How To Lose All Of Your Twitter Followers With Just One Tweet

by JamesFrancisIM

Posted: 15 years ago 44 replies

INTERNET MARKETING

Hey,

After being quite active on Twitter a few months now, i'm definately starting to see it's amazing advantages for my online business.

However, there's one thing which often goes overlooked, and which I will explain here...

The Auto Direct Message.

This is not a rant, but more of a help thread, as I want YOU to be as successful as you possibly can.

So let's begin...

The 'Auto-DM' is one of Twitter's most powerful tools for Internet Marketing, yet most people use and abuse this terribly. This is one of the BIGGEST reasons that it's frowned upon, as well as the fact that people hate the impersonal approach to social networking.

And that's what it is, a social networking website. Not a constant advertising billboard. People will hate you for it and unfollow you.

However, if you phrase it right by using good copy, you'll see:

An increase in conversation between you and your followers
An increase in click-through rates for your links
A resulting increase in conversions.

Don't forget, you only have around 115 characters (depending on what auto-dm service you use), so make every word count!

But what is an example of a bad Auto-DM?
Anything which asks a user to take action before you've even attempted to get to know them. Here's a few common examples.

Hi! Check Out My Blog >>
Hi! Buy My Latest Product >> [insert affiliate link here]
Get this now, only 10 left!!111
Capitalising Every Word Like This To People For All 115 Characters

...And a good Auto-DM?
Anything which tries to involve the follower, whether it's through conversation, or complimenting their products/services/personality. Remember, make it personal.

Hey, thanks for the following! What are you currently working on?
Hey, nice Twitter page! How are you?
Hey, nice to meet you! Do you own a blog I can check out?
Thanks for the add! YOU ROCK!!!

But why should I ask about other people if i'm the one who wants attention?
In short, the more attention and value you give out to other people, the more attention and value is returned. Think of it as social karma.

So let's get some honest feedback and a little online workshop going...

How many of you use Auto-DM's, and what is yours currently set to?

Go!

- James.
P.S. I'll keep an eye on this thread to help you out

#followers #lose #tweet #twitter

Nathan Hangen 15 years ago

I hate the fake ones as much as I hate the spam ones.

I don't use auto DM, but the ones I am bothered least by are:

Hey, thanks for the follow. This is what I do, let me know if I can help.
Facebook or LinkedIn link follows

stuff like:

Hey, you're cool! I love what you are doing, keep rocking. Check out my blog at ....

that bugs me.
- Thanks
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Teresa Coppes 15 years ago

Best DM I received (and I'm not really sure if it was an auto one or not) was from Bev Clement. She asked me how I like my chocolate! It wasn't spam or link to anything she was promoting but it was engaging and made me want to reply back.
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Bev Clement

15 years ago

Yes mine is auto DM

I ask if people like chocolate. If they answer back I will talk about chocolate and then ask for their view on my blog.

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pavondunbar

15 years ago

I don't like auto DMs...

Personally don't use it...

Here's an auto DM to get people to unfollow you...

"Buy my product NOW at TinyURL.com - shorten that long URL into a Tiny URL (an affiliate link) or I will unfollow you, and I'm serious!"

LOL...

I think that's less than 140 characters...

Pavon

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Tony Vercetti

15 years ago

Originally Posted by pavondunbar

Pavon

You never know, if someone is really really fixated on following you, he might actually buy your product

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valerieSONORA 15 years ago

I don't use auto DMs and don't plan on it.
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jayden.fellze 15 years ago

I like twitter, it's easy to play with and you can connect to people that easy, with just a little tweet.
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dbarnum 15 years ago

Not into autos here, either. Don't use 'em.

IMers really don't need 'em. Other niches, maybe OK. But IMers into lots of communcations as it is, so no autos needed to add more to the flow.... please
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EndGame 15 years ago

I use an auto DM.

I tell the person what I do and ask them who they are and what they do.

I have had a lot of people message me back as a result, and when they do I do my best to answer each and everyone of them and start a conversation.

I also try to take an active interest in other people's tweets.

I don't outright disagree with auto dm's, I think they are a good little tool if used in certain ways. Like people have said, don't treat twitter as a bilboard and you'll be on your way to making some good contacts.

Its not what you know, its who you know, and thus far twitter has helped me make online business contacts faster than any other service, and that is whilst using the auto dm. So I have to say I am happy with it.
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mia7 15 years ago

I don't use auto DM.
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- drmani 15 years ago
  
  Do you have an "auto message" you use EVERY time...
  
