Time to Get Jacked into the Most Powerful Social Network Ever

Lots of buzz about new, emerging social networks this past week. Still lots of people yammering about Facebook and Twitter, too. Some of it is great. A lot of it is just bogus crap, of course.

LinkedIn is getting new buzz as well, which is well-deserved. I love LinkedIn and saw more than a thousand inquiries come in from LinkedIn alone last year. I’d give it a second look if I were you :-)

It seems many of us are busy working to find the “trick” to social networking. We want to know:

• How to increase conversions
• How to obtain a higher ROI
• How to get more leads
• How to get better results faster

There’s a lot of talk about the value of conversations. This is how we’re supposed to offer maximum value and engage our prospects on a human level instead of being all high pressure and salesy. This is smart.

Bottom line, conversations work. It’s true. Of all the buzz words in social media, the word “conversation” rides on top of them all. And it’s no surprise why. If you want to earn more business, establish an authentic conversation with your prospects. It just works. It always has.

So I have 4 quick, obviously loaded questions:

1. If conversations are so powerful, why do we ignore the most conversation-focused social networking platform of all?
2. If we want to increase conversions, why do we fail to use the highest converting social networking platform of all?
3. If we want more leads, why do we completely sidestep the social networking platform that has produced more referral and repeat business for me and thousands of other marketers than any other platform?
4. If we want better results faster, why do we remain blind to the tool which provides us the most direct and personally engaging path to our prospects and partners?

To what social networking platform am I referring? It’s flat out, hands down the most powerful social networking platform out there…and most of you aren’t using it. It’s called the phone.

Let it sink in for a minute. I’ll wait.

Real Conversation Crushes “Networking”…Every Time

Not a social network you say? Since when? The phone is the original social network! The phone system is the very definition of a network, and it remains the most engaging and personal way to communicate with people. Seriously, do you really want to engage and converse with your people? If so, can you find a more powerful way to converse with someone than by actually having a conversation with them?

Too often, “networking” is just an excuse to not truly engage people. It’s a way to keep things tentative, and it’s a way to keep people at arm’s length. Instead of using Twitter to grow our business, we hide behind it. We don’t do this on purpose, but we do it.

Regarding the phone, I’m not talking about cold calling. I’m not talking about trying to “close deals” on the phone. From where I sit, I think we’ve come to see the phone as an artifact that no longer works. And when marketers do use it, it’s used for cold calling or other nonsense. I’m here to testify that this just isn’t the case, and this kind of mentality is a mistake.

It’s True…Communication Has Changed. But…

It’s true that communication has changed, but that doesn’t mean people have changed. It just means the way we interact has a deeper and more layered dynamic. So, let’s go deeper. Let’s get more layered in how we approach marketing.

Incorporate the phone into your marketing strategy. I dare you. It will change your life. And all those bullet-pointed advantages I listed above? You’ll get those too.

It’s true that if you run a larger platform with many thousands of customers, it’s going to be tough to reach everyone. You don’t need to do that. Having a real conversation with a few people per day is a practice that creates real relationships. This isn’t to the exclusion of web-based social media. Far from it. They work together…with synergy.

From my perspective, this is the foundation of any worthwhile business, and it’s become highly neglected in marketing lately. This “have a real conversation” voodoo I’m speaking of is also a key element of what I call “platform-bouncing” and “the E300 principle”, which are powerful marketing strategies I’ll be sharing with you soon.

I am a generally new agent in the business (about 1 year) and I thoroughly enjoy what I do WHEN I have clients. Being so new, I want to be able to successfully build my client base. I am very familiar with social media/social networking. I have read many of your posts and comments on others posts and I am very impressed with your knowledge. I was wondering if you had any suggestions on exactly what I should be posting and emailing to people. I know mortgage rates and any new listings my team and I have, but I am trying to think outside the box and have not had much success. Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks for the question, Stephanie :-) The reason I wanted to share this on the blog as opposed to just answering in an email is because this is a question I get a lot, and it’s a topic that a lot of small business owners struggle with. Let’s be honest. It’s pretty well-known by now how powerful social media can be as a small business marketing platform. When it comes to actually USING it on a day to day basis however, a lot of people’s eyes just kind of glaze over. It can be daunting, especially if you’re not accustomed to writing regularly.

