Nov

How to Use Twitter for Affiliate Marketing

I find it interesting that social networking sites are so popular now. It seems to me that people just naturally crave interaction with other people. And I think that Twitter has seen explosive growth because it’s so easy to use, and you can post your thoughts in just 140 characters. It’s micro-blogging at its best.

Regular readers might remember that I’ve had a few issues with Twitter recently; they suspended my account without notice (or cause), and it became a huge ordeal to get it reinstated. It turned out that my account was mistakenly suspended, which does happen.

I think the folks at Twitter are going through some growing pains, and I know they’re trying to figure out how to monetize the site so they can stay in business and actually make money.

But I am forgiving, and I do think Twitter can prove to be a good business tool, so I’m back on it, tweeting away.

It’s easy to see why Twitter is so much fun for people who just want to reach out to like-minded folk to communicate. You just post your tweets and reply to others on your chosen topics.

But it’s not as easy to navigate the potentially treacherous waters of using Twitter for affiliate marketing. You need to take a soft-sell approach, and not beat people over the head trying to sell to them.

Like all social networking sites, Twitter has organically developed a pretty stringent code of etiquette. Follow the rules, and you will be rewarded with more followers and increased sales. Ignore the rules, and you will quickly lose your followers, hurt your reputation, and possibly get your account suspended by Twitter.

As Twitter gains even more traction, it’s going to be that much more important to follow the rules from day one, and set yourself up for success when you’re using Twitter for business.

So here’s what I’ve learned about the best ways to use Twitter to promote affiliate products (or any products, really):

Setting Up Twitter

Start off right by choosing a great business name for your Twitter ID. (I chose jbshort because it’s been my nickname forever, but I probably should have used something like “marketingmaven.” Next time.)
Add a good photo of yourself, preferably smiling. Don’t use the Twitter avatar. It’s unprofessional and you’ll look like a spammer.
Take some time to work on your profile. You only have 160 characters, so explain who you are why your services are great, and how you can help followers.

Best Following Practices

Use Twitter Grader to find top Twitter users to follow. Type in your own Twitter name and get your grade. Then scroll to find their “suggested folks to follow.” Check them out and follow the ones who seem interesting.
Next, click on the “Twitter Elite” section. These are people with the top Twitter grades. Check them out too and decide who to follow.
In both cases, click on the link to their followers. You can browse through the lists to select others to follow.
Also, type in your business keywords in Twitter Search to find people to follow and to get involved in conversations already happening.
Get to know the people you’re following. Check out their profiles and click on their links to a blog or website to learn more about them. If you like a post or article, tweet them to let them know. They’ll probably start following you.
If you get an email saying that someone is following you, send a direct message thanking him/her for following you. You can also include a link to a free eBook or course. Don’t sell. Check out the person’s profile to see if you want to follow him/her too.
Don’t follow a large number of people in a short period of time. You’ll probably get suspended by Twitter.

Best Tweeting Practices

Ease into tweeting. Don’t send out a lot of tweets the first couple of days. (Really, don’t “overtweet” at any time.)
Make your first tweet about the fact that you’re new to Twitter and why you’re there.
Your next tweets should provide some valuable tips in your niche (not affiliate links).
Then ask some questions in your tweets about your topic to get some feedback from followers and get new followers.
Think of tweeting as a conversation, not a sales tool. Interact with others by sharing resources and information. Answer questions, and give good advice. You’ll make sales later by building trust first.
Reply to other tweets a lot. If your profile shows that a large number of your tweets start with @twittername, potential followers will know you’re someone they want to get to know.
Give twitter shout-outs to others by tweeting something like, “You should follow @loseweight now. She has some great weight-loss tips.” You’ll make a friend, and show that you’re supporting other tweeters.
Follow the 80/20 rule when tweeting. Only promote affiliate products 20 percent of the time.
Once you’ve gotten established and have built up a good reputation, you can start promoting affiliate products. Don’t send followers directly to a sales page. Send them to your own site or blog where you review the product. They can then click on your affiliate link through to the sales page.
If someone tweets with a question about a certain product, you can send them to your review page that includes your affiliate link. When you’ve earned your follower’s trust, you’ll find you make more sales.
If you only want one person to see your message, send your tweet as a direct message. If you want everyone who is following you to see the message, send it to @ Twitter ID. That will let the person know the message is for them, but it will be also seen by all your followers. It’s good to use this method to show that you’re there to be involved in conversations, not just promoting your affiliate products.
Make sure you acknowledge a recommendation from another Twitter user by replying to them and letting everyone else know too. It’s great to give kudos.

Now that I’ve made my list, I realize I could do a better job taking my own advice. I’m going to start today.

Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter.

Tags: affiliate, Affiliate Marketing, affiliate products, affiliates, Social Networking, twitter, twitter etiquette

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