Proper Twitter Etiquette: Practices That Gain Followers and Keep Them
For a new business marketer, it is no joke that social media allows you to network and connect with thousand of people who you would not have had the opportunity to connect with otherwise.
When you scan the internet looking for "how to" articles that talk about increasing Twitter followers, you will find that most of the articles offer either a teaser for you to purchase a product, an example of a major company that already had a secure following, or a guru that recites the same information that the other gurus offer.
All of this information is great, and should be listened to, but for companies just starting out, they do not really explain how to market a new business via Twitter.
Here are three tips that I use, as well as pass on to companies that I consult regarding marketing a start up company on Twitter.
New business marketing is tough, but diligently following the three guidelines below will start you off correctly.
1) Cultivate a relationship with people before asking them to get involved with your business.
This goes for MLM/network marketers and product/service oriented businesses alike.
Twitter is unique in that it allows people to search for other people who are discussing certain topics, like business, sushi, golf, etc.
There are thousand of people who are trying to utilize Twitter for their businesses, and go about it like vultures.
A simple tweet can lead an innocent person to being inundated with requests to follow, business opportunities, invites to networks, and the list goes on and on.
Rarely will anyone respond to a tweet with a genuine interest in that person's tweet.
This is a perfect opportunity for a new business marketer to establish relationships with people who will lead to clients, sales, and referrals for a long time.
2) There is no shame in following someone.
The natural tendency for most of us is to feel that the difference between our following and followers list indicates our status on Twitter.
In reality, the profiles with the greatest number of followers that are following much fewer people are either celebrities and public figures, well established companies, and gurus in their respective fields.
When it comes to new business marketing, following someone while cultivating a relationship with them will more than likely lead to them following you and respecting you as a person and a businessman or businesswomen, rather than just a head hunter.
I would be much more impressed with a new business marketing plan that yielded 2,000 followers while following 2,000 others, rather than a 500 following while following 250 others in the same period of time.
The reciprocal following and relationship cultivating described in one and two work well together, and allows for more targeted leads to see your tweets and respond positively in the long run.
3) Even with zero followers, still tweet, but you must add value.
The adding value concept is one that is crucial in new business marketing, and yet overlooked by so many people attempting to spread awareness of their company.
Remember how I said that Twitter allows for people to search for other people discussing certain topics? Well, if you are tweeting information regarding your company, product, service, location, or anything else, people who are looking for what you are talking about will see you, up to one second after you tweet! This means that it is important to diversify the topics of your tweets, spread out your tweets during different times of the day, and add value to each tweet.
Since you are probably looking for specifics regarding adding value, here are a few examples: offer coupons and specials for your company, offer jokes or interesting facts every time you tweet (if you are good at that), offer reviews, offer new pieces of advice aimed at your target demographic, offer something that makes someone want to stay connected with you.
Basically, leave someone better off or more informed than before they read your tweet.
This will add loyal followers, and will increase organic word of mouth.
When trying to decide how to market a new business, we have to include the social media giants in our efforts.
Twitter offers instant connectivity with like-minded people.
If these relationships are cultivated correctly, they can lead to an outstanding and loud presence on Twitter that will boost your business marketing efforts.
Do not use Twitter like a head hunter, but rather as a platform to establish business relationships, and be ready to put a little time into it.
Practice makes perfect, and Twitter is no different.
When you scan the internet looking for "how to" articles that talk about increasing Twitter followers, you will find that most of the articles offer either a teaser for you to purchase a product, an example of a major company that already had a secure following, or a guru that recites the same information that the other gurus offer.
All of this information is great, and should be listened to, but for companies just starting out, they do not really explain how to market a new business via Twitter.
Here are three tips that I use, as well as pass on to companies that I consult regarding marketing a start up company on Twitter.
New business marketing is tough, but diligently following the three guidelines below will start you off correctly.
1) Cultivate a relationship with people before asking them to get involved with your business.
This goes for MLM/network marketers and product/service oriented businesses alike.
Twitter is unique in that it allows people to search for other people who are discussing certain topics, like business, sushi, golf, etc.
There are thousand of people who are trying to utilize Twitter for their businesses, and go about it like vultures.
A simple tweet can lead an innocent person to being inundated with requests to follow, business opportunities, invites to networks, and the list goes on and on.
Rarely will anyone respond to a tweet with a genuine interest in that person's tweet.
This is a perfect opportunity for a new business marketer to establish relationships with people who will lead to clients, sales, and referrals for a long time.
2) There is no shame in following someone.
The natural tendency for most of us is to feel that the difference between our following and followers list indicates our status on Twitter.
In reality, the profiles with the greatest number of followers that are following much fewer people are either celebrities and public figures, well established companies, and gurus in their respective fields.
When it comes to new business marketing, following someone while cultivating a relationship with them will more than likely lead to them following you and respecting you as a person and a businessman or businesswomen, rather than just a head hunter.
I would be much more impressed with a new business marketing plan that yielded 2,000 followers while following 2,000 others, rather than a 500 following while following 250 others in the same period of time.
The reciprocal following and relationship cultivating described in one and two work well together, and allows for more targeted leads to see your tweets and respond positively in the long run.
3) Even with zero followers, still tweet, but you must add value.
The adding value concept is one that is crucial in new business marketing, and yet overlooked by so many people attempting to spread awareness of their company.
Remember how I said that Twitter allows for people to search for other people discussing certain topics? Well, if you are tweeting information regarding your company, product, service, location, or anything else, people who are looking for what you are talking about will see you, up to one second after you tweet! This means that it is important to diversify the topics of your tweets, spread out your tweets during different times of the day, and add value to each tweet.
Since you are probably looking for specifics regarding adding value, here are a few examples: offer coupons and specials for your company, offer jokes or interesting facts every time you tweet (if you are good at that), offer reviews, offer new pieces of advice aimed at your target demographic, offer something that makes someone want to stay connected with you.
Basically, leave someone better off or more informed than before they read your tweet.
This will add loyal followers, and will increase organic word of mouth.
When trying to decide how to market a new business, we have to include the social media giants in our efforts.
Twitter offers instant connectivity with like-minded people.
If these relationships are cultivated correctly, they can lead to an outstanding and loud presence on Twitter that will boost your business marketing efforts.
Do not use Twitter like a head hunter, but rather as a platform to establish business relationships, and be ready to put a little time into it.
Practice makes perfect, and Twitter is no different.
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