So, here is a small collection of tips on creating content for your blog, your email campaigns, social media profiles, etc. These will help you get the ball rolling, and if you have questions, make sure to subscribe (it’s free), and fire me an email. I’m at your service :-)

You don’t have to be a great writer

I wanted to mention this first, because it’s one of the big hangups I hear about so often. There’s an idea that you need to be a talented writer in order to be effective at creating content that grows your business. This just isn’t true.

As a business blogger, you’re simply talking with your prospects. You’re an expert in your field. This is what matters. Sure, use spell check and proofread your stuff before you publish it. But don’t feel the need to self-edit to the extreme. Spend time reading other successful blogs in your niche. You’ll find quickly that blogging is most effective when it’s fun, personal and genuine. It really is a unique medium. You’re not writing a novel here, and you’re not writing for the New York Times either. You’re writing a blog, and it’s ok to just be yourself!

What Do You Consider Really Boring?

When it comes to ideas for what to post on your blog, don’t overlook the stuff you consider boring! All the little things you’re ALREADY doing in your business on a day to day basis are perfect opportunities to share with your readers.

• Did you just hire a new intern or sales rep? Introduce them on your blog.
• Did you just get back from an industry conference? Take a minute to share who you met and what you learned.
• Did you have a sales meeting this morning? What did you discuss? What type of training are you doing to help improve your client service?
• Did you just read a book that gave you some ideas to try in your business? Review the book on your site and share what you learned and what you’re excited to try.

These are all examples of the “normal” boring stuff you do in your business all the time. Know this: the stuff that YOU think is boring is not necessarily boring to your readers. These are all opportunities to give them insight into what you’re doing, how you’re different. These are opportunities for them to connect with you on a human level.

Funny thing: people tend to work with professionals and businesses they LIKE. We all want to do business with people we think are cool. Share what you’re up to. Be accessible. Have fun :-)

Be Conversational

I often see small business owners do something disturbing with their email newsletters and blog content. They outsource it or simply churn out canned content that they purchased somewhere. There is nothing inherently wrong with using canned content I suppose, but you’re leaving a tremendous amount of opportunity on the table by doing this.

Blogging and communicating with your audience may seem daunting at first, but after you get a flow down, it does not have to be time consuming or difficult. The investment is only a small amount of your time, and the long term upside is VERY significant. I get the argument DAILY that blogging takes too much time. Sorry guys…I’m not buying it. I’m never going to argue with you about this or try to convince you otherwise, but if you don’t have time to talk with your people, I think you need to reprioritize how you spend your time.

Here’s the bottom line: if you’re communicating with your audience genuinely, staying in touch with them and clearly care about what you’re doing…and your competition is not…you will dominate. Period. End of story. The client or customer is always going to follow the path of least resistance for them, and if you’re the one who’s been being really cool and helping them for the past few months, it’s going to be very difficult for them to do business with someone else.

This is why CONVERSING with your audience is so valuable. Instead of blasting out “industry news” or other generic information, share what’s going on in your business…as suggested in the previous section. Ask them questions. Emails to your list can be a simple one or two line question. Facebook status updates can be used to ask questions as well. Get people’s opinions. Encourage conversation.

There is something very powerful about asking questions. Statements…especially marketing messages…can easily be scanned or even ignored. Questions however, need to be read, understood, thought about and answered. Questions beg to be answered, and people naturally love to share what’s on their mind. Not only does asking your audience questions get them engaged with your brand, but it also gets YOU in tune with them. This is a great way to learn what your prospects, want, like, care about, hate, etc. Companies have historically paid many thousands of dollars to obtain this type of insight into their client base. You can get it for free.

