Jim's Marketing Blog

Marketing tips and ideas to help you grow your business

The Twitter follower mystery

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Mike Butcher – The UK & Ireland Editor for Techcrunch, sent me a couple of tweets today and also an email.  By the time Mike emailed me, he thought I had to be using a robot or something, to have developed such a great twitter network so quickly!  We spoke and by the end of our phone call, everything was fine – but the story is excellent and well worth sharing with you!

Here’s Mike’s initial tweet to me (he’s actually a really nice man when you speak with him – honest!)

Mike tweeted:

You have 22k followers, a big UK Tweeter. Your tweets are rather dull. Your blogs slow/derivative. What gives?

Although Mike had read my blog and was following me on twitter, he was amazed that other people were doing the same.

I gave Mike a very friendly reply:

I’m guessing you are asking the wrong person – Thanks for the compliment though ; )

Shortly after, Mike sent a far more friendly tweet to me:

No probs, just trying to keep you on your toes. I’m pretty dull too, but then I don’t have 22k expecting Socratic insight.

A problem with Twitter & a Journalists instinct!

Twitter is experiencing a problem as I write this; where certain people (me included) with large follower / following numbers are unable to follow people back.  My follower count has froze and anyone I follow is getting notification, but twitter isn’t allowing me to follow them.

I told Mike I would follow him, so he could send me a DM (direct message) and I did – but the Twitter problem meant he never got followed!

This, apparently, is why Mike assumed I was using a robot, to follow people and then immediately unfollow them.  It’s odd really, as I’m actually following over TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE back. So, he emailed me to say he thought I might be tricking Twitter.

In fairness to Mike, he’s not using twitter the way I do.  He currently has over 6,000 followers (because he’s a famous editor), but only follows less than 1,000 of them back.  That’s fine, but the complete opposite of the kind of ‘community building’ I focus my Twitter efforts on.

Twitter mystery solved!

I called Mike this afternoon, to let him know about the Twitter follow problem.  He’s actually a very nice person to speak with.  I also sent him a few links, to show how this blog and my twitter account act as two ‘outposts’ for the same, large network.

Twitter and community building

Mike’s right, it is unusual to have 22,000 followers on Twitter (and so quickly), but then it’s ALSO unusual for this blog, which was only launched in the middle of October, to already have posts with hundreds of comments.

Building your twitter network

One post here has 550 comments, all from Twitter users and all containing their twitter user names, so you can follow them! It’s called Building your twitter network and you can add your twitter details and find great new people to follow too!

It’s not as high tech as using a robot, but a network is all about people – right?

Twitter photo shock from PhotoShop

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We have all heard those stories, where someone has used PhotoShop to make themselves look younger, more handsome or thinner – right?

Well, what I am about to share with you here is what I call photo-shock!

It’s the shock someone experiences when they meet someone for the first time, who they have previously only seen very heavily PhotoShopped pictures of.

A twitter connection

I spoke with a friend last week, who told me about her shock at meeting a man for the first time; whom she had only previously communicated with via twitter.

They agreed to meet in person; as this guy is a designer and my friend had some design work, which he wanted the chance to quote for.  So, they decided it was best to meet in a public place and chose Starbucks. My friend arrived a little early, grabbed a coffee and waited.

Noticing her twitter friend was about 20 minutes late, she decided to give him a quick call, just to make sure he was OK. The weather was extremely bad and she was concerned he may have had an accident.

Imagine her surprise, when he answered the phone and told her he was already there; sitting upstairs enjoying a coffee!  Now, my friend had sat downstairs, close to the door and she watched each person come in. She told me:

“At this point Jim, I just assumed he must have arrived before I did; because I watched the door like a hawk, so that I could welcome him and ‘break the ice’.”

Even after being told where he was sitting, she STILL couldn’t spot him – until he called over to her!  Suddenly she figured out what had happened!

The picture used by her twitter friend had been so heavily PhotoShopped that it was basically a different person! As a professional designer and an expert with PhotoShop, he was able to create an amazing set of pictures of himself for his website and twitter profile; which look great – but are nothing whatsoever like he really looks.  She was genuinely shocked!

