By Nathan Hangen, follow him @nhangen.
I can’t help it…sometimes my Twitter feed makes me want to scream. I’m reading through my DM’s and wondering what people are thinking when they send me this stuff. I don’t want to make 4,000 per month with Twitter (I do this fine on my own thank you), I don’t need 1,000 followers by the time I wake up, and I don’t need any gifts, free-reports, or webinars. Look, there is absolutely nothing wrong with pitching people on Twitter, but this DM madness has got to stop. While we are on the subject, let’s get specific about how not to pitch on Twitter:
- Only sending out affiliate links
- Attaching people’s names to your affiliate links (i.e. @nhangen @problogger http://myaffiliatelink.com Great Tips!)
- Using automated software to auto-tweet your links based on search in batches of more than a few per hour
- Auto-DM’s with an affiliate link, free-report, or anything else mentioned above
There’s a right way to pitch and a wrong way, but for some reason most of the people on Twitter take the most annoying and least effective route as possible. I don’t get it, but maybe this post will help.
The first thing you need to realize on Twitter, is not that it is like a party (is anyone else gettting sick of hearing that phrase?), but that there are accepted protocols. I’m sure I’ll get a lot of backlash about how there aren’t any rules on Twitter, which is also true. However, the protocols I mention here serve to help you sell better without being marked as a spammer. It goes like this:
- Don’t just sell – If every Tweet in your feed is a pitch, then you aren’t going to do very well. Mix it up a little bit by Tweeting blog posts, RT’ing other people’s stuff, and replying.
- When you do sell, be casual – Pitching someone at their kitchen table is different than pitching them at a bar. There is a right place for the hard sell, but Twitter isn’t it. Mention your product as a proud creator, not as a telemarketer. Do this enough times and people will start to notice.
- Get your friends to help you out – Leverage your network to help you promote your product. Social proof in the form of other people pitching your stuff works much better than you trying to pitch it on your own.
- Link to testimonials, blog posts, and opt-in forms, but transparency is crucial – Tell people what you are linking to or they won’t click the link. When they do click, they don’t want to feel like they were tricked, so be honest and up front.
Don’t be afraid to send out an affiliate link from time to time, but be careful. If you trick someone once, they are likely to unfollow you or simply ignore future requests. Don’t use the 140 to pitch, let your web copy or blog post do that for you. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to sell good stuff on Twitter, but it does take some patience.
You can also use some of the cool Twitter video services, like Twiddeo and Twitcam to talk about your products. Just don’t forget that the key to marketing on Twitter is to sell yourself first. Once people like you, they are much more likely to buy your product, even if they don’t need it. People want to buy from people they connect with, not some random eBook avatar screaming out affiliate links. When it comes to pitching on Twitter, if you let discretion and transparency be your guide, I promise you’ll have success. People will buy your product, but 9 times out of 10 they’ll buy it because of the connection rather than the copy.
[image via freezelight]
@siosism
I agree!!!
@Beltwayboy
This is a great post and I couldn’t agree more!
@remarkablogger
The way to sell on Twitter is the same as for your blog: provide value that truly helps your audience, so that when you pitch something, it’s just another example of that value and your audience eats it up.
@tweeminence
Agreed completely. I would even go so far as to say that Twitter isn’t the best place for any sort of pitch. You’ll do much better if you can get your followers to your blog or website and subscribed to your email list.
@EllenSka
I’m ruthless now. I check the profile of every new follower, and if they’re using Twitter badly, as in the instances you cite, I block them. I don’t want them having access in the future to my follower list and bothering my real friends they way they have bothered their own list in the past.
@mytwitrva
Nathan,
I agree with you on all points except the auto dm with a free report etc.
And I do indeed believe there are rules on twitter and it’s annoying when people break them
Why do I like the auto DM? I think it’s a more acceptable way of letting people know you are a new connection and it’s a way to tell them about you, your product and service
Also it is a good way to tell others about your newsletter/email list. But it is done better if the message gives the reader details about the link
As for the affiliate links and placing a list of names with it. My policy is unfollow and block.