Don’t Forget Call to Action

I’ve found the simple act of asking for what I want to go a long way. As simple as this sounds, it’s a concept that gets ignored in small business all the time. Do you want readers to share your latest blog post on Facebook? Ask them. You can ask them outright at the end of your post, or place a big arrow next to your “like” button…whatever you want. It doesn’t have to be rocket science, but if you just expect people to do stuff on your own, you’re gonna be disappointed :-)

Want readers to sign up for your email list? That’s smart. Ask yourself…why should they? Give them a specific, compelling reason to sign up, and you’ll notice that a lot more do.

Want people to retweet your latest blog post to their followers? Put it in your tweet. I’ve always noticed when I put “(plz RT)” in my tweet, I always get more retweets. Again, this isn’t rocket science is it?

I included this part here because a lot of my clients will complain about how all of their social media efforts seem to be falling on deaf ears. They do the work and don’t see any results. A simple, clear call to action goes a long way, and I see surprisingly little of that going on.

Let it Be Simple

At the end of the day, simplicity gets the job done. Brian Tracy has said “the more you learn, the more you earn.” This definitely applies to web marketing. There’s always more to learn. I’ve been selling online since ’98, and I don’t know all there is to know…far from it. Here’s the trick though: don’t let what you don’t know stand in the way of you benefitting from what you do know.

As you dive in and start creating your own original content, you’ll learn more and more as you go. You’ll get more and more comfortable as times goes on, and you’ll become more and more effective at what you do. It’s inevitable actually.

I’ll give you a little secret. Creating original content for your blog, original content for your email list, etc can all feel a little intimidating at first, but after you get the ball rolling, you’ll realize it’s just not a big deal. It can be a lot of fun getting to know your prospects as real people, which of course…they are! This is the real opportunity of writing a blog for your customers, and it’s one of the most powerful ways to grow your business.

Are you wasting your time with blog tactics that don't work?

Here’s what is wrong with this whole blogging business…the advice most blogging A-listers can offer you is hugely valuable, but if you don’t put things into context, you are WASTING YOUR TIME. Context is everything! Without context, the information is useless, and that is a problem you need to address if blog marketing is part of your business. Are you putting things into context, or are you wasting your time trying to get results with techniques that WON’T work for you? If time is valuable to you, read on!

So many of us read Problogger (or any other popular meta blog) and rush out to win our fortunes online with a fancy new blog. Then what happens? Nothing. That’s what happens. We work our tails off and don’t see the results we expect. What’s wrong? There are two things that happen that cause failure to get results from your blog.

• You didn’t follow the advice you got
• You DID follow the advice you got

I feel compelled to submit that either way, you’re going to be thrown for a loop at some point! Why? Because the rules change. It used to be that you could follow a simple formula to get on the front page of Digg, and that would bring you a massive influx of traffic. It was a little hit and miss of course, and wouldn’t work every single time, but the fact is that you used to be able to get on Digg without a monumental effort. Today, it’s not the case.

It used to be that getting Stumbled could bring you a significant amount of traffic as well. Today, not so. I know guys like Darren Rowse (and many others; I’m certainly not trying to single him out here) have talked about the benefits of StumbleUpon as a traffic generator, and he’s telling you the TRUTH! This can’t be overstated. The blogging A-listers of today know what works for them, and they share what they’ve learned selflessly. You should pay attention to them. And you should also realize that what works for them may not necessarily be what works for you. Again, context is everything! The question for today is this: are you putting the elements of your blog marketing into context, or are you just blindly following someone else’s advice?

Building something significant requires you to be a trailblazer. Don’t expect following a generic formula to get you anything other than generic results.

Opportunities come and go. They are dynamic. They don’t remain the same year after year. What worked in 2006 doesn’t work anymore for the most part. Getting on Digg used to be a big deal, now I’d argue there are much better uses of your time.

How Bodybuilding is Broken as Well (and how it relates to blogging of course!)