Most noticeably, the man she met seemed to be around her age (she’s 52), yet the pictures he uses online look to be closer to someone in their late twenties. He had doctored the images to change his age by around 25 years.  As she told me;

it’s one thing to pick pictures of yourself that show you in your best light or to remove the odd zit / spot; but this guy looked like the father of the guy I was expecting to meet. It instantly destroyed any trust I previously had in him.

Although this might sound like a funny story, there’s an important issue here.

What about trust?

Before someone will do business with us, they have to trust us.  They need to believe we will deliver on the service we promise or that the product we supply really will do whatever we claim it will.  If someone starts off a business relationship, behind a heavily doctored picture of them self, is it REALLY going to impress a prospective client when they learn it’s a fake?

Over to you!

If you met someone for the first time and saw that they had been using heavily doctored images of themselves online – would it create a ‘trust issue’ for you?

Do you believe, as my friend does, that this is a form of dishonesty or is it OK to use software to make yourself look as good as possible? Is there a limit, beyond which it’s unacceptable, if so, where’s that limit in your opinion?

Let us know what you think!

Comment spam doesn’t work!

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People hate spam! But not as much as we hate spammers! I mean, they are the kind of people we all avoid at any cost. We would never do business with a spammer or risk having our good name associated with a spammer, right?

So why do businesspeople leave comment spam on blogs?

Comment spam is the name given to those comments you see on blogs, which are just thinly disguised sales pitches.  They add nothing to the other comments or the blog itself and are regarded as totally unprofessional, just like email spam.  Sadly, you see comment spam on every well read blog, including jimsmarketingblog.com.

In this post, I explain the dangers of posting comment spam, PLUS share a few tips on how to use the comments section of a blog professionally, to help you and your business!

Comment spam doesn’t work

The primary reason not to use comment spam is that it just doesn’t work! In fact, it will simply damage your reputation and hurt your business.  By the way, the kind of comment spam I am talking about here are comments posted by people – not those that get caught in your spam filter and are sent by spambots.

Comment spam: Counting the cost

Just 30 minutes ago, I spoke with a business owner, who highlighted the danger of posting comment spam.  In fact, our conversation is what’s prompted me to write this post.  He told me that he had spoken with a business consultant last week and was really impressed, so impressed that he was going to hire him.

However, before deciding to hire the consultant, he decided to check the consultant out. Part of this was a simple Google search on the consultant’s name and business name.  After 5 minutes, he quickly changed his mind and decided not to hire him!

Why?

Because he found a number of comments this person had made on blogs, which were clearly just spam; comments that were cheesy sales pitches for this consultants services.  As he put it to me;

“Jim, why would I hire a spammer, I hate spam!  This man clearly has no idea about business or the importance of acting like a professional.”

Comment spam = Self-generated bad publicity!

The reason people post comment spam is simple.  They believe that by getting their spam in front of the readers of a blog or forum, they will increase the number of people who are aware of them, and that this is universally a good thing for their business.  It isn’t!  Comment spammers are simply telling everyone who reads their spam that they are spammers – something to avoid! It’s nothing more than self-generated bad publicity.

Comment etiquette

If you want to use commenting on blogs as a way to build your reputation and increase your reach and influence, use the opposite approach to the comment spammers.

Here are a few tips, based on comment etiquette:

–  Only comment if you have something to say that’s worth sharing.

–  Remember that the comments you leave on a blog will be searchable by potential clients / customers, so only leave comments that you are happy for them to read!

–  Don’t include your website or blog’s URL in the comment. It’s already included in the link where your name is. Adding a SECOND link is generally regarded as looking cheesy (at best) or just plain desperate! It’s not easy to negotiate your fees with a potential client / customer if you give the impression of being broke.

–  Most blogs (like this one) have anti-spam software that automatically removes any comment with more than one link.  If you do link to something in the comment you leave, make it relevant to the other comments or the original blog post.

