Internet Marketers Divided

Internet marketers are sharply divided when discussing the effective of using Twitter as a marketing tool. Some swear by the ease of using Twitter and claim they make sales and build email lists through their twitter accounts.

People do use Twitter to “search” so having your keyword phrase in your tweets can bring those tweets up later when someone is searching for the term. URL’s posted in Tweets often show up in Google searches, too, but jamming your site’s url into every tweet is not a practice that will endear you to Twitter or your followers.

Roundabout Marketing

Think of Twitter as “roundabout” marketing. You can gain trust through tweeting and can pre-sell your skills or product. If you are attempting to make affiliate sales of Clickbank products by tweeting, you’ll be disappointed.

Blatant marketing does not work well on Twitter. If you are unable to write short messages that are subtle and suggestive you may be wasting your time. Trying to jump into twitter and make a big impression quickly that will lead to profits – is not a plan that will yield much in the way of rewards.

Time for Social Media

Time is a critical factor when using social media such as Twitter. How much time can you spare each day to converse with others? Do you know how much time you spend on Twitter daily? Because it’s a fun activity and makes you feel as if you are “doing something”, it’s easy to spend hours tweeting, re-tweeting, reading, following and un-following every day.

For reputation building, Twitter is perhaps similar to forum posting. If you join and immediately start bragging or trying to sell your product, you’re toast on a marketing forum. It takes time to build a reputation for knowledge (and common sense) and to be seen as a helpful marketer worth listening to. Impatience is the enemy both on forums and on Twitter.

Social Meeting Place

Twitter was designed as a social meeting place and the astounding growth of the site exceeds any other venue launched online that I can think of. It’s only logical that internet marketers would see the potential in using Twitter and there are marketers who create profitable business transactions through their skillful use of Twitter. The popularity of the site has also brought out the scammers and spammers and the newbie marketers who think posting their affiliate link will yield a cash cow. New terms just announced for Twitter will slow some of these users down a bit but the days of adder robots and mass addition of followers may be over at Twitter.

Twitter Approach

Target the market you want to communicate with, find leaders in that group and follow them and some of their followers. Plan your approach, be a friendly and helpful member of the group and you’ll find followers coming to you for information you can provide. That is where the money is for marketers using Twitter. Participate but don’t allow tweeting to take over your work hours day after day. Watch the time you spend; plan your approach on Twitter and you can develop an excellent pre-sell audience that will ask you about your site or product.

Learning online marketing with you,

~ Julie