This whole situation reminds me of being young, reading bodybuilding magazines. I always wanted muscles like Arnold…who the heck didn’t, right? So you read these articles that outline his workouts. It makes sense, right? If you want the same results as Arnold, do what he does. The logic is sound. Of course you’ll probably have to use lighter weights, but if you duplicate the workouts, and you’ll get great results, right? No, actually. It doesn’t work that way in most cases. Not at all.

Why is this a problem? The problem is that a number of factors are not being taken into account. First, genetics. Some people literally have a genetic ability to be able to lift very heavy weights. Also, having the ability to recuperate from workouts that intense is not something everyone can do. Additionally, the bodybuilding pros most young boys try to emulate are using drugs. No offense, but they are.

The fact is that the workouts outlined in most bodybuilding magazines are in fact, the truth. It is actually what the pros do. And if YOU do it, you won’t be able to walk for a week, you won’t be able to recuperate from it, and it might even lead to a significant injury. You have no business doing workouts like that.

So do you see the problem? Copying what the pros do does not necessarily mean you’re going to get the same results. In fact, it may very well be a colossal waste of your time. So what gives?

The Magic of Understanding the Difference Between Principle and Technique

So where does all this lead us? If modeling A-listers doesn’t work, how can you ensure you will get results with your blog? This is an important question, and it comes down to context. If you have context, you have power. Here’s how you do it.

First, let’s be clear of the difference between Principle and Technique. A lot of articles and blog posts out there talk about techniques. Techniques for generating traffic. Techniques for building a blog. Techniques for converting email subscribers into paying customers, etc. Specific step by step tutorials are techniques. They are important. But they must be put into context.

For example, if you’re reading an article from 1998 about how to build a static html website, it may have been a great tutorial…in 1998. But is it contextually valid for you NOW? You must answer this question before implementing it into your plan. Tutorials convey techniques. They are very valuable, but you have to put them into the context of your plan. No one else can do that for you. You have to do it yourself.

Principles on the other hand, are underlying concepts that work in all situations. I spend a good bit of time conveying business concepts on this blog, because my goal is to have at least 50% of the content on Next Level Blogger be content that is relevant long into the future.

Do you see the difference between Principle and Technique? Put things into context when you’re reading about how to build your blog and get the results you’re looking for. Is what you’re reading conveying a Principle or a Technique? And if it’s a Technique, does it apply to your business? Is it relevant to your present situation? If so, employ it. Use it, benefit from it, and learn from it. But first, put things into context. There is a wealth of information out there that will help you get huge results from blog marketing. However, if you don’t put the information into context, you’re wasting your time!

Many professionals and business owners I talk with have a valid concern about getting started in social media marketing. They feel they don’t have time for it. I understand this. Time is valuable.

I was talking with a girl just a minute ago, and I want to share my reply to her with you. She is in real estate and wants to start engaging clients and prospects more online, which is very smart. But she’s concerned, as so many people are…about how to make time to do all this stuff I talk about. Following is my response to her. Let me know what you think!

Just a matter of integrating it into what you’re already doing. Lifecasting is just a discipline, and it’s powerful, because it enables you to engage with people on a large scale. Previewing a home? Video it. Answering a question by email? Copy and paste it into a post. Repurposing is key. You’re already producing ALL the content you need to share online, so on one hand it takes a lot of time. It does. It also doesn’t take much time at all, because you’re already doing it

Does this jive with how you feel about social media marketing? Do you struggle with how to make time for social media marketing? Let me know what you think!

Anyway, if you’re a regular reader here, you know that I’m not a tech-oriented guy. The fact that I’ve built successful, profitable websites should serve as PROOF to anyone who needs it…that you simply DO NOT have to be a SEO guru or a highly talented webmaster in order to make it in this business. That’s not to say this stuff is always a cake walk, but if you think you have to be really techy in order to succeed online…it’s just not true.