–  Avoid OTT self promotion. It’s fine for you to show your brilliance with the value of your comment, but people are turned off by blatant self promotion.

I believe that if a comment spammer could see themselves the way you and I see them, they would stop instantly.  I read somewhere that when a businessperson spams a blog, they think it’s okay – that when ‘they‘ do it it’s different; because ‘they‘ don’t see themselves as spammers.

There are many ways to professionally position a person and / or a business as a valuable must have for one’s target market. Comment spam is not one of them.

What are YOUR thoughts on comment spam?

Share your thoughts or experiences regarding comment spam – Plus, do you have any tips you would like to share on how to get the most from commenting on blogs?  Let us know!

Building your twitter network

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If you want to develop a high quality, large network of ‘followers’ on twitter; you will find what I am about to share with you extremely interesting!

As you know, the best way to build any high quality network, is to make sure you are connecting with the right kind of people for you and your business.

And now, through jimsmarketingblog.com I am going to help you do EXACTLY that!

As of right now, every time you leave a comment here, you will be able to add your twitter user name to your post, using the comment form!

This will automatically link straight to your Twitter profile – so potential new ‘followers’ will be able to follow you in seconds!

How will it help you?

I network with over ten thousand people on twitter and as a result, a massive percentage of this blog’s readers are twitter users.  By reading the comments you leave here, people can decide if you are the kind of person that’s right for their network. 

My goal is to help YOU develop a great network of ‘twitter associates‘, by making it easier for people with shared outlooks and objectives to connect with you!

Commenting ‘Twitter Style’

In true twitter style, I would like to offer you the chance to tell my readers about yourself, in 140 characters or less!

One comment per user please – enjoy!

How I attracted 8000 Twitter followers in 14 weeks!

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As this morning saw me attract my 8,000th ‘follower’ on Twitter, I thought it was a good time to share with you, how I have built my network of Twitter Associates thus far, (I don’t like the word ‘followers’.)

Some background

Whilst a few social media / marketing people have more followers than me, I have attracted almost all of my followers in just 14 weeks – NOT 12 months or 2 years!  I also did this without the benefit of thousands of blog readers, legions of ‘fans’ or famous blogging friends. 

I have also managed to build a targeted network of Twitter Associates, not just NUMBERS!  My network on twitter is composed primarily of; business owners, entrepreneurs, bloggers and those linked to marketing, PR or social media. (The exact same people who use my marketing services.)

I believe building a network of Twitter Associates is not just about attracting numbers!  It’s about attracting people, who are in your target group and then earning their trust.

The three key words here are people, attract and trust.

People

The people I associate with on Twitter are NOT my followers; they are my equals.  We are part of the same online network.  I refer to them as my Twitter Associates, because we associate with each other on a level playing field, using Twitter.  The only time I use the term ‘follower’ is (like in the title of this post), when I need to give people a quick point of reference.

You see, this is a two way deal with me, I follow all those who follow me, unless they are spamming me of course. With me there’s no tribes and no leaders – just people who want to connect!

Does an equality-focused approach actually work on Twitter?  Well, there’s anywhere between 1 and 3 million people using Twitter, (apparently).  As I write this, I am high in the top 1% of all Twitter users, based on ‘followers.’  I don’t say this to impress you, but to impress upon you the effectiveness of treating people as equals and with respect!

This means communicating rather than dictating.  It means engaging people and listening to what they say. It means taking time to help people no matter how many followers they have, just because you like their work.  It means becoming part of a network or community, without feeling the need to lead it!

Think of the people YOU buy from, enjoy the company of and recommend to people.  These will tend to be people you trust, people you like and people you value – NOT people who treat you like some dumb ass follower!

Attract

There’s been a lot said about the power of attraction, with some referring to it as the law of attraction. Whatever your thoughts on the subject, we know that cause and effect play a major role in every area of our lives.

If we want to attract people, we first need to make ourselves attractive to them!

