3 Things Every Beginner (and a Few Seniors) Should Know About Twitter Marketing

Lately, everyone’s been screaming “get on Twitter, get on Twitter!”  “Twitter Marketing is in!”  That’s easier said that done if you’re not really familiar with the service.

No one wants to do something wrong and make a fool of themselves in the process. But, there is good news. Getting started and Marketing on Twitter isn’t nearly as hard as it may seem. Social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have certain cultures and norms that are unique to each one. Twitter is no different.

Below are 3 valuable lessons, and twitter marketing tips, I’ve learned over the months I’ve spent on Twitter. They’ll help you avoid, at the least, making a few embarrassing freshman mistakes and, at most, ruining your reputation.

1. Everything’s not about you. Twitter is built, mainly, one one thing: building relationships. Within that premise is the concept of helping others and making their lives better. There are a lot of people promising riches just by joining Twitter then using it to promote your business. Don’t buy the hype! Twitter doesn’t work like that. When you’re starting out, go slow on the blatant self promotion. Avoid sending and posting links that direct people to a landing/squeeze page. Not only is it cheesy, it’s also selfish — at least, it looks that way. And when it comes to the online world, perception is reality. Remember, this is all about building relationships with people, not pushing some poorly canned attempt to get them into your sales funnel.

2. Follow the best. This is a great tip to incorporate if you’re just getting started and find yourself asking “what now?” You can start by following the best of the best on Twitter. These are the popular people with massive followings. The Gary Vaynerchuks. The Robert Scobles. The Chris Brogans. These are the people who “get it.” Find the celebrities, the thought leaders, the movers ‘n’ shakers in your field. Follow them, then observe and analyze what they’re doing. Note how they interact with their community of followers… How they integrate Twitter into other arenas like their blog or Facebook group. Learn from them and apply the lessons to your own Twitter world.

3. Look like a real person. If you want to avoid being labeled a spammer — and possibly banned for it — don’t look like a spammer. Deep stuff, huh? This is worth repeating: Twitter is about building good relationships and establishing meaningful connections. It’s not about adding everyone you see in hopes that they’ll follow you back. While it’s true that many people you decide to follow will follow you too, doing so is not a good way to kick off your Twitter experience. Instead, search for people you’d normally friend in real life. Find those who are in your field of expertise; your peers. These are the people that you will want to connect with. Engage them, send messages, retweet their posts. I guarantee, most will return the favor.

The key to having a successful and profitable marketing experience on Twitter is to treat it like a social online bar… not a telemarketing service where numbers matter more than names.

About The Author

Carol Hansen, a Twitter specialist focusing on building and monetizing your network. You can connect with Carol on Twitter or Facebook and follow her latest projects, blog posts and cool tips on building and monetizing your Twitter following.

If you enjoyed this post feed yourself updates!