Much of What We Think is Too Techy or Out of Our League, Isn’t

In fact, I’ve just recently started doing videos, and one of my big excuses for not doing them was because I didn’t know how to edit them, and I was afraid of the results not being professional enough. As soon as I decided to throw out my excuses, guess what happened? I learned that video is actually really frickin easy, there’s seriously not anything to worry about, it’s actually a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to connect with your audience.

It’s also a great way to bust some content out really quickly. If you’re not using video, I really recommend you dig in for a second and just do it. Get a flip or something and just start it, because it’s a great way to add some really valuable content to your site. Does this mean that my videos are all professional and top notch? Actually, no. My videos (one is up already, several more will post over the next few weeks) are uber-simple, and that’s the point…it’s the SIMPLE stuff that works.

Get More Conversation, More Leads and More Business on Facebook

Speaking of uber-simple, I want to give you a heads up about something I’ve been doing since the beginning with my Facebook profile that has always really worked for me. Honestly, it’s classic Chris Russell stuff…it requires no talent at all, just diligence. When I get friend requests, I (get this) respond to them! This is what I say…verbatim:

Hey thanks for the request! You on FB for business or fun?

Best regards,
Chris

I know, I too am reeling from the genius of it all :) How long does this take me? About 5 seconds. What is the net result? It initiates a conversation. That’s the entire point, correct? I mean, it’s THE reason you’re on Facebook, so why not actually converse with these people?

I’ve altered my response from time to time, but the one I’m sharing here is the one that pulls the best. There’s no pitch, no stupid link to my site (I have to admit I’ve done that, and it’s just dumb), just a hello and an invitation to conversation.

Why it Works

Guess what…you most likely got that friend request for a reason. They’re already interested in you on some level. Granted, it’s probably a very superficial level, but that’s cool. Build on it. We all know that clicking “accept” does nothing. Nothing. Who cares if you have a new contact on Facebook if there’s not any actual contact? Make a reply…and I guarantee you a good percentage of them will respond, and you can nurture that.

At this point I have a little over two thousand contacts on Facebook, so I’ve done this more than once or twice. It works. It’s not the genius of this technique that makes it work…it’s the simplicity of it. Coupled with the fact that not very many others do this…believe it or not it’s almost always simple things like this that can put you over the top.

It’s the little things like this that add up and show your audience that you actually care about them. And when someone really gets that…gets the fact that you actually care about them, that’s when you have an advocate. Is 5 seconds worth it? What do you think?

What does it take to be successful in social media? I hope to offer you some helpful thoughts in this post. Let me know what you think!

I’ve spent time with a number of you by now. I’ve had a great chance to learn a lot about my own business and how to grow, but I’ve hopefully learned a bit about how I might be able to help as well. One thing I’ve encountered more than anything else is insecurity. A lot of people out there feel social media marketing for their business is not something that’s going to work for them. Sure it works for Gary Vaynerchuk, and it works for Brian Clark, and it works for Michael Martine, and it works for thousands of other business owners, but it’s not going to work for YOU.

If this sounds like you…if you feel you may not have what it takes to be successful using social media to grow your business, I’d encourage you to look at the facts.

Social Media For Business: Fact #1

A lot of my clients shy away from social media for business marketing, because they fear an exorbitant time commitment, but this is a huge misconception. Yes, you can waste time with social media…you can waste time doing ANYTHING. Fear of wasting time is not a reason to avoid a valuable tactic for growing your business…it’s simply a reason to make sure you do it effectively. Does this makes sense?

Social Media For Business: Fact #2

Social media is a constant learning experience. That’s what this is…a constant learning experience. It’s true for you and me, and it’s true for everyone out there. There is no such thing as a “social media expert”, and if you come across someone claiming to be one, run in the other direction. Someone who actually knows everything there is to know about social media…are you kidding me? Twitter has only been around for a very short time…there not been enough time for anyone to become an actual expert. Find people who’ve had success, people you want to model. Learn from them and find your own path.
One thing I’ve seen holding people back is the idea that they want to get everything figured out, and then they’ll dive in. It’s unlikely that will happen, because the platforms and rules are always changing. The way to get results is to just get started.