On Twitter, the most attractive people are those who share – rather than just self-promote.  They are the people who take time to answer questions and engage people in dialogue.  They are the people who look for ways to connect others and help them thrive.

One of the fastest ways to attract the interest of another human being, is to show your interest in them first!  We all like to feel valued and when another person takes time to notice us, it makes US feel good!  Don’t wait for people to follow you – develop your network of Twitter Associates by looking for great people and FOLLOW THEM FIRST!

This means that you not only attract more people, you ALSO get to develop a network of associates who are the kind of people most suited to you and your business.

Use the Twitter Search facility to identify people who ‘tweet’ about things you are interested in, and follow them. Then, introduce yourself and add something of value to the conversation!

Trust

We live in an age where; diets promise we can lose 20lbs in a month, we can have rock-hard abs with just 3 minutes exercise a day and where we can become rich in weeks (if we just buy that $29 ebook!)

We expect results immediately, yet developing trust takes time!

Paradoxically, I believe one of the reasons my network grew quickly, is because I took my time!  I am simply not influential enough to develop a network that big, that quick, all by myself!  I rely massively on the help and co-operation of others and that only comes after people trust me enough to recommend me to their Twitter Associates.

I see people using auto-responders when I follow them, with links to sales pitches – because they come to twitter expecting immediate results! Who is going to recommend someone like that to their Twitter Associates?

I get people I have never heard of, telling me to send a message to my Twitter Associates, recommending they follow them or visit their website/blog!  Who is going to recommend a person like that to their Twitter Associates?

I mentioned earlier, the importance of treating people with respect, as equals.  This is a great way to earn people’s trust and their good will.

When this happens:
– People will recommend you to their Twitter Associates.

Also…
– People will go and visit your site or blog.
– People will enquire about your products or services.
– And people will buy from you. I’ve recently sold over $30,000 in services / products via people I met on twitter.

Your tips, ideas and suggestions!

This post is based on my experiences and observations as a twitter user.  I’m certain there are many, many more ways to develop a valuable network via twitter…

AND this is where YOU come in!
What kind of things make you more, (or less), inclined to press someone’s follow button?  Share them here and please feel free to include your twitter username, if you would like new people to discover you!

…. and if you found this useful, don’t forget to subscribe to my RSS feed!

Seth Godin and Twitter

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A number of people contacted me yesterday, with a link to this post on Seth Godin’s excellent blog. In his post, Seth warns people about using Twitter. His argument is that it’s easy to be misunderstood, so you should avoid it for anything important or controversial, unless you want people to “assume you are an ignorant jerk and move on.”

Twitter would look very different to Seth Godin

I believe we have to look at this through Seth Godin’s eyes, if we want to understand his point and see why he doesn’t use Twitter.  Of course, Twitter would look very different to Seth, than it looks to you or me.  He hasn’t got hundreds of ‘followers’ – he’s got millions of ‘fans’ who would love to chat with him.

As you might already know, Seth Godin has banned people from commenting on his blog.  He says the primary reason he has banned comments is because:

I feel compelled to clarify or to answer every objection or to point out every flaw in reasoning.

If Seth is genuinely as obsessive about this as he suggests, with the huge following he has, he would find it impossible to use Twitter the way we do. People often disagree with what you say and it’s easy, as he points out, to be misunderstood.

Seth Godin is a very clever man and a superb writer too.  However, in my opinion, I think his reasons for not using Twitter and for warning people about it, are perhaps less relevant to the rest of us, than they are to him?

I believe Twitter is a great form of communication for 99.9% of us.  Believe me, lots of people get a great deal from Twitter; including me and most (if not all) the people I chat with there.

I also think that Seth’s good friend and business associate Robert Scoble @scobleizer, proves that you can be controversial on Twitter and people will not just ‘move on’ – As Seth stated.  Robert currently has over 40,000 followers and can be extremely controversial in what he says about business, politics and technology.

Over to you!

Have you found Twitter useful? If so, in what way has it helped you or your business?  Share your thoughts, and include your Twitter username, if you would like people to contact you!