OK, maybe this is going to sound cranky, and I’ve talked about it before, but if you’re on Twitter I’m begging you to please, please, please stop sending out bad automatic direct messages to everyone who follows you. I’ve already followed you, and now we’re following each other and I really, sincerely appreciate the fact that you’ve followed me too. But that doesn’t mean you have to send me an auto DM selling whatever it is you’re selling. Quite frankly, it gets lost in the clutter of all the other people trying to sell me things on Twitter. I just end up ignoring them. They’re insincere and they don’t do either of us any good. I’m not going to buy your stuff and I’m more than likely to filter you out in the future. So, if you’re not sure what exactly bad DM’s look like and you want to be safe, don’t send out Tweets like these gems (I’ve withheld user names to protect the not-so-innocent):
“Consolidate your debts and grab your copy of the Sexy Twitter Secrets at www.bz9.com/debtconsolidationunsecured” (Sexy Twitter secrets? Really, hmm, I’ll have to head over there immediately!)
“Don’t worry about managing your debt payments individually. Visit www.personal-loans-united-states.com and learn how” (Seems to be a recurring debt theme in this country these days eh?)
“I’ve enjoyed your tweets! I’m looking for help! Please refer your friends to http://GreatAgentsWanted.com if they want to make more money!” (Who doesn’t want to make more money? Good tag line, I’m there and so are all of my friends that I’ll refer!)
“Step Towards a Better Financial Future @ http://www.kooko.ws” (Not as good as make more money, but wow, sounds great!)
“Please join me. I’d like to recruit you as a spymaster to my spy ring – http://playspymaster.com” (I spy something very annoying. I don’t want to play, please stop asking.)
“good morning an thank you for the follow. please review my website at www.attainresponse.com/javau. tell me what you think” (just a bad attempt to drive traffic in lowercase. my thoughts: you should try using some capital letters and proof reading your tweets.)
“Join me on Blip.fm, it’s like Twitter for music” (I wasn’t sure if Blip.fm was like Twitter for music after getting this a thousand times. Now I’m convinced. Thanks!)
“Your small business can grow much larger if you had a bigger client base http://twttr.me/dS4″ (It’s always about size isn’t it?)
Sorry for the little rant (again), but if you want to be effective at marketing or getting me to visit your website, try building a relationship instead of getting in my face as soon as we meet. You wouldn’t do that in person (I hope), so why does it seem alright to do it on Twitter?
Related posts:
6 comments so far ↓
1 Michael Gaudet // Jun 9, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Chris, this is a post I’ve been wanting to write but you beat me to it! Good on you. Yeah, my DM box is pretty over-flowing with people wanting to sell me stuff. It’s refreshing to read a DM that is strictly a social ‘hello, thanks, etc.’, rare as that is.
I’m getting a bit disenfranchised with the whole DM thing. I just scan through, if.
@ messages and RTs seems to be getting through a bit more successfully.
Thanks for articulating what I bet millions of Twitter users are feeling at any given moment.
2 John Fauver // Jun 9, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Thank you. Thank you. My twitter-feed thanks you. In the few months I’ve been using Twitter, the marketing BS has gone wild. The marketing folks just don’t get the “new” methods needed for social media. You are spot on saying “build a relationship” – what a new but very old concept.
3 Mario // Jun 10, 2009 at 11:07 am
I’m a marketer and I’m listenting. This is a great post, Chris. You nailed it. This is my welcome message when you follow me:
“How’s it going? I hate to tell you this but I’m as unique as everyone else! Sorry but I don’t have anything to sell to you through here. Friends?”
People still think that everyone who follows is just holding out their wallet to check out the next great thing since sliced bread. Everyone gets so anxious to sell stuff and everything turns into spam. Now, there is room for marketing on Twitter. It just has to be done the right way and the annoying messages you’re getting are so common now.
Do some marketers forget that there is “Google” search available when we are looking for something to buy?
Keep up the good work. Loved your post. I learned from it.
Regards.
Mario
4 JulieB // Jun 10, 2009 at 11:55 am
Those sorts of DM’s earn an unfollow and block. Don’t mean to get nasty, but I’m tired of the constant pitching in Twitter. Yes, mention your product. Mention your new blog post or book release. But you also need to provide some value. I don’t care if you talk about the cat or going out for coffee as long as it’s not all sales, all the time. And if you want me to REALLY drop you like a hot potato, tweet the same sales message multiple times in an hour. That’s not advertising. That’s annoying.
5 John O Connell // Jun 14, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Been new to twitter land, and trying to sort my way through twitspam, I appreciate this post.
Putting a collection of twitter links on my site, this post included http://url.ie/1q7c
Regards,
John O Connell
cloudbooks.org
6 Chris // Jun 15, 2009 at 10:19 pm
Thanks everyone, glad you all agreed. It’s been a pet peeve of mine that I just couldn’t keep to myself anymore. I also wanted to add one more auto-DM that’s been killing me:
“Hey, I just added you to my Mafia family. Please accept my invitation!
”
Now, I’m Italian, and originally from New York. Capice? I’m not sayin’ nothin’ here, but you get what I’m I sayin’? Now scram before I call my cousin Vito!
Leave a Comment