Social Media For Business: Fact #3

Social media is a magic bullet. A really slow bullet…

• Can social media change your business inside out? Yes
• Can social media open up new revenue streams you never even thought of? Yes
• Can social media make you more effective, in less time than ever before? Yes
• Can you accomplish all this in a short amount of time by paying someone else to “take care of it”? Nope.

If there is one concept that many people need but don’t like, it’s accountability. The success of Chris Brogan’s Trust Agents is a perfect testament to this phenomenon. Fact is, building a social media network means building trust. And trust is a funny little bugger. It simply cannot be manufactured. Can’t be done. It has to be built. One tweet at a time. One post at a time. One comment at a time.
I get asked to “do social media” for clients somewhat regularly. Yes, some clerical tasks can be delegated, but social engagement cannot be diverted to someone else. You’re either accessible to your community or you’re not. If you’re not, you’re missing out on huge opportunities, and social media tools allow you to leverage your time considerably, so you CAN be helpful and accessible to your audience. It’s a win-win.

Social Media For Business: Fact #4

You have what it takes! Can you do it? The answer is “yes” :)

• It doesn’t require a high degree of techiness or nerdiness.
• It doesn’t require knowledge of html, or any of that web programming crap. They have tools now that take care of all that.
• It doesn’t require that you even know what Twitter is. Just a willingness to learn.
• It doesn’t require that you have any expensive equipment. If you’re reading this article (unless someone printed it out for you, lol), you already have what it takes to get started and go quite far.

And here’s a bit of what it WILL require:

• Paradigm shift, plus go ahead and put your seatbelt on, because you’ll have another total paradigm shift real soon. I experience one at least once a week.
• A realistic budget. I really struggled with putting this on the list. If I’m being honest with you though, approaching a totally new and very dynamic marketing strategy and expecting to do it for free (as many do for some odd reason…go ask your local newspaper for a free ad, and see how far that gets you) is not a strategy I advise. Many of these tools are free to acquire. Acquisition is one thing. Effective implementation over the long term is an entirely different thing. Social media highly effective? Yes. Free? Not usually, unless you’re a veteran and highly, highly competent. And even the vets in this industry get help and use premium tools daily.
• Time. Yes that’s right! Social media is not a space ad. You can’t slap something up and get results. It’s about networking, building relationships. Results will come, and they can blow your mind, but they will not come overnight.
• Willingness to learn new skills, consistently.
• Help. This relates to “realistic budget”, but not all help needs to come from an outside consultant. Much help can be obtained through free sources like online forums and reading other blogs. Looking to others for solutions…people outside your immediate organization, will need to become a regular event.

Can you afford to ignore the fact that almost all your customers are online looking for you already…talking about you? Stepping into the conversation is welcome and encouraged, and that’s all social media is in a nutshell. It’s just people talking.
Do you have what it takes? The answer lies in your social competency. Have you ever shook hands or had a nice conversation with someone? If the answer is “yes”, then yes…you too can be successful at social media marketing!
Does social media marketing scare you? Have you implemented it in your business yet? How is it working? Are you getting the results you want? Post questions or comments…in the comments! I’m happy to respond and will even cover questions in future posts if called for ;)

I accepted a friend request from this person, and this is what I got in reply. This isn’t selling. This is yelling. This is clinging. This is spam.

What action would you take on this? You’d make sure to visit all the sites that have been suggested, right? You’d make sure to take the time to get back with this person and initiate a conversation, because they obviously have a lot of valuable insight to share, correct?

Or would you, like me, delete it…and probably never talk to this person again? Let me know what you think!

By the way, I greyed out the urls and user name because I don’t feel any need to spread any ill will. I feel most of the time, poor use of social media is just out of ignorance. We all make mistakes. But to the user who sent this to me (surely you recognize this message, lol) no, I wont’ be visiting any of these sites, and sending emails like this isn’t doing you any favors ;)

Something about the “Let’s network!” line cracks me up though. Just sayin.