  * you meet someone new on the street or at work or anywhere?
  
  * anyone knocks at your front door?
  
  * you answer the telephone?
  
  Very likely, no.
  
  Then why use one on Twitter?
  
  Just asking!
  
  All success
  Dr.Mani
  
  I tweet as @drmani
  
  Follow me, if you want - but I WON'T follow you back!
  Why not? Coz of my Twitter 'Rule of FORTY'
  
  [ 1 ] Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  John Taylor 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by drmani
  
  Do you have an "auto message" you use EVERY time...
  
  * you answer the telephone?
  
  Yep. I use voicemail to screen all incoming calls.
  
  In some circumstances having a standard greeting
  works well.
  
  John
  
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- IdeaSponge 15 years ago
  
  I have been playing with Twitter over the last few weeks. I use an auto DM and am trying a few different things. For instance on one account I've greeted them and then invited them to introduce themselves with a link to my site. It has worked well and I don't think it is shady. It is a music blog and I am just looking to build a community and meet other music fans.
  
  For another more money oriented site I've been using it to thank them for the follow and to make them an soft type offer like "Thanks for the follow and hey, if you want some ____, go here now <link>". To early to tell how well it is working but the CTR has been alright and I have had a few sign-ups to my news letter.
  
  Overall, I think it is all relative to the niche you are in and what type of people you are looking to connect with.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Alan Petersen 15 years ago
  
  I was using an auto DM but I took it down. I didn't like it when I was getting cheesy DM's asking me to "check my blog" so I didn't want to do the same thing. At least be a teeny bit creative if you're going to use an auto-DM.
  
  I would advise against fake messages like: Hey, nice Twitter page
  If you haven't seen their Twitter page don't lie by saying you have with an obvious auto-DM everyone gets.
  
  Carrie Wilkerson's auto DM was at least clever and funny so that bodes better than the others:
  
  YIPPEE a new friend! (YES, this is auto...I wanted to greet U!) -- to get into convo, reach out @barefoot_exec publicly
  
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Chris Endres

15 years ago

"IF" you are trying to be a marketer then get over your distaste for marketing and use it as a tool.

Twitter is insane. It is growing like nothing else on the internet is and the bigger it gets the faster it grows. Why would you not want to take a part in the economy that is evolving in and around Twitter? What kind of sense does that make if you are an internet marketer hoping to make a living on the net?

The question should only be how you use a tweetback. What way makes you feel great about offering something?

If you had an unlimited supply of gold and could offer anyone who wanted closer association with you 1 pound of free gold would you make the offer?

The answer defines you. If no then you need to learn the basics of internet marketing and start over from where you are now.

If yes then you only need to find the offer you really feel good about making and find a pleasant way to incorporate that into your marketing strategy on Twitter.

Twitter is a fun social environment,.. but hey,.. it's still a thin veil for business...

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John Hocking

15 years ago

I have seem a few auto-dm's lately what were a link to a short youtube introduction video. I did actually like these because it gave me a chance to get to know them better.

I guess it is time to create my own intro video.

Have you seen any DM like this and if so, what did you think of it?

Thanks
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JamesFrancisIM

15 years ago

Originally Posted by John Hocking

Yep, here's mine:

YouTube - JamesFrancisIM - Twitter Introduction

Tips for making an awesome Twitter intro video:
- A personal greeting from you to your follower
- Talk to the individual, not the masses. Nobody likes being treated as another number
- Humour
- Show you're a real person
- Smile!

Hope i've helped

- James.

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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Pam M 15 years ago

I don't like auto DMs at all. The ones I've received are so
obviously generic, I'm certain I'm just another number being
sold to. Same thing with when I get a follow with someone
that has 9, 997 followers - I feel they are only interested in
adding me to a list to jack up their numbers.

I'm on several gurus list, but the really good ones "talk" to
me like they care - and those are the ones I open. If I do
get a DM from a Twitterer, if they at least address me by name,
(whether automated or not) I at least appreciate that little bit
of consciousness.

pam
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Chris Lockwood 15 years ago

I don't agree with the premise- you will not "lose all your followers" just for having an auto DM. If that were true many people would stop using them.

I don't use them myself, but I don't see what the big fuss is. I can easily ignore DMs since they are on a separate page and can easily delete them. Sometimes I do check out the links in the DMs.

It's funny- if you join a list, you aren't surprised to get a "Thanks for subscribing" welcome email... so why get upset about this?

