When most people first use Twitter, they are left feeling as though this tool is remarkably easy to use and implement into their marketing strategy.  However, the truth is that if you accidentally misuse Twitter, you may actually be doing more harm than good. Twitter is an amazing tool for marketing your products and services, but you do need to go about using it in the correct manner. Otherwise, you may end up not only irritating others, but also ostracizing yourself from the Twitter community. This article will explore the five biggest Twitter marketing mistakes and how you can avoid them.

1. Failing to Share Content of Value

Twitter easily lends itself to allowing people to get narcissistic. What do we mean by narcissistic?  Well, there are a plethora of marketers on Twitter who spend their time only commenting on and linking to their own websites or press releases. In fact, it is common to see marketers who spend all of their time on Twitter discussing their own business and how great it is. This sort of behavior actually cultivates an air of desperation!

If you want to be truly interesting on Twitter, it is important to provide content that is genuinely of interest to other people. Otherwise, you will end up being like that annoying person you might meet at a cocktail party who only talks on and on about how great he is and how awesome all of his accomplishments are. Don’t fall into this trap. Instead, look to share content that isn’t just self-serving, but also that might help your followers with their own goals and interests. See if you can start to create a balance between your tweets that are promotional and ones that are relationship building.

2. Sending Out Promotional Tweets Too Early On

As the old saying goes, “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” If you are just getting started on Twitter, it can really hurt you if you immediately start sending out your marketing messages. Instead, try to be subtle. Otherwise, your followers will start to feel harassed or coerced to buy something. As a result, they could drop you are a friend or worse yet, assume that you are a spammer.

Until you have a decent amount of followers and have built up a reputation for providing interesting and quality content on Twitter, try to forget about making money. Also don’t obsess about how much traffic your site is getting from Twitter. Just make sure that you focus on building up a quality Twitter profile that provides unique and interesting content. You will reap far more profits in the long run if you create a good impression.

3. Failing to Respond When Others Tweet @ You

Believe it or not, many Twitter users fail to check to see if anyone has tweeted @ their company. As a result, they are missing out on a key opportunity to interact with others who are interested in their products and services. Further, you never know when someone who sends you an @message on Twitter will become your newest and best customer. The good news is that when you do respond, it is an amazing chance to show your followers (and the followers of the person you are talking to) that you care about your relationships and welcome communications. When you take time to respond to messages, it will serve to draw a great deal of attention to your company. If you ignore your @ messages, you will be failing to take advantage of one of the best parts of Twitter.

4. Being Too Corporate

While branding and cultivating a respectable corporate image is no doubt important, the Twitter community is more friendly and receptive to those who keep things casual and informal. If at all possible, it is better to present yourself as a real person as opposed to just a faceless corporation. In fact, it is better to put up a real photo or image of yourself rather than just a logo. After all, it’s easier for others to trust and build a relationship with a real person instead of just a nameless company. Of course, you can still promote
and link to your company in your biography, on a customized background, and in the content that you write.

On the other hand, you also do want to avoid getting too personal. If you are on Twitter promoting your company, you probably don’t want to spend time complaining about your children or telling people what you are having for dinner. Instead, make sure that all your content is intelligent, relevant to others and on target.

5. Failing to Spend Enough Time on Twitter

You would be surprised to learn how many people sign up for a Twitter account, send out a few tweets and then expect the business to start rolling in. The truth is that in order to make Twitter serve your marketing efforts, you need to invest the time and energy to make it worthwhile. Also don’t forget that when quality users follow you, it is important to follow them back. Otherwise, they might take offense and stop following you. It is important to note that sending out just one tweet a day really isn’t enough. To be a worthwhile person on Twitter that others want to follow, you should send out at least several tweets throughout the day. Also try to make sure that your tweets are as interesting and entertaining as possible. If you are having trouble remembering to send out enough tweets, you could use a tool like Hootsuite or SocialOomph to schedule your tweets.

Make checking, updating and responding to people on Twitter an important part of your daily regime. Try to get used to logging on a few times a day. The bottom line is that if you dedicate the energy, patience and attention to marketing on Twitter, you will see that the payback is quite impressive.