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I'll Never Tweet...... er.... did I say Never

by AnneE
20 replies
Okay, ever since Twitter arrived, I've vowed that it was idiotic and that I would never Tweet. I said (and believed) that Twitter was filled with messages posted by self-absorbed idiots who were under the delusion that other people were reading their messages when in fact no one was.

But.... now some people who I actually respect are telling me that no, Tweets DO get read and that if you have a product that could benefit from word-of-mouth, that Twitter is an extremely viral way to get the word out about an offer.

Have any Warriors converted from being scornful of Twitter to adding it to their marketing arsenal and have you found it effective? For those who are finding it useful, did you just jump right in on your own? or get advice from an experieced Tweeter? purchase a product?

I'm curious to hear both sides -- anyone who has tried using Twitter for marketing and had a good or bad experience. But please tell me about your actual experiences.. not what you've heard.

Thanks for the input.
#tweet
  • Profile picture of the author AdvertiseSpace
    Welcome to twitter! Enjoy the free traffic.
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    WSO "How I made over $12,678 dollars from Twitter"
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  • Profile picture of the author Derek S
    I grabbed a twitter account for my main product. If anything its another page you can rank your name for in google. People see you have a professional ACTIVE twitter page and it builds credibility and trust no doubt.

    Not to mention future networking opportunities!
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  • Profile picture of the author stewie-Y
    I have never care for using it for personal use, but for marketing it's pretty much free traffic.
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  • Profile picture of the author werna klue
    I use twitter but are still in the beginning phase.

    I believe it is important to build a relationship with your followers before you start to market to them.

    So far I got 600 followers in a week, so for me that is great. I spent some time doing the tweets,I retweet a lot and I like to say 'thank you' to a lot of my followers.
    Little things make a big difference so just something simple as the 'thank you' really helps. People like to interact and have conversation in twitter.

    For me this has been great, because I really enjoy this part of my marketing - doesn't really feel like work!!

    Werna
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    • Profile picture of the author AnneE
      Originally Posted by werna klue View Post

      I use twitter but are still in the beginning phase.

      I believe it is important to build a relationship with your followers before you start to market to them.

      So far I got 600 followers in a week, so for me that is great. I spent some time doing the tweets,I retweet a lot and I like to say 'thank you' to a lot of my followers.
      Little things make a big difference so just something simple as the 'thank you' really helps. People like to interact and have conversation in twitter.

      For me this has been great, because I really enjoy this part of my marketing - doesn't really feel like work!!

      Werna
      Gosh, it never occurred to me that it could be FUN! lol

      600 followers -- that sounds pretty good. Any particular technique that you used, Werna?

      Also where is UAE? pardon my ignorance
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      • Profile picture of the author crazyraymond
        Originally Posted by AnneE View Post

        Also where is UAE? pardon my ignorance
        United Arab Emirates - on the East coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Think Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
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  • Profile picture of the author thebitbotdotcom
    I am not and have never been impressed with the quality of twitter traffic. Due to the fact that you can post to it from automated services, it is over run with posts sent from places like SocialOomph. That means that people are on the SocialOomph website and not on Twitter reading your tweets.
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  • Profile picture of the author werna klue
    Hi Anne

    United Arab Emirates, I am from South Africa but are currently working here for 2 years - I am in the health sector. Gets very hot here upto the 50 degrees in the summer, but winter is now coming up so it makes it a bit better!!

    I don't use any programs,except I use socialoomph to send my welcome message and now and then to schedule my tweets when I am doing 12 hour shifts.
    I enjoy this because I am on twitter so really read tweets,interact with people etc.

    As I mentioned you need to really engage with people,talk to them,ask questions it's like in forums you build relationships with people.
    Probably the most important is DO NOT try and sell immediately, a lot of people will unfollow you if you do this from the start.

    A great guy John Woodman I met through twitter really has some awesome content on his blog, feel free to chat. He is always willing to help if you ever need it.

    At Home Business Marketing, Social Media and Success Coach | Twitter Resource Center | Carbon Copy Pro | Wealth Masters International | Hawaii

    Werna
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  • Profile picture of the author Sheryl Polomka
    I use Twitter a little bit but I'm not convinced on it's effectiveness. I find that everyone is on there for the same reason - to promote their stuff, so their not all that interested in what anyone else is promoting, only trying to promote their own stuff.

    Maybe I'm wrong, but that's my experience so far!
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkAnderson
    Twitter works!

    Here's a method and you can name it as Twitter for Adsense or something similar.

    Sometimes, you'll be able to try the concept it explains......