How often do you get emails like this? How do you respond?

Clearly without looking at your specific feed and attempts to get results from Twitter, I need to generalize a bit, but there are two most common mistakes I see out there in my own feed, so I will address those two.

If you have any specific questions, I recommend you comment the post or fire me an email with a specific question, and I’ll be happy to address in a future post.

Two Biggest Mistakes Using Twitter

1. Failure to Stand Out
2. Blatant Promotion Over Communication

Let me cover each in a bit of detail:

Failure to Stand Out

Bottom line, if you don’t stand out, your results in business (on Twitter and elsewhere also) will be zilch. Look at your own twitter feed…all the tweets coming in from the people you follow. Which ones stand out to you? Which are you compelled to click on? What traits do these tweets share? Use this information.

Fact is, there is ALWAYS a reason you’re not getting the results you want from any particular technique, and there is ALWAYS a way to fix it. It might require that you do something different. As a matter of fact, it most likely WILL require to change what you’re doing.

It’s not just a matter of getting more followers. If you’re not getting the results you want with 500 followers, you’re not going to get much better results with 5,000 followers or 50,000 followers. As always, it’s about quality, not quantity, especially if you’re operating in a niche market.

So after you’ve analyzed your own feed for a minute…what makes YOU want to click through on a tweet? It probably covers a topic that personally interests you, and it probably has done something to stand out. Put simply, you need to model this. Firstly, are you covering content that specifically interests your followers? Hint: if they’re not clicking through…maybe they’re not interested ;) Secondly, are you using verbiage that commands attention? Hint: if you’re not getting traffic from Twitter…the cause for this is likely in here somewhere.

This may sound simplistic, but Twitter is a very simple tool.

There are certain words like “free” or “make money” that many people are just gonna gloss over. But still, the words you use matter. Pay attention to your verbiage. Certain words are going to stand out and perform better in tweets. Copywriters know this, and if you want to get better results and more traffic to your site using Twitter you need to pay attention to this also. Which tweet would you be more likely to follow?

Get 10,000 followers on Twitter in 30 Days! Check it doode!

-or-

2 Beautiful Things You Should Be Doing on Twitter That You’re Probably NOT…are you doing this?

The first uses overused, spammy language. The second offers a personal challenge to the reader on a targeted topic that is important to them, and it specifically asks for a response. Remember what I’ve said about asking for what you want? If your follower cares to respond, they pretty much have to click the link. Right?

How do your tweets measure up to this? Comment, and let me know what you think!

Blatant Promotion Over Communication

Amped up blog titles will get you a little distance. Titles like “746,000 Ways to Make Huge Money Starting NOW!!!”…they’re going to garner some attention from people in a general sense. However interruption marketing like this, while it has it’s place, will only get you so far.

Especially if a title like this is not backed up by considerable amount of substance, it will go nowhere. It’s also something to keep in mind that the more ridiculous your titles get, the more impossible it is to live up to expectations.

It’s important to understand that when you’re looking to get results from other people, it’s best to engage them, not yell at them.

A title like the example earlier is the web’s equivalent to yelling at someone. Yeah, it’ll get attention, but people are also experts at glossing over and ignoring anything vying for their attention. So being attention-getting is only one element. Don’t just get their attention, engage them.

A Lesson in Direct Sales

Coming from a sales background, I can tell you one fundamental way of engaging a buyer…ask questions. Personally engaging and thoughtful, earnest questions. Almost any question will do…people want to speak their mind and to interact with someone who understands them, especially on topics that are important to them.

More on the value of questions and how specifically to execute the use of questions in your tweets, blog posts and sales copy is the topic of another post…for today just keep in mind that engaging people and asking them to respond is key. Asking a genuine question is always more engaging than making a statement, no matter how kick ass the statement is or how much CAPS LOCK you implement.

Are you getting the results you want from Twitter? Do you have other or better ideas on how to get more traffic using Twitter?

