Marketing Using Twitter – Common Mistakes You Need to Avoid

Twitter addiction - courtesy of the carrotblog.com

You might be using Twitter as a way to keep your customers and clients aware of what is is going on with your business. That is fantastic! But are your Tweets really getting you the results you want? Twitter has grown to be an efficient marketing tool but at the same time it is being misused by many people as they make mistakes unknowingly. In order to get the most out of your Twitter campaign it is necessary for you to keep following the right marketing practices and make sure you don’t commit simple blunders, that we will be discussing in this article.

If you are entering the world of Twitter for the purpose of promoting your business, make sure you keep your business and personal life separate– avoiding tweets like “hanging out with friends”. Not only is it not professional, it is a common mistake made by marketers that can hurt your relationship with your clients. No one really cares who you hang out with on the weekend. Keep your tweets on topic; they need to be useful to your followers, and if they’re not seeing any good from your tweets, keep them to yourself.

Keep in mind that sometimes less really is more.

Do not risk harming your Internet reputation by creating a more human and less professional face for your Twitter account. You do not want to give your customers information about your personal life at any time, but you should keep them updated with tips, techniques and other beneficial information. You want to maintain a strong, professional persona that your customers will be inclined to turn to when they need help.

Another error that’s often made is to make your presence too self-centered. Your followers must appreciate that you are a marketer to be trusted. All people want to know what they will get out of following you. Instead of just being too occupied by yourself and your product, show them what they can get out of your offer. Features can be listed by anyone, you want be sure that you are clearly explaining the benefits. Focusing so much on business and benefits, it’s easy to be too serious, try to keep a light tone to your posts. Your Twitter followers are real people who want to socialize and have fun; by being too serious in your approach you take the risk to sound un-interesting.

It’s critical to remember that Twitter is a community and that you have to continue to participate on a regular basis if you expect to see positive results from your marketing efforts. That’s something a lot of marketers forget. ’Tis better to give than to receive…especially when it’s a two-way street. However, the upside of this is the fact this mistake can be avoided. You must participate in the Twitter forum by engaging with other individuals with similar interests and by taking the time to answer any tweets that are sent to you. You should not anticipate results from “one way” tweets if you do not participate on a meaningful level with other individuals. The logic here is very simple – if you want Twitter to serve you as a marketing tool, then you have to work on getting followers. To gain followers, you’re going to have to create value for them by sending out tweets with useful information that people are gong to want to read. You need to make your followers feel that they have been given something of value and then they’ll return the favor. It cannot be emphasized enough. Twitter’s a community. Throw off the suit and sit down to dinner.

Be a friend, and watch Twitter work for you.