    1) Create Adsense site or Blog.
    2) Go to twitter.com and sign up with new account.
    3) Find targeted followers.
    4) Promote UR site or Blog for them.

    3) Find targeted followers: - THIS IS THE KEY STEP OF SUCCESS (Think along the people who're using twitter for fun)
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  • Profile picture of the author Derek S
    the key to twitter being effective is not using it to sell, sales are a byproduct. Use it to move the free line, build trust and authority. This keeps people coming back and checking your twitter daily and linking to free useful information gets them in the habit of clicking your links.

    inject your personality, be likable and followers will feel closer to you than if they where just on your list alone.

    Every so often you can then link to something you're selling and watch the traffic and sales roll in!
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    • Profile picture of the author drmani
      After reading the N'th thread about Twitter, and whether it is useful
      for online business and marketing, I sit back to think in a broader
      sense... and feel it all has to do with...

      Why Are People There?

      Take Google's search engine. People go there to do one thing - SEARCH.

      So they type something into the box, and as long as Google returns
      relevant results, they'll be back to do it again.

      On the SERPs (SE results page), however, people are there for different
      reasons. Some have just found information they were looking for. But
      some others are researching competition, getting tips for SEO, checking
      out the Adwords ads that run on the sidebar, or monitoring their own
      rankings on the engine, etc.

      There is an element of diversity there.

      Or take the Warrior Forum. Why are people here?

      Some come to network and relax after (or in between) their work. Others
      come to look for deals on the WSO board, and drop by the main forum.
      A few are looking for product ideas, potential JV partners, or for
      trends in the IM niche. Some are SEO oriented or 'sig file' marketers,
      trying to squeeze in a post or two into the popular threads just to
      get visibility. Some are brand conscious, building up their position
      and reputation by sharing their experience. Others are building up
      one through showcasing their achievements. And the occasional one is
      a pure 'troll'. (Maybe I missed a few other groups)

      To 'take advantage' of the opportunities on the WF, then, you'll have
      to look at "Why are people here?" and then come up with an answer
      that will serve those interests. That, couple with an ability to 'see'
      connections/threads that aren't always obvious or apparent, will
      determine how useful (or not) you find an investment in time on
      this board. Or, indeed, any other you participate on.

      Twitter is a GIGANTIC board or forum. And much more UN-targeted.

      That's why when a 'direct marketer' enters that virtual community all
      set to crush it in sales with a compelling pitch, s/he returns beaten
      and bruised after some time, with little to show in return for an
      intense exercise of marketing prowess.

      In keeping with its vast and diverse audience, the answer to "Why are
      people there?" gets infinitely more complex with a social network like
      Twitter or Facebook. Trying to simplify or uni-dimensionalize such a
      big network is as silly as some remarks that generalize experiences in
      working with "Indians" (as if an anecdotal event is representative of
      a population in excess of 1,000 MILLION human beings!)

      But the good news is that, within that network, there are surely people
      YOU can serve, and meet at the level of THEIR needs - be it on Twitter,
      on Facebook, or on the Warrior Forum.

      The key, then, is to identify and 'exploit' those needs.

      For some, on Twitter, it may be building relationships that can be
      leveraged into something later. For others, it could be branding, or
      access to a viral network of people, or a 'foot in the door' to an
      influential contact who is hard to reach otherwise. There are infinite
      possibilities.

      I've had guest posts on Problogger.com - from Twitter.
      I've had fundraising initiatives go viral - on Twitter.
      I've had tricky problems resolved by getting help - on Twitter.

      And a lot more.

      Asking - and answering for yourself - the question, "Why are people
      there?", then extending that line of thought to "And how can I help
      them with that?" can open up fascinating opportunities in any human
      network, regardless of size. With the larger ones, the results can
      be MAGICAL.

      All success
      Dr.Mani
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      • Profile picture of the author vicone
        Probably the most challenging aspect is, as mentioned above:

        3) Find targeted followers.
        Although there are many manic marketers to be found on Twitter, using the system can be effective, and enjoyable, if you provide useful and enjoyable content for your followers and invite others to follow who are clearly interested in the subject which is the focus of your account.

        Of course, there are many who will open numerous accounts, which they manage with software, and keep personal involvement to a minimum. It's hard to believe they get much satisfaction from their activities but I suppose they are content with an occasional sale.

        From a user's point of view, I have no particular regard for those who send me junk Twitter mail - frequent sales promotions, irrelevant messages, and mindless thank you notes. Some appear to be obsessed with thanking all and sundry for following them and provide little content other than acknowledgments and promotions.

