Avoid at all cost!
I‘ve written about the evils of affiliate marketing and twitter before, but I’ll say it again. Especially if you’re self-proclaimed social media slash internet marketing guru trying to entice me to purchase your wares.
Do not hit me with a DM encouraging me to buy your (crummy) wares the second I follow you.
Today a so-called internet marketing guru from Daytona, Florida followed me. I checked his blog out, thought there were some quality posts, and low and behold followed back.
Next time I checked my mail though there was a DM from Daytona Internet Marketing Guru inviting me to check out a great Twitter tool – that costs 77 USD. Hell, but only for a limited offer.
I immediately unfollowed him.
Practice What You Preach
If you claim to be a social media marketing expect, you better figure out quickly that the best communication strategy for new marketing is to:
- build a relationship by offering free quality content, tips, advice, etc,
- engage with your audience
- keep it real
- be generous, a thought-leader,
- encourage
- and maybe then, only then, you can start to think about putting a direct sales pitch right in someone’s face.
If Chris Brogan had hit his followers with a “Hey, please buy my book” before becoming the social media practitioner he is today, his community would have metaphorically lynched him.
Internet Marketing Guru from Daytona, Florida – Go do your homework!
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I like your thinking and agree, mostly. But when I find something that I believe is real and not a phoney, I’ll tell people about it. Otherwise, I’ll probably tell ‘em to avoid it.
You write well.
Janice
Hi Jon,
I happen to do “direct marketing” on Twitter….
However, not through DM’s. I don’t even have a “thanks for following” auto DM set up. I’m so against that. It clutters everything up. I think it was probably effect a year or so ago when Twitter was less popular.
Then again, who knows, DM SPAM is even more effective since Twitter has picked up steam. Think about all the new Twitter accounts being created every day now. If it’s a brand new Twitter account from someone who has never been on Twitter before….They will likely look at all the DM’s and appreciate the “thanks for following” messages. As they start to use their Twitter account and follow more and more people, they will probably join the ranks of pissed off DM SPAMMED people like you and I….LOL
However, since it takes a little while for them to get to this point, I’m afraid that DM SPAM is here to stay…and, unfortunately, it’s probably very effective due to the shear amount of new users signing up every day.
@Janice
I agree, telling people is fine. But you have to establish a basis for that kind of communication in the first place. If I walked down the street and people I’ve only said “Hi” to once before suddenly offered to sell me something, I’d be a bit taken aback. But if someone I trust and respect told me about something, I’d really listen. That’s the approach I think we have to take to direct marketing with Twitter.
@Jason
As Twitter matures and more people start to use the platform we’ll see both more spam but also more tools to weed it out. I am sure of that.
Thanks for stopping by!
I just found a great squidoo article on twitter advertising i hope you all find interesting, http://www.squidoo.com/twitter-marketing-secrets
Direct Marketing from twitter had lost value for many twitter users had abused it, expect that once you follow a business personnel you’ll receive a direct message from them with a link .nnnAngel,nBuy Marketing Lists
Direct Marketing from twitter had lost value for many twitter users had abused it, expect that once you follow a business personnel you’ll receive a direct message from them with a link .nnnAngel,nBuy Marketing Lists