What Is Twitter?
Lets start with a definition from Wikipedia.
“Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users’ updates (known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.”
Watch this video for Twitter to be explained in plain English
Now a bit of a disclaimer here. There are hundreds of manuals about Twitter and how best to use it and no one agrees on what is best. Here I am looking only at how you can use this to improve and leverage your blogging efforts.
Twitter can be used for much more than that but that is not our topic here.
So we have the Wikipedia definition and here is my take on it and what a blogger needs to know and use.
Twitter is a micro blog platform. You are limited to 140 characters per post. This forces you to be concise and keep each tweet (Twitter post) to just one topic.
The key to effectively using Twitter is to understand that it is a conversation between people. It is about sharing information. It is not a sales platform although some will disagree with that. I am not saying that you can’t use it to sell but you need to do it the right way.
If all you are planning to use Twitter just as a platform to send out your links forget it now. Just like a blog you need to supply valuable information and build your reputation as a valuable resource.
Do that and when you occasionally recommend something people will be interested. Just send links and very few will continue to follow you.
It works like any type of networking. It is most valuable when you are sorting information about your niche for others. Just like a blog if you find valuable resources from others and let people know about what is valuable to your readers on your blog or followers on Twitter.
Just like off line networking you don’t go to the local Chamber meeting and introduce your business. You talk to people there and ask about theirs. Have an idea that can help them – share it. Do that and you develop relationships that will help your business not because you pitched your business but because you became a valuable resource that others will recommend.
Twitter works the same way.
Twitter can also be very powerful in keeping in touch with what is new in your marketplace. Some of the tools can allow you to follow any topic easily.
Discover The Power Of Twitter With My Twitter Video Tutorials
Twitter Gave Me A Griffin Reader Dock For My iPhone/iTouch
There is a lot people out there telling you there is money to be made from Twitter. They say all you need is a targeted list of Twitter followers and creative tweets to send your followers to links that make you commissions.
Well since I have over 2400 Twitter followers I decided to give this a test.
Here is the test:
Affiliate Classroom 2.0 is launching this week and as a reward to their affiliates they have put together a list of prizes they will give their affiliates for a set number of leads they generate. I figured this was a simple test – I will send out a tweet to the Affiliate Classroom 2.0 landing page and see how many people sign up for the free information they are giving away (by the way the free reports and video case studies are better than reports I have paid for but that is for a different post).
Day 1 I sent out a tweet that read:
Message to my newsletter subscribers: “go download this report” – http://budurl.com/wb7m“
I then “tweeted” out the same message in the morning of day 2.
I did not promote that offer any other place other than those 2 tweets on Twitter.
The result – in 2 days I received 262 clicks on my affiliate link (about 10% of my twitter followers) and 60 leads or 23% of those that landed on the Affiliate Classroom 2.0 page.
Why did this work?
Well there are a couple of reasons.
First: my list of followers on Twitter are targeted to people interested in making money online and/or working from home.
Second: the Affiliate Classroom 2.0 program fits what my Twitter followers are looking for – information to help them make money online.
Third: the Affiliate Classroom 2.0 landing page and free offer was very strong and tested to convert well (hey these guys know what they are doing)
Fourth: My followers know I have a reputation of only recommending high quality offers or products so there is a built in trust factor.
Fifth: the message sent out on Twitter was worded as if I was sharing information that only my follower or subscribers were privy to.
Finally: I don’t spam my Twitter account with offers every day. Most of my tweets are information based such as links to articles on making money from home, or online. I put in personal tweets to let my followers get to know me. So when I send a tweet for a solid offer my followers take action.
This was just a small test of the power of Twitter, but it is proof that when done right your Twitter account can generate income for you.
Are you on Twitter Yet? If so Follow me http://www.twitter.com/stirls (I’ll follow you back – I promise)
Want to learn how to set up and run your Twitter account the right way? Check out Twitter Video Tutorials
Twitter Gravy Train – Are You On It?
It’s no secret that Twitter is growing by leaps and bounds each day. In fact Twitter is currently doubling in size every 90 days! With that kind of growth Twitter is estimated to have over 50,000,000 users by Christmas 2009. Just turn on the TV, read the newspaper, or listen to the radio and all you hear about is “Follow me on Twitter” from all of the announcers. There is no way this is not a coincidence.
This growth of Twitter is just the VERY beginning of the Twitter wave ladies and gentlemen. There are a ton of different ways you can use this cool and simple little application.
I have been on Twitter for several months now (you can follow me here www.twitter.com/stirls) and I love it. I happen to like the fact that it’s:
a) FREE traffic to my blog and other landing pages
b) Very effective at list building
c) Very effective at driving FREE traffic to my blog or websites that I earn commissions from
In this crazy economical recession we find ourselves in, people are turning in droves to the internet to find an alternative to the once coveted “job security”. Most people are recognizing that the only security they have is themselves.
So, if you are not on Twitter yet, don’t miss this opportunity, take action. Let me teach you all that I know about Twitter in 14 simple to follow Twitter Tutorial Videos.
Click Here to learn how easy it is to make money with Twitter
Exit Splash Installed With Ease
Well, after seeing more and more websites that I follow using the Exit Splash script created by Dave Guindon I decided today was the day to install the script on my websites.
I have to admit I purchased the script from fellow Canadian Dave Guindon back on April 22 2009 and put it on my list of things to do thinking that I needed a lot of time to learn the complicated script and how to install it.
The reality is that it took me longer to watch the awesome training videos Dave includes with the script than it did for me to actually install the script on all my websites. The videos were in total just under a hour in length. Once I watched the videos I was able to install the code in under 2 minutes – it was that easy.
So what is Exit Splash?
Well it is a simple code that you install on your website that creates a warning message when people leave (or exit) your website. Here is a video from Dave explaining Exit Splash in more detail. (opens in a new window when you press “Play”)
Why Did I install Exit Splash?
Well if someone is leaving my website then they probably are not going to purchase anything from my site so this little piece of code lets me increase my chances of turning that non sale into a customer by offering to give them something for free as a “Thank You” for visiting my website.
At this point you are probably thinking that Exit Splash is just another one of those annoying pop ups, and you might be right except that this pop up does not pop up when you are trying to read my website, which is so annoying. This pop up happens when you leave my site. By the time you leave I have nothing to lose since you have already decided to leave making a purchase.
On top of the Exit Splash script Dave also gives you a code to create a Viral Twitter Box to put on your website and a suggestion box. These are both powerful tools on their own but when combined with the Exit Splash code it is easy to increase your website conversions and traffic.
My only issue with the Viral Twitter Box is that the dimensions of the box are not customizable to fit on different areas of your website or blog. I would like to see Dave include this option in future upgrades.
If you have a website and have anything to sell off your website get this code and don’t be like me and take 3 months to install it. I shudder to think of the income I have lost because of my delays Exit Splash is a must have.
Quick Follow Tool For Twitter
An awesome twitter tool by Matt Haslem- called Quick Follow – that captures follows from YOUR site was launched today
So now instead of sending your hard earned visitors off to twitter.com to follow you, you can now have them follow you directly on your own site.
And The best part is it’s free here: www.QuickFollow.com
Why use this tool? Well Quick Follow helps grow your followers faster, while keeping the traffic on your site. It makes sense when you think about it. Why send your site visitors off to twitter to get distracted into a million different directions when you can have them start following you from your own website.
Try it out, I am sure you will like it.