        One of the greatest aids that Twitter provides is the UNfollow button. I apply it generously as I prefer to trim my list so that I know those who remain on it are more likely to be interested in what I provide and - just as important - send me information that I enjoy reading.

        At the outset, it's understandable that someone who is new to Twitter will be delighted to receive new followers. Once the honeymoon period has passed, to remain interested it is especially important to pay attention to the 'quality' or relevance of a list of followers rather than simply accumulate large numbers.

        I'm constantly surprised by those operating in the same broad niche as myself, who have a large following and continue to provide relevant messages yet, when browsing through their list of followers, it is clear that the bulk of them are really only interested in pushing their own, often unrelated, interests!

        A large number of untargeted followers is usually meaningless, yet many are determined to pad their lists with as many junk mail senders as they can get!

        Ivan
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        • Profile picture of the author DogScout
          Originally Posted by vicone View Post

          Probably the most challenging aspect is, as mentioned above:



          Although there are many manic marketers to be found on Twitter, using the system can be effective, and enjoyable, if you provide useful and enjoyable content for your followers and invite others to follow who are clearly interested in the subject which is the focus of your account.

          Of course, there are many who will open numerous accounts, which they manage with software, and keep personal involvement to a minimum. It's hard to believe they get much satisfaction from their activities but I suppose they are content with an occasional sale.

          From a user's point of view, I have no particular regard for those who send me junk Twitter mail - frequent sales promotions, irrelevant messages, and mindless thank you notes. Some appear to be obsessed with thanking all and sundry for following them and provide little content other than acknowledgments and promotions.

          One of the greatest aids that Twitter provides is the UNfollow button. I apply it generously as I prefer to trim my list so that I know those who remain on it are more likely to be interested in what I provide and - just as important - send me information that I enjoy reading.

          At the outset, it's understandable that someone who is new to Twitter will be delighted to receive new followers. Once the honeymoon period has passed, to remain interested it is especially important to pay attention to the 'quality' or relevance of a list of followers rather than simply accumulate large numbers.

          I'm constantly surprised by those operating in the same broad niche as myself, who have a large following and continue to provide relevant messages yet, when browsing through their list of followers, it is clear that the bulk of them are really only interested in pushing their own, often unrelated, interests!

          A large number of untargeted followers is usually meaningless, yet many are determined to pad their lists with as many junk mail senders as they can get!

          Ivan
          There is no doubt a large % can be useless, it does not hurt to have them following or follow them, (in my experience). good use of the list function and @ function make the background noise irrelevant. In spite of them, I get a lot of @ questions, requests and suggestions & make sure I answer each one. Have developed many relationships mutually beneficial in spite of what I would (wild) guess is over 50% of users just bots selling bots. The use of automated tweets can be very useful, not everyone that is not a bot is on twitter at the same time, responding to their @ questions, concerns and suggestions make a complete difference in the experience and any success you may have with it.
          Also, many things can catch a person's interest, even if they are not passionate enough to be tweeting about it. So yeah, it is harder to 'laser focus' a group of followers unless you are recruiting them from someplace other than twitter and bringing them to twitter. (although I can think of a lot better places to take them.)
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  • Profile picture of the author AnneE
    Thanks, this is helpful. One last question.

    If I don't opt to tweet myself, do you still think it's useful to put buttons for others to tweet about something on my website?
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    • Profile picture of the author ListBuildingForNewbies
      Originally Posted by AnneE View Post

      Thanks, this is helpful. One last question.

      If I don't opt to tweet myself, do you still think it's useful to put buttons for others to tweet about something on my website?
      Of course you should place Twitter buttons on your website. Any surfer tweeting about something on your site, is granting you free of charge promotion services for your website.

      I definitely believe that you should open a Twitter account and start placing short messages which can promote your website.

      Good Luck
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  • Profile picture of the author Loren Woirhaye
    I use it a bit to find blogs to read an comment on.

    1. Follow people in your industry
    2. Read their tweets to find blogs
    3. Comment and establish name recognition + backlinks
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  • Profile picture of the author seobro
    Twitter is great if you have followers that are many. Fact is you can tweet an NPA (new product announcement) or service. The loyal follower like to find out the latest that is going on. Think of it as up to the minute instant news.
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  • Profile picture of the author timsoulo
    I did even make several sales through twitter! it just takes much effort to track your niche and engage in all relevant tweets
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  • Profile picture of the author ListBuildingForNewbies
    First of all – as a copywriter I consider Twitter an invaluable marketing tool.
    Secondly – although I have a Twitter account, I must confess that I've pretty neglected it. I've invested most of my time and energy in forums and on facebook. However, this thread has reminded me that I should allocate more time for using Twitter as well.
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