Why Companies Aren’t Getting Much from Twitter Marketing

Twitter is, as it stands, undoubtedly one of the strongest business marketing tools available in the UK, the US, and most English speaking countries, but how many businesses are truly making the most of it?

If you have not realised, most if not all companies’ Twitter accounts are managed by an agency or by someone in the company that is not a decision maker. That’s a simple fact. Now, what about decision makers and influencers; well, most of them are not managing their Twitter accounts either, and this is the reason why most of the effort you put into Twitter is ultimately squandered.

Twitter is not a social network in many ways, nor is it as many “experts” say, a broadcasting platform or a mini blog. You can use it as such if your business is in the broadcasting industry, or if you are a celebrity or a politician, but what about everyone else?

Twitter is arguably the strongest networking platform out there when it comes to showing expertise, leading discussions, and making connections; the potential reach the platform offers is unmatched, providing you know how to make proper use of it. Remember just because someone doesn’t regularly post that doesn’t mean they don’t have a twitter account to follow subject of interest, whether that be sports, world news, trading news, financial news, politics, etc.

Getting back to the point, in practice Twitter is not very different from LinkedIn. It’s all about people, not companies; even if you are a B2B business, you are connecting to people that use social media mainly when they are taking a break from work. This is what most people forget.

It is not about posting, how often you post or what you post, it is about:

1. Finding your target market
2. Creating connections
3. Nurturing your connections

Once you have mastered these three stages of Twitter marketing, then posting becomes more relevant

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Most companies I have consulted have the same issue in that 90% of their followers and larger reach are not their target market, but all they asked for was “follower growth” and they mistakenly measured their success purely by the number of followers they had. Following this ethos such issues were inevitable.

In most cases just one follower can still be enough to bring a new client to your business, generate traffic, or secure a partnership with someone through Twitter - maybe the partnership that will prove the difference between succeeding and not succeeding in your business. The question is, how do you create that connection if you are not actively managing your Twitter accounts?

Well herein lies the second biggest mistake people make; they treat Twitter like Facebook - post, post, and post some more, maybe making the occasional use of Twitter Ads at most. A better approach may be to consider sending a DM (Direct Message) to your potential clients. If you are a B2B company look for the Twitter account of the decision maker, not the company’s Twitter, and tell them NOT what you do or can do, but tell them first why you are writing to them specifically, what problem you claim to solve, and what you can bring to them. After that but within the same message offer them a trial, demo, or call to explain more. Ask them to give you their email address so you can send what you are offering.

Make sure your message sounds very personal, addressing them by their first name as if it was someone you know. Tell them you hope they consider your offer not because of what you stand to gain but because it could make a positive difference in their company. This offer should be free; it is not a sales message nor should it include a picture of what you sell. If they don’t manage their own account, the person doing so on their behalf will usually feel obligated to pass on your message - it all depends how personal you made the DM.

Mastering the art of the DM can often be the difference between getting results and not getting results. Twitter is not a traffic generator, it is a networking platform intended to create connections and host discussions. It is about finding the right tone for your target market and leading the discussions they are involved in. In many cases these discussion will not be related to what you do, but you should still be part of them.

Mili Ponce
Entrepreneur, Dreamer, International Speaker and Consultant on Digital Marketing, Founder of  TheSMFGroup.com & SocialSongbird.com

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