ABC's of Using Twitter More Effectively

Twitter is taking the social media network by storm. Although some are simply using Twitter as another instant message forum, internet marketers are finding that Twitter is a powerful marketing tool.

However, if you're going to use Twitter in your arsenal of marketing tools, you need to be careful how you use it.

From my experience, new internet marketers are in too big of a hurry. I recently made a post exclaiming, "Social media marketing is like dating, guys. Just hold hands on the first date".

Here's what I mean. Twitter is still a social media platform, first and foremost. Even though it can be a powerful marketing tool, you still have to make friends first. Getting in too big of a rush will turn fellow tweeters off. And they have a tendency to turn you off- by removing you from their follow list.

Take your time, use the Twitter platform to build relationships. Go slow, just like you're supposed to when you're dating. Here is a golden tip: If you choose to send a new follower a Direct Message (DM), please don't include a link to an affiliate product! By including affiliate links in your welcome DM, that tells your new follower is "all I wanna do is make a buck off you".

I my opinion, you should use links sparingly and with caution. In my welcome message, I include a link to my website. I don't offer a free gift or anything related to marketing. I just want my new follower to know I appreciate them choosing to follow my tweets. My website link is included if they want to learn more about me. And, according to my weblog, more than 50% do choose to visit and take a look at who I am.

Go slow, build relationships and have fun. That's what social media marketing is all about.

Marketing Will Save Your Business's Butt

There is no doubt we are in the midst of tough economic times. Unfortunately, thousands of businesses, both large and small, will fail during this time. But you're business doesn't have to be one of them.

Many business owners will have a knee-jerk reaction to the economic climate. They will start cutting expenses in order to keep the cash flow moving. In general, that's a good idea, provided the cuts don't effect what keeps bringing the customers in: marketing.

It's too easy to slash the marketing budget in order to save during difficult times. For many companies, marketing is a large expense so it's an easy item to slash. But this is a recipe for disaster.

If you've been in business for any length of time, you should know where your customers are coming from. Tell me, by what marketing methods are your customers coming to you? You better know.

During tough times, the pool of customers shrinks, so why would you choose to stop attracting customers? Your best bet would be to increase your marketing to make sure you continue to get your share of the available customers.

This is why you need to measure your marketing. That means you know how your customers are coming to you and which marketing methods are working to bring them to you.

In one of my businesses, billboards have been very successful attracting new customers. Another fruitful marketing tool has been referrals from existing customers. These are two areas of marketing that I will not slash, in fact, I'll take steps to increase them.

Yes, you need to cut the fat out of your expense budget, but don't cut marketing budget that feeds you.

Sliced bread & other marketing delights

Legendary marketer Seth Godin talks about sliced bread and other ways to successfully market your business. BTW, did you know that sliced bread was totally unsuccessful for the first 15 years of its marketing life? You're gonna love this short video!

How NOT to turn off your readers...

Being subscribed to nearly a dozen internet marketers newsletters gives me the opportunity to see a number of headlines and subject lines, all trying to capture my attention to read their newsletter.

Unfortunately, nowadays, most of them turn me off rather than induce me to read further. Here are some examples of Subject lines I've recently recieved:

"I'm sooo sorry, (does this guilty gift cut it?)"
"Oops ... (CORRECTION, PLEASE READ)"
"Are You Real?"
"did you miss the best Underground ever?"
"How to build a customer service system that doesn't suck your time"
"Whats the #1 principle for making money online?"
"Testimonial is harsh"
"What was I thinking? sorry!"

You get the picture? I'm sure, because we're all unique individuals, one headline/subject line might appeal more than another to you than to me. But give me a break. This list of attention getting subject lines is pathetic. For me, only 2 are appealing:

1. "Whats the #1 principle for making money online?"
2. "How to build a customer service system that doesn't suck your time"

#1 is straight to the point and by asking a question, it naturally draws me into the newsletter, provided I'm interested in making money online (I am). #2 is good because it tells me how to do something, provided I'm intersted in building a customer service system. For me the down side of the line is it's vague in saying "customer service system". What is that? A system of providing customer service? The other downer is the use of the word suck. Suck is a crass word, I try not to use it as it brings to mind vulgar thoughts. I know today's society is permissive and vulgar and some people don't care.

If you're going to build a list and communicate with people by email, it's a must to develop good copywriting skills. How you do that should basically be developing your own style. I like what Jeffry Gitomer says, "I write like I talk". So I've taken Jeff's advice and try to write conversationally, to write like we were conversing with each other.

Now that doesn't mean that I copy Gitomers phrases and favorite words. No, I just write like a I talk and use my favorites. Which brings me to another point you should try to avoid like a computer virus. Don't be a cookie cutter. Words like "SHOCKING" and "AMAZING" are out of vogue, well, maybe not to a newbie that just got off the bus last week. Be creative, think about your headlines and invest some quality time in choosing words that will get the attention of the reader and draw them into your newsletter.