Tweeting: 10 marketing mistakes to avoid

Is your small business effectively using Twitter to market your products or services to existing and potential customers? If not, it should.

Aside from Facebook, it’s another major tool with marketing power. The popular microblogging site touts a growing membership of nearly 200 million registered users, making Twitter fertile marketing ground to help you attract and retain customers. But many small businesses are mystified when it comes to maximizing their exposure on Twitter and as a result, make common marketing mistakes that often have adverse effects.

To help you successfully navigate your way around Twitter, BizBytes created a list of 10 marketing mistakes small businesses make and how to avoid them.

1. Not following properly.

How many people are you following on Twitter? How many are following you? If you’ve got 10 followers, but you’re following 10,000 people, that ratio is a clear indication that only 10 of the possible 200 million Twitter users find what you have to say important enough to follow your stream. This doesn’t make a good impression on a potential customer who happens upon your brand on Twitter. Instead, make it a point to follow the people who follow you.

2. Not using direct messages correctly.

Twitter’s direct message feature, or DM, should only be used when you want to communicate directly without sharing your message with fellow followers. It’s supposed to be a private, one-on-one conversation and that’s generally how it’s used. But many small business owners use DM to solicit customers by sending messages promoting their products or services that aren’t personalized. This is generally frowned upon and turns many Twitter users off to your brand.

3. Not thanking followers personally.

When someone follows you on Twitter, you can send them an automated message thanking them. But why? It’s better to build a rapport with potential customers via Twitter by sending a personal message of thanks. It’s a great opportunity for you to find out more about the person following you. This will give you some insight into how your product or service may be helpful to that person in the future.

4. Not properly maximizing your free Twitter real estate.

One of the great things about Twitter is the ability to customize the background of your stream. That’s some prime Internet real estate. Use it wisely by adding your logo and a custom message inviting people to find out more about your product or service.

5. Not keeping it real.

This is a common mistake small business owners make. Remember, on Twitter, keeping it personal will go a long way. Don’t compose tweets that look like they are coming from your brand. Instead, you or your employees should tweet personally. Putting a personality behind each tweet will help engage more potential customers. Remember that Twitter is all about personal contact, not random interactions.

6. Spamming followers.

Spamming is a cardinal sin on Twitter, so don’t do it. It might sound like a good idea to send your followers and random nonfollowers a tweet with a link to your latest sale, but a message like that could be considered spam and you will lose followers quickly. Don’t follow people with the intent to send them sales messages. Instead, tweet a link to some useful how-to information about a topic.

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