Most likely the biggest mistake that marketers make when using Twitter for their business is not grasping how it is supposed to be used for that purpose. That misunderstanding leads to a few problems that don’t get them bottom line results like they were hoping for. Don’t be fooled either, just because this article is about a specific social networking tool, doesn’t mean that it only applies to Twitter. In fact it can be applied to many forms of social networking sites.
Here are just a few no-no’s that business owners all too commonly make when using Twitter. Are you committing any of them? Take the time to make sure by reading on.
One big mistake that people make when using Twitter for business reasons (or who think they are using it for business purposes) is getting caught up in the “commotion” there. It’s important to do some talking at Twitter because that is a form of networking in and of itself which is vital to business professionals. However, the talking you do should be succinct, to the point, friendly but professional.
As a marketer, your objective at Twitter is not to make new best friends or get dates; it should be to establish relationships that will lead to others desiring to do business with you. Now don’t misunderstand this. You don’t want to be manipulative. The objective is to keep the talk laid back and not beat people over the head with pleas or demands that they visit your websites.
Another big mistake that marketers make when using Twitter is posting tweets that are irrelevant or drive people away from them. You can be funny, playful, personal, or serious, but what you type in for your message has got to have meaning and substance and be one that will attract others instead of turning them away. It’s also ok to state your opinions on things, but be grown up about it and never type mean, obnoxious tweets or messages that are prone to start too much controversy. For the most part, Twitter is a very friendly and open-minded community, but do realize that not everyone will agree with you on certain issues so if you find you are very opinionated on certain hot button subjects, it might be best to avoid those particular matters. As they say, you catch many more flies with honey than with vinegar.
Yet another error people make when using Twitter in business is that they include their website links in too many of their messages. Yes, in order to use social networking sites effectively for business you have to include links to your business, but don’t do it so much that it becomes annoying or seems manipulative. One or two link backs per day is plenty; any more than that will more thank likely be considered overkill.
A related big mistake that people make with Twitter is posting way too many tweets per day. Not only does this take too much time away from their business, but once again they seem heavy handed or self-centered to the community. Five to ten new Twitters per day is plenty. Once again, make sure that you really have something to Twitter about, not just some words to throw up because you want to hear or in this case, see, yourself talk.
Finally, some marketers give up on Twitter too soon because they aren’t seeing the results they’d hoped for quick enough. Remember, persistence is what pays off with networking, and networking on the Internet is no different. Twitter away for a while before you start expecting steady or big results.