Like any other business or marketing tool, Twitter works well only when it’s used properly. But what does that mean? If you’re using it to drive traffic to your site, it means using some simple, specific techniques to improve Twitter’s effectiveness. Overall, the key is to stand out from the crowd. The problem is, Twitter’s greatest attraction can be its greatest flaw – it’s free. So it is flooded with millions upon millions of people, all screaming, “Look at me! Look at me!” With just a couple of simple guidelines though, you can stand out from the crowd. With patience and the right approach, people will not just follow your tweets, but click through when you post a link – and better yet, re-tweet it.
Offer value
Take a look at the screen shots of two Twitter timelines below. Both post links in pretty much every update, but with very different results. The user on the left probably wonders why his/her Twitter marketing efforts aren’t paying off, while on the right, Guy Kawasaki (@GuyKawasaki), with over 200,000 followers, gets thousands of click-throughs every day. The big difference is that the person on the left posts links that are entirely self-serving. In other words, however cleverly disguised, there is little doubt that when you click on one of those links, he/she is getting something out of it. On the other hand, Guy posts links to useful information. Yes, the information lies primarily on his site, so he benefits from your clicks, but he’s not trying to sell you something at every turn. He has set the expectation of his followers that he’s a resource, not a snake oil salesman.
The lesson to learn is that when you have a reputation for helping, people will respond favorably to what you have to offer. That of course is true everywhere, not just Twitter, but with all the scammers and spammers on Twitter, it’s especially applicable. We don’t recommend posting a link every time you post, and when you do, link to a helpful article, funny video, or cool new site more often than you post to what you sell. That way when you do direct followers to your own site, people will gladly click away!
Mix it up
Social Media is all about building relationships. It is a great opportunity for your prospects, readers, and customers to get to know you better. Even online, people do business with people, and even more so with people they like. So regardless of your industry, don’t make your Twitter feed all about business. A combination of personal posts about yourself, posts about your business, informational or general-interest posts, and re-tweets keeps your feed interesting and therefore worth following. Pam Moore (@PamMktgNut) with FruitZoom, Inc., a Florida-based marketing and Social Media consulting firm, does a great job of this. Her last 24 hours of posts, as of the time of this writing, included a link to a poll she created using PollDaddy, a few re-tweets, some @-replies, a link to a useful Social Media guide (on a site other than hers), a link to a blog post on her company’s site, and a post that she accidentally left her Blackberry at home today. Her 15,000+ followers know Pam’s feed is going to offer a variety of usefulness, entertainment, and personalization. So when she posts that link to her own site, her followers gladly click through.
Using Twitter effectively is part art and part science, and it takes time and patience to perfect it, but if your aim is to drive traffic to your site, we hope these tips will help. If you’ve got other advice, join in the conversation by leaving a comment below. We’d love to hear what’s worked well for you!