How to Twitter, Win Friends and Influence People

Learning how to twitter without ticking people off while still earning an income involves striving for that delicate 'balance' between socializing and promoting. The key is that you do not want the other people on twitter to feel like you are only there to make money. Using twitter to build and expand your business can be done successfully as long as you understand it is first and foremost a social networking community. The way you interact with other twitter users should demonstrate your interest in them as 'people' and not as 'targets' for your promotional efforts. To be in any way effective at conducting business on this site you must FIRST gain the attention and trust of other twitter users. Here are 3 ways in which you can easily 'blend' in with the people on twitter in an effort to gain their attention and trust. Comment on Interesting 'News' Check out the current events and news happening in the world and make comments about it in your tweets. Select news that may hold the most interest of other twitter users in order to capture their attention. Use the 'trending topics' function on the site that tells you the most talked about subjects on Twitter at the time. Do not be afraid to introduce things that may have occurred to you personally or local news that you find funny or even annoying. You are bound to find others that share your humor or empathize with you regarding annoyances or set backs. This approach will help to 'humanize' you all the more with others. Ask for Opinions Soliciting opinions from others is a great way to get attention since who does not want to offer their own perspective or advice on something. It is usually best to pick a topic that is popular since you know most everybody will be familiar and likely have an opinion to share. By using this approach you can attract and engage people who you may not have otherwise been able to so in the past. Retweet This indicates your willingness to 'listen' and share the thoughts of others allowing you to 'fit in' more quickly with the community. The other twitter users whom you do retweet will also appreciate your gesture as well. In the future by following this practice it is more likely others will return the favor to you. Realizing how to twitter in a way that will make you friends while also conducting business comes with recognizing it is a social networking community. Your behavior should reflect that your priority is to socialize with other members. If you are perceived to be there ONLY to promote you will be ignored. By adopting or adapting any or all of the 3 approaches suggested above you will likely experience a quicker acceptance into the community. Once this is accomplished you can begin to 'subtly introduce' whatever you may be promoting. Keep in mind that you will need to maintain 'social' contact with other twitter users or your marketing efforts will be less effective.