@nhangen
Adam- so right you are…I try to bring people to my blog (or one of them) to continue the conversation.
Kathy – I don’t know…sending an auto-link with a DM seems poor form to me and unless I know someone, I’ll never click that link. I would bet that most people feel the same way about that.
@jaypicklo
This is a great post and I totally agree with it. The only thing I don’t understand was the slap at the “Party Principle.” The individual that coined that phrase happens to have over 100,000 followers, soooo?????????
@nhangen
Great point Michael and although I meant to allude to it, there’s no escaping the fact that providing value is the best way to not only sell, but to build a strong base in any arena.
@popwuping
Good point about telling people what you are linking to. I prefer twitter streams that mix the personal with links to topics that are of value to me. I think most people are turned off by the hard sell that I see so often lately.
@sirjay23
Nathan, you have produced an excellent piece that needs to be given to every “marketing” guru and expert on Twitter. I have tweeted the link to this article.
@summertomato
Well put! Too bad you’re probably preaching to the choir here. It would be nice if this reaches at least some of those bots who keep spamming me. Lousy robotic jerks.
@Technogati
I am agree with your advice but some people doesn’t use the ethics for tweeting.
@philip_novara
“Mention your product as a proud creator, not as a telemarketer. Do this enough times and people will start to notice.”
And this is the difference between community and spamming…
@smokejumper
Thanks for shedding light on the affiliate mentions – I didn’t understand why, of late, I keep getting mentioned in tweets about affiliates. Got my attention, but I didn’t click!
@wahmbizbuilder
Recently I mentioned a major city here in Australia, and I immediately started getting ’spam’ – I’m sure they called it marketing – about that city. Obviously they have a search on keywords but please…. do that by all means, but don’t spam me. Send me a “Saw you were coming here, can we help you?” tweet.
The other thing that’s been annoying me on twitter lately, although it’s not pitching, is the DM’s that say “I just sent you a gift [url] you should send me one back!” Why should I? You’re sending me a picture of something, cluttering up my DM’s and wasting my time! Not to mention that when you give someone a gift you shouldn’t be expecting something back.
Wow, it’s too early in the morning for ranting…..
@mowright76
Good post. I know before I follow someone, I read their profile and their recent tweets. I don’t need another DM tweet sent to me unless there is really something of value in it. May be a social comment or a compliment would be nice -but not spam.
@thecoveted
such a great post, i hope the people who make bad pitches read this. personally, i try to do the attraction rather than promotion strategy in driving traffic to my blog.
if a tweeter replies to me or dm me to ‘check out this site’ i can guarantee you one thing i’m not going to do.
@vickie_smith
I agree – Don’t Spam Me Dude was also a blog post of mine!! I think it’s ridiculous for people to expect that they can just open up a twitter account and sell us all their wares. What are you in for – the long haul? Then sit down and let’s talk first!
@employed_online
Great post. Although like you said that some people think there are no rules on twitter, that is a quick way to loose trust and followers. If all you have to offer are a bunch of affiliate links and no real value why would anyone want to follow you anymore? Great post and keep up the good work!
@RickWeiss
I agree with the post, but would like to re-frame the idea. Use Twitter to build relationships and then drive your audiences to the locations that best suit their interests (as opposed to yours) those interested in info are directed towards a blog, website, youtube video, etc.
If their interests then match up with yours, you’ve made a valuable, productive connection. One that you should cultivate over the long-run.
@michaelqtodd
Yeah agree but would take it further.Using the principle of Know me,Like me,Follow me neverbtry to sell.When people like you they will ask or check out what you do.Give so much value that people are begging to know what you do or what you sell.Wouldn`t Social media be a great space if everyone was like this??!!??