If you spend any time on Twitter you know what I’m talking about. Not sure what the actual appeal is here or why ANYONE thinks I’m actually going to click on their link “How to Get 10,000 Followers on Twitter in 5 Days”, but nonetheless, spam is here to stay :)

That said, deciding how to deal with Twitter spam is a concern I wanted to put to rest for a bit. So I did something crazy…I asked all my friends on Twitter what they do, and I got some great feedback!

Since a lot of us use Twitter daily, I thought it would be worthwhile to share the results of my little quiz with you and let you in on how I plan to handle the spam I get on Twitter.

Options of How to Deal With Twitter Spam

There are really only a few options, and I was surprised to hear that many people don’t seem to realize how they work, so I wanted to make sure we’re all on the same page. Here are your options:

• Report the spam to @spam. This is highly recommended, and I was surprised that not one single person mentioned this. Are you aware of this option? I thought it was common knowledge :) It takes just a second, and if you use Tweetdeck, it takes just two clicks.
• Unfollow them. If you’re following the person, it’s simple to just quietly unfollow them. This doesn’t completely eliminate the possibility of receiving spam from the offender again, but it decreases the chances of it. If you’re not following them, at least they cannot send you a direct message. They can still send you replies though.
• Block them. This actually may not accomplish what you think it will. I think blocking is not presented clearly on Twitter, because when you block someone, all that really happens is that they can no longer follow you. But of course, if someone wants to see your tweets, all they have to do is go to your profile, so blocking doesn’t really do much other than put a tally on the offenders profile. I don’t know what the parameter is, but word on the street is…if a spammer gets enough blocks, their account gets deleted. That’s how you sometimes end up seeing that cool page with an owl on it that says “nothing to see here…”.
• Verbally assault them. Try to scare the crap out of them, so they’ll learn the error of their ways and never spam again. This is actually a great idea, and it usually works *sarcasm*. Some choose to engage in this pointless fun though. Hey, if it lets you blow off some steam… ;)

When Friends Spam You

There were mentions of a distinction when an actual friend (or just about anyone you talk with who you feel really ought to know better) sends you something that is technically spam. Like being a little tactless or overzealous about promoting their new landing page or MLM opportunity, etc. Most people including myself, tend to shrug this off. Between friends, what’s a little spam, right? Just as long as it doesn’t get too crazy. Even friends deserve a smack down from time to time though…am I right, or am I right?

How I’ve Chosen to Deal With Twitter Spam

1. When it comes in, and I don’t know the person…and it’s clearly spam. I report it to @spam…every time. This clears it from my timeline and gives Twitter a heads up.
2. Many of the stupid DM’s I get from friends I just ignore and laugh them off. Being light hearted as often as possible in life pays big dividends. It’s like when a coworker forwards me some stupid cat picture. Am I going to report them to their ISP? Probably not. As long as it doesn’t happen too often ;)
3. I’ve only ever blocked one person, and it was a situation where this user was actually being persistently obnoxious and almost scary. Screw that noise. If someone is actually making you physically uncomfortable…that’s block-worthy.

A Final Word

Don’t let spam get you down. It’s a minor inconvenience in my opinion when placed up against the huge advantages of using Twitter as a communication tool. If you have any questions about Twitter, place em in the comments. I’ll help however I can!

As you know, I am a big advocate of reading books. It’s massively important to keep your education ongoing, especially when it comes to your business.

Here’s the deal: if you’re in business, you best be getting your social networking in gear. And that means you need to read up on Twitter. Anyone who’s ever thought they couldn’t understand the value behind Twitter and how it could possibly be valuable for their business (an all to common comment I hear) needs to read this book.

Twitterville not only puts Twitter into easy to understand terms for any business owner or marketer, it also puts it into a global perspective, so you can truly see the massive power you’re ignoring by not getting in on the conversation.

I do use affiliate links on Next Level Blogger on occasion; this is not one of them.

TWITTERVILLE officially goes on sale September 3.  But you can read a free excerpt or preorder the book today at www.Twitterville.com