Have you set up a Twitter account, found out how to accumulate mass numbers off followers, and maybe trying to monetize these followers?

Are you out there promoting your business In Spades and getting Nothing but Jokers?

Feel like you may as well be Quacking like a Duck?

Most of you who have been using Twitter probably don’t have this problem, but I am still amazed at how much spam is out there.

Do these folks really think that works? I would think so only on someone even more naive than the spammer themselves.

So if you want to use Twitter as a part of your marketing arsenal, then start by using it wisely.

If you think it’s all about the number of followers you have, then think again.

Out of thousands of followers, how many will be in your target market?

How many actually follow your links or care for your updates?

How many are you really connecting with?

Think before you Tweet

If you are a Twitter newbie, or have been using it a while with no measurable results, remember that as with any social media venue, it’s about relationships.

Twitter can in fact provide a great venue not only for driving traffic, but for building relationships and ultimately finding customers and business partners.

This might seem surprising, because of the casual, non-committal nature of Twitter posts, with the limit of 140 characters. Being less cumbersome, they may seem to carry less social weight than say posts on Facebook, or BetterNetworker.

Which is why I think people seem to more easily spam their audiences there. But this is where it fails them.

In truth, these relationships build slowly over time as with any other network, and I’ve been amazed at some of the valuable relationships I have built directly from Twitter.

So I’m going to give you some tips, and although this does get a bit long, I’ve had many people ask me for help in getting started, so I don’t want to leave anything out (this will also help me to leverage my time)!

But fear not – this stuff is really easy. You will want to commit a small bit of time daily so that you are consistent.  Just be sure to manage your time, as with any other social network, beware the vortex!

Your Flock of Followers

1) Get an Account

First of all, If you have not created a Twitter account, do so using your name and a photo, not some cartoon or icon. It’s not only about building relationships here, but branding yourself and building your presence (your Twitter page will appear on a Google search of your name).

Be sure to use keywords in your profile description, and put a link to your opt-in page or sales funnel. Find an appealing background, Twitter provides some, but others are free, for example, from Twitbacks.com.

And beware of sharing your password with unknown online applications, this is how many Twitter accounts get hacked.

2) Build Your Following

One option is to manually follow people who follow your friends or well known people in your target market.

You can also use free tools like Twello.com and Twollo.com also make building a following pretty simple (the latter lets you set up auto-following based on keywords).

Just be careful not to follow too aggressively, for Twitter will nix your account. There is a ratio it watches for, you cannot follow more than something like 1/10 over your current number of followers.  And follow back your followers (after possibly checking them out)

Tweet Ediquette

Give Them Something to Tweet About!

Tweet (do a status update) at least once or twice a day. As you build a large following you will want to increase this, as only a small portion will be likely to see your Tweet at the time you Tweet it.

Your Tweets should be pleasant, responsive, consistent,uplifting,, entertaining and/or educational.

Always provide value (content) primarily, not spam! An occasional tweet directly to your opt-in page is fine as long as that is not ALL that you do.

ReTweet (RT) content that you appreciate! If you are getting lots of RTs on your content then you know you are on the right track!

Thank your followers who RT’ed your Tweets (These are found in your @Replies view). This is very important especially for content that you have written or even RTs of your products or opt-in Tweets! And, be SURE you are following them!

Also in your @Replies view are messages that are directed personally to you as well as recommendations for you – reply to as many of these as you can! You can combine multiple replies with a short ‘Thnx 4 RTs & Shouts’ or similar if you get a ton.

Watch your DMs for any personal messages. This may mean sifting through lots of spam. DO NOT follow links here, this is where many Twitter viruses have been and still are propagated!

Tweet Tips and Tools

1) Twitter Lists – There are now Lists that you can create with your followers categorized to help you keep up with your favorite people.

You can learn more about your target market and what they’re Tweeting about, what their problems are, so that you can help and provide value.

2) Automation – Service like SocialOoomph.com does a lot for free, allowing you to auto-follow-back and schedule Tweets ahead of time. You can also use software such as TweetAddr to do the same thing, you just have to be sure it is running at all times to Tweet 24/7.

3) Tagging and Searching Content – #HashTags are useful as a  search tool,  even in tracking live conversations. Some people use it to brand their own stream (e.g. #VOSS). #Quote is very common and you can find great quotes this way.

One of the most popular #Hashtags is #FollowFriday which is used to recommend your favorite Tweeters on Friday – just be sure to thank anyone who recommends you!

Use Search.Twitter.com to find any topic in Twitter real time. This is useful if you want to provide an immediate solution to a problem in your target market!

4) Measuring Effectiveness – If you are curious as to how much your Tweeted links are followed, use a URL tracker such as bit.ly (create a free account there). You can also test various headlines this way (best if they’re around the same time of day).

TwitterGrader.com will rank you on how you are doing with your updates and content (taking into account for example the number of RTs you give and receive). MrTweet.com allows you to recommend someone giving them accolades for ‘the record’.

5) Productivity Tools – Too many Twitter tools and tips exist to cover, but ne of the most popular ones is Tweetdeck, with multiple columns allowing you to view separate streams easily. You can create groups of different people you follow, so you can separate business partners, clients, and just friends. It also allows updates to synchronize with Facebook, and has a built in search.

Mashable.com is one of the best sites for up-to-date info on Twitter, Twitter tools, and Social Media in general. Help.Twitter.com is a good place for FAQs and Tips, and a search in Google will yield tons of Twitter help.

I hope this has helped – Follow me on Twitter and Happy Tweeting!

To Your Twerrific Success!

This entry was posted on Friday, February 26th, 2010 at 10:30 AM and is filed under Social Media Marketing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.