The most devoted Tweeters are in almost constant contact with their
online identity, making the platform a marketers dream come true. Using applications like TweetDeck for their computers and Tweetie for their "smart phones," these "Super Tweeters" get a constant stream of new updates from the people they're following.
You can deliver concise messages to current and future customers in a snap! And if you have a good, friendly, and appealing message to send, Twitter can be one of the most powerful tools in your marketing arsenal. But it can also spread bad, annoying, or offensive messages just as quickly. So "Business Tweeter Beware!": it's important that your very mindful of what kinds of things you're sending, how often, and why!
Just like people in real life, Twitter users can be offended -- and as Gano Excel marketers, that's the last thing we want to do to our prospective teammates. With that in mind, here are 5 "Twitter No-No's" that are guaranteed to turn-off your customers and wreak havoc on your Twitter marketing efforts.
1. DON'T BE NEGATIVE! Say a competitor is vying for your customers on Twitter, or one of your team members has done something you don't like. What do you do? Sure, it might tempting to tweet your grievance in public: to call out the competitor's stuff as phony, or publicly shame your team member. But please, don't!
As Gano Excel marketers, it's your job to be positive -- we're in the "attraction marketing" business here, and we have to show by cheery, optimistic, positive example that we've got the best product and opportunity in the world. If your Tweets are negative or insulting, you're setting a bad example for your group, and making Gano Excel look bad to the outside world...and that's the last thing we want!
2. DON'T AIR YOUR OPINIONS LOOSELY! There's a famous Twitter story about a man who Tweeted about how much he hated one particular town. He didn't mention the town in the Tweet, but the people he'd come to the town to meet with "connected the dots," and he ended up losing a very important account.
Yikes! One off-hand Tweet cost this man big bucks!
What's the lesson here? Twitter is a public platform: if you're using it for marketing purposes, anybody in the world can read your Tweets, and anybody in the world can be offended or hurt by them. Think before you Tweet: you may have had a terrible time in someone's city, or thought that one particular restaurant was just awful, but for heaven's sake, keep it to yourself! Again, as Gano Excel marketers, you ought to project a chipper, positive image -- and dissing a place, thing, or person doesn't fit with that at all!
3. DON'T BE RUDE! When you think "successful woman," Oprah Winfrey probably pops into your head. She's a billionaire and a mega-star, a power broker who can make and break politicians, authors, doctors, and just about anyone else with one recommendation. But according to a recent article in INC. Magazine, Ms. Winfrey made a big goof in her very first Tweet.
"HI TWITTERS," Ms. Winfrey wrote, "THANK YOU FOR A WARM WELCOME."
The Twitter community was shocked. In Internet-ese, typing in all-caps is the equivalent of screaming at the reader. So effectively, Oprah Winfrey shouted at all of her followers on her very first day!
If you're one of our lucky RankMakers
500 Malaysia Trip winners, you'll probably want to find out as much
about Malaysian customs as possible, so you won't offend anyone when
you get "in-country." Likewise, learn what's cool and not-so-cool
before boarding your digital flight to Tweetland! Just like any real place, the Internet has its own culture. If you're new to marketing on the 'Net, then be as mindful of the etiquette, rules, and customs online as you would be if you were visiting a new country.
4. DON'T GIVE TOO MUCH INFORMATION! A person who goes on a TV talk show to talk about the alien they had a love affair with probably has different standards than most folk when it comes to what they're willing to share in public. Some people are more reserved, some people are more open -- and as marketers, we've got to be very aware of this.
Don't get too personal with your Tweets! What you think is a cool factoid might freak someone out; likewise, what you think is freaky might be standard for another person. When you're using Twitter for business, make sure to stick to the product and opportunity, only sharing the most standard, least-offensive personal details; and never comment on someone else's personal situations, unless you're got something nice or encouraging to say that fits your marketing strategy!
5. DON'T BE A SPAMMER! Now, this is the big one! As we told you in our first article in this series, it's great to be in contact with team members and prospects via Twitter: sharing the opportunity and showing how it can touch their lives in a real way. But that doesn't mean you should just copy-and-paste a standard Tweet and send it out over and over again! "Spamming" your followers with the same message and link over-and-over again is a sure-fire way to tick them off.
Think of it this way. Say you're in a big, open-air public market, and there are two peddlers trying to get you to buy their necklaces.
The first peddler stands on top of a box with a bull-horn, screaming, "BEST NECKLACE IN THE WORLD EVER ONLY $2!" You walk up to this person and ask them what the necklace is made out of. In response, they stick the bull-horn to your ear and cry, "BEST NECKLACE IN THE WORLD EVER ONLY $2! BUY MY NECKLACE NOW!" Ears-ringing and nerves jostled, you'd probably get away from the guy as fast as possible.
Across the market is another peddler selling a similar necklace. He has a group of about 20 people around him, and he's passing the necklaces around. One woman asks him if the clasp is durable, and the peddler stops to show her how it opens and closes with ease. Another person asks if the necklace is made of real gold. The peddler tells him it's solid gold, and that he has a certificate to prove it. You step into this crowd; the peddler sees you, and he steps up and shakes your hand. He asks if you have any questions, or if you're in the market to buy a new necklace. The two of you chat for a few minutes, then he politely says he has to move on to another customer, but will be right there if you need anything at all.
Which peddler would you buy from -- the shouter (spammer) or the sharer? Tell us in the comments!