So be the change and make this a trend
@stratbiz
Nathan, Insightful post. I’ve learned the hard way…not all followers are good followers. As the twitter tools become more sophisticated it will be easier to weed out the bots and spammers. I love Twitter, it is an excellent relationship and communication tool that produces dramatic business results.
@karenswim
I completely agree! There is no rule that says “don’t talk with your mouth full” however, your guests at the table will thank you for adopting this social protocol even though it’s not a rule.
@gwenmccauley
I agree with almost everything posted. I’ve already started to scrutinize all new followers and am surprised about how many I choose to block. I’m definitely a ‘quality vs quantity’ kind of marketer. And my personal pet peeve is that people don’t understand that marketing and sales are not the same thing! Interesting that I see all the sames ’sins’ of networking being replayed in cyberspace. Hate it when I go to a face-to-face networking event and end up being put on somebody’s newsletter list. They NEVER get one bit of business from me, guaranteed.
And I don’t know what other people’s experience of Facebook is, but as bad as it can be on Twitter I find there is even less business finesse practiced on that other medium.
Gwen McCauley
@rebelliousgirl
I totally agree with this one. It’s enough to get annoyed by email spam. No need to hound us with a fun social networking tool such as Twitter too.
@wahmbizbuilder
Gwen, if someone puts you on their newsletter list after meeting you at a networking event then they’re breaching the CAN-SPAMM act. It’s illegal to add a person to an email list without their express permission.
And I agree with you about Facebook. I’m getting pitches from people who I’ve even un-friended still! Grrrrr!
@mspinkslip_blog
Twitter is supposed to be about relationships and conversations. Automated tweets that don’t target diddly are neither.
@mrscwin
Thank you for this! This needs to be shared as often as possible, because most of the tweets I receive are asking for money or selling me something. I want to build relationships with my social networks, not get beaten down by pitches.
I just hope that I am not doing this to my tweeps!!
@zzmel
I don’t use twitter as much as I should. The idea of building a relationship is valuable and of course when the time comes, then promote. This way, a person who trusts you, will seek further information from you. Above all, be honest and use integrity.
@kiwipiipii
It was great for me to read this article and i thank you very much for the information. This is exactly what i needed to know. As a complete newbie to Twitter and Affiliate Marketing, it has been one big round of confusion. I had heard about twitter and wanted to find out what it was all about. It’s like entering a whole new world. The comments have given me more information about what Twitter is all about than anything else i have come across. I have been with Twitter for about 2 weeks and i am uncertain if i qualify as one of those ’spammers’ and if so, please accept my apologies. I do believe in honesty and integrity, and i do believe in building relationships with your client base, as well as providing valuable information / service and products that are beneficial. Getting used to the culture of Twitter is going to be easier than learning about links, urls, and their use and purpose … not to mention DM’s that i have just found out are direct messages. Can any of you please direct me to someone who can help me to organise my profile, ie, separating comments of education and affiliate marketing. I know that after a while i will gain some measure of sanity, but for now it is really confusing.
@wavejumper44
Thank you very much Nathan, I have been guilty of some of this and point is noted. But I do have the desire to help others learn and I give away lots of master e-courses for this very purpose. I truly believe in my products and want others to learn there great value, but will take your good advice and try to build my business better once again great words
William Kayser
@scott_hughes691
Excellent post, I too get tired of receiving tons of spam DMs along with people including my Twitter username in a tweet with a few others, along with an affiliate link. It is so aggravating and unprofessional.
If people continue to “market” using Twitter in this manner, they are inevitably going to be hit with the Twitter slap, and have their accounts suspended or deleted all together.
I have wrote a similar post on my Twitter Tips blog, check it out Affiliate Marketing and Twitter.
@sheilainvests
I am so glad someone finally mentioned! I thought it was just me but receiving auto-reply DM with ads and pitches is somewhat annoying. Great Post and thanks for bringing it to light.
@SunzooStudios
Love the post Nathan.
Everyone is so caught up with “how many followers” they have they forget to build real relationships.
Thank you!