The whole premise of following someone is that you are supposedly interested in what they have to say- so to get upset at receiving a message (which you gave them permission to send) makes no sense to me.

Twitter is the only place where people get upset if someone says "Thank you"
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InternetMarketingCenter

15 years ago

Sending an auto-DM on Twitter isn't really anything like sending an autoresponder via email. With autoresponders, they've given you that information, so they're expecting an email from you at some point.

If they follow you on Twitter, all they really signed up for is adding your tweets to their stream. Yes, you do have the capability to direct message them, but that should be reserved for important communication that can't occur within the stream -- not an instantaneous marketing opportunity.

Social media is about conversation and authenticity. Even if you're using it as a marketer -- which is likely what the vast majority in this forum are doing -- you will get a better response if you automate less of that conversation, and try for something unique and "real".

We'd suggest sending new followers an @ to get a conversation going in the stream -- that way, their followers will see you talking to them and vice versa, and everyone gets to meet new people and increase their community.

Thanks
1 reply

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Chris Lockwood

15 years ago

Originally Posted by InternetMarketingCenter

We'd suggest sending new followers an @ to get a conversation going in the stream -- that way, their followers will see you talking to them and vice versa, and everyone gets to meet new people and increase their community.

Apparently you haven't noticed that people also get upset at others welcoming new followers that way.

In fact, you'd probably be better off with the auto DM since you'd only potentially upset the new follower, rather than all your old ones who can see the tweet.

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InternetMarketingCenter 15 years ago

I should clarify -- not a "hey, thanks for following" or "welcome to my stream" @... that just feels like another form of automation. Nothing that seems like a standard reply really fits in the social landscape. That's why I said "conversation".

It's simple to get conversation flowing -- just respond to one of their tweets or questions or links with a relevant reply or a positive comment. Starting a conversation and letting them know you're there is the best way to ensure that they know you're happy to have them as a part of your community.

Sure, it takes a little more time, but you get much more conversation -- AND exposure -- by carrying on those kind of valuable exchanges.
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John Taylor 15 years ago

Despite all the opinions and preferences that are
bandied about in public discussion, I'll stick with
doing what actually works.

John
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- drmani 15 years ago
  
  Best advice, imho... for this issue, and others.
  
  Originally Posted by John Taylor
  
  Despite all the opinions and preferences that are
  bandied about in public discussion, I'll stick with
  doing what actually works.
  
  John
  
  Over the 20 months or more I've been using Twitter,
  I've tested endless things - and given up using
  auto-DMs.
  
  Test it and see if it works - for YOU.
  
  There's just ONE rule for Twitter... and it's this:
  
  There are NO rules for Twitter
  
  Enjoy your tweet-a-tweet!
  
  All success
  Dr.Mani
  
  I tweet as @drmani
  
  Follow me, if you want - but I WON'T follow you back!
  Why not? Coz of my Twitter 'Rule of FORTY'
  
  Thanks
  
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topnotchservices 15 years ago

hate auto-dm's as you can always tell they are fake and I also hate those YouTube videos that IM make acting like they just want to be your friend and help you out. Everyone knows that it's just a prep for a sale somewhere down the line
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- John Taylor 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by topnotchservices
  
  Everyone knows that it's just a prep for a sale somewhere down the line
  
  This is a marketing forum, if you think
  there's something wrong with selling,
  why are you here?
  
  John
  
  Thanks
  
  2 replies
  
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  blogonator 15 years ago
  
  I agree..There is absolutely nothing wrong if they are prep to sell something in the video.
  
  Thanks
  
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  Hasta la WinVista, Baby!
  
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  topnotchservices 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by John Taylor
  
  This is a marketing forum, if you think
  there's something wrong with selling,
  why are you here?
  
  John
  
  Nothing wring with selling at all. It's when the presale is filled with garbage of how much of a favour they are doing you by offering this 'once in a lifetime product' that bugs me.
  
  Straight sales, no filler is always the winner.
  
  Fake testimonials, fake price reductions and fake 'limited time offers' seems to be the norm for most IM's these days.
  
  Thanks
  
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Paul Gram

15 years ago

An auto DM is a bad DM and I never recommend that anyone do auto DM's on Twitter. It's funny, I can always tell a "real" DM and all of the auto DM's really make the real ones stand out from the crowd.

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topnotchservices

15 years ago

Originally Posted by Paul Gram

Agreed. The automated ones, unless they are really well done, are easy to spot a mile away.

