avoid to. Thanks.

[John Burton]

Good post, but I have a question. When you first joined twitter, how did you know who to follow?

John Burton

[Mary42]

Interesting post. Looking out for more tips.

[MoneyPlus]

Excellent article.
What one can also do is...

Instead of sending people to your website, send them to your blog.
When you update your blog, update Twitter and let people know.

Also, make sure your profile is filled out and list your website in your profile,
NOT your tweet. Your followers will find it.

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by John Burton

Good post, but I have a question. When you first joined twitter, how did you know who to follow?

John Burton

I just search for people talking about the things I'm interested in that are related to the niche I'm targeting. For example, if you're a musician, you could search for people talking about similar bands, or type of music you play. The keyword search is great.

Also, following the followers of someone who is big in an industry helps a lot.

[JRecard]

Thanks for the information

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by Cecille20

And interacting with your followers is a good help..

This is a HUGE part of it. Interaction is very important. And it must be real interaction, people can tell when you're faking it.

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by MoneyPlus

Also, make sure your profile is filled out and list your website in your profile, NOT your tweet. Your followers will find it.

This is what I've noticed as well. Much of my Twitter traffic is from my profile link, not the others I post. And I've heard of the same results from other IMs in the field.

[GrowingToPersist]

Hey Jeremy
That is a great post you did. And I have to agree with your 4th point about building relationships on Twitter. That is such the key. If you have a list of 20000 non responsive people, it is not all that helpful. People care about what helps them so posting other people quality stuff is great. And if you can build a relationship where you are cross promoting someone elses stuff and you build a JV with them, that is an added bonus.
Thanks.

[Dennis Gaskill]

No one cares about toilet gaskets? I'm...I'm crushed.







Seriously though, good post.

[youallnome]

The brand of one is most likely the best way to portray yourself on twitter.
I think it would be fair to say that twitter people generally follow other people. However, I'm sure there are plenty of people who set their twitter account up as a company (thinking that was the right way to promote their business), and are still doing ok.

But branding yourself with your name is definitely the best way to promote your business within any of the social media sites.

[Jeremy Morgan]

Originally Posted by GrowingToPersist

Hey Jeremy
That is a great post you did. And I have to agree with your 4th point about building relationships on Twitter. That is such the key. If you have a list of 20000 non responsive people, it is not all that helpful. People care about what helps them so posting other people quality stuff is great. And if you can build a relationship where you are cross promoting someone elses stuff and you build a JV with them, that is an added bonus.
Thanks.

It is 100% about building relationships. Just like holding up a sign in times square at new year's might get noticed, but if you don't talk to anyone they'll forget you before you're gone. The same rules apply with any customer acquisition strategy online or offline.