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IMChick 15 years ago

Auto DM is a lot like an answering machine--you know the number you called, but the message is for everyone.

Best to split test your own audience and count the un-subs from there. I think that a personalized acknowledgement of a new friend is nice. Or if the Auto is really unique. Otherwise, people are getting tired of bot communication, I think, and they're savvy enough to know the difference.
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Dana_W 15 years ago

The reason I dislike auto-DMs is most of them are just so cheesy and badly done. They don't convince me of anything. It's like getting a form letter in the mail. It's not that it makes me angry, it just doesn't give me a compelling reason to take action.
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- Nathan Hangen 15 years ago
  
  I had one that simply said: "Nice to meet you! " and I had responses from almost 25-40% of my new followers. Worked pretty well.
  
  Thanks
  
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mywebwork 15 years ago

I'm not fond of them - they make it hard to distinguish real direct messages.

Does anyone know a way to mass-delete them? I really don't feel like spending the time doing this manually, especially as you need to confirm each deletion.

Bill
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- spv618 15 years ago
  
  Very great information here. I know tweetlater.com has many DM features but mass delete doesn't seem to be on there. Maybe they'll add it eventually. Individual deletion and confirming sure can take a while.
  
  Thanks
  
  1 reply
  
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  Nathan Hangen 15 years ago
  
  Actually, I think Tweetlater does let you block auto DM's, I'll have to check.
  
  Thanks
  
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Martin Avis 15 years ago

At the risk of allowing my utter Twitter noviceness to shine through - how do you set up an autoDM?

Martin
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- JamesFrancisIM 15 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by Martin.Avis
  
  At the risk of allowing my utter Twitter noviceness to shine through - how do you set up an autoDM?
  
  Martin
  
  I didn't really want to go into this, but...
  
  - To automatically follow people who follow you - use SocialToo.com
  - To set up an auto-DM, use Tools to Boost Your Productivity on Twitter TweetLater.com
  
  Hope i've helped :-)
  
  - James.
  
  Thanks
  
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- Paul Myers 15 years ago
  
  I've been tempted to auto-DM people with a less-than 140-character version of my favorite joke:
  
  3 Klingons, a nun and a badger walk into a bar, carrying penguins. The bartender looks up and says, "What is this? Some kind of a joke?"
  
  Think that would work?
  
  Paul
  
  Thanks
  
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  .
  Stop by Paul's Pub - my little hangout on Facebook.
  
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dsmpublishing 15 years ago

I spent two weeks experimenting with auto dms when i was writing my twitter ebook and found that those that simply involved the visit my blog got very little response and offering something for free the suited their needs without optining in created a wonderful stream of viral traffic.

I do get a lot of traffic through from my link on my profile though so may be people should make sure that it is something really relevant.

Why not send them to your about me page on your blog in your profile then people can find out more about you and on this page you can offer a free viral product on there?

I dont have a problem with auto dms as long as there not trying to sell you a product and its not a load a rubbish. Like the get 16,000 followers on autopilot in 90 days from someone thats been on there for 6 months with just 500 followers - why would you want to, however if that person had 20,000 followers you would take them seriously!

sam
X
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Nathan Hangen 15 years ago

I'm convinced that you can't please everyone, but its funny how some people really get offended by a single "marketing" tweet. 90% of my tweets are conversational or sharing other people's information, but just recently I sent out a tweet about a new product and 10+ people unfollowed because of 1 Tweet. Some of them were marketers on this forum...go figure. So lesson learned, there are ways to disguise promotions, but I wanted to see just how far I could go before people drop me. I guess it isn't very far. There are also those, like on a newsletter, that are better off your list than on it.
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- JamesFrancisIM 15 years ago
  
  Oh yeah, another thing.
  
  When making an auto-DM, don't just say...
  
  "Hey, thanks for the following! I look forward to reading your Tweets"
  
  I've just looked down my list of DM's and this is all I can see, one DM after another.
  
  Make yourself stand out from the crowd, be different. Give something for people to remember you by, whether this is through a welcome video or a strange but captivating question.
  
  - James.
  
  Thanks
  
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tinman2207 15 years ago

I am not a fan of DM's but this guys is a bit special: Dwight_KSchrute

Tinman
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matthewd 15 years ago

I completely ignore all of those auto DMs.

I also hate those phony ones that "try to involve me"
just as much.
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How To Lose All Of Your Twitter Followers With Just One Tweet

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