WHY WE THINK YOU ARE A TWITTER IDIOT - Rachel Thompson

Rachel Thompson

Author • Poet • Advocate

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WHY WE THINK YOU ARE A TWITTER IDIOT

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Okay, maybe you’re not an idiot. You might be a very nice person who doesn’t know any better. But, the truth is we’re getting sick of it and we’re not gonna take it anymore (wait, isn’t that a bad country song?).  Anyway, pay attention. 

 

If you put links in every tweet or Facebook message, it’s a total turnoff and you are no different than spammers. It’s a proven fact that people who broadcast one-way rather than interact two-way have less followers and are unfollowed more often (Dan Zarrella, The Hierarchy of Contagiousness).

 

So you’re thinking, fine Miss Bossypants. What do you expect us to do instead? (You’re also thinking, damn, who does this redheaded chick think she is? Let’s just say I’m someone who has done this for awhile.)

 

Provide content. Ya know, info, resources, interesting shit. This doesn’t mean jabber on about nothing or what you ate for lunch. Pick keywords that describe you, your genre, what you do, who you are. Make people care. 

 

(There, there, honey. Was that so hard?)

 

Here’s what I’m referring to specifically that bugs us:

 

  • When you autoDM someone with a link to like your FB page or book (ack)
  • When you only tweet out links to your own books (and please, stop quoting your own stuff. You’re not Abe Lincoln)
  • When you tweet out links to your own books and the books of others authors (oh, just relax. I’ll explain)
  • When you tweet out links to your books, other authors, and RT anything else that includes a link
  • When you are promoting your book because it’s free or part of a group promo so your sense of urgency takes over

 

Are you seeing a pattern here?

 

Links, links, links.

 

Let’s deconstruct.

 

AUTO DMs WITH LINKS: People hate these and for good reason. Asking me to like your Facebook page or book before we’ve even said hello is like expecting sex on the first date before I’ve even opened the door and said how do you do. I mean, I like sex as much as the next girl but I kinda want to have a drink first, ya know?

 

Besides, if you’re smart, you’ve already included in your bio your pertinent links (Twitter allows two links. So der, have two.). I do know how to read. If you’re not a tool, I will click on them and check you out. I will also probably like your Facebook page and Amazon book if you don’t inundate me with linky spam to go like all your stuff. So back the hell off.

 

REPEATED BOOK LINKS: I’m an author. I get it. Selling books is important. But guess what? You will sell very few on Twitter. I know. Harsh, Rach. Read it again if you need to.

 

But Rachel, you say, wha, wha, what? That can’t be possible! Yea, well. Reality sucks.

 

Here is your wake-up call: You need a fully fleshed-out author platform. Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads, LinkedIn, now Pinterest, Google+, website, blog (which is why I cringe when authors wait until their book release to start social media and then expect support. Do it way before release. Please.)

 

And even then, the majority of your book sales will likely come from reviews, word of mouth and ads (I like Google AdWords), Facebook ads, or Goodreads ads, Kindle Nation Daily and Pixel of Ink are also awesome, advertising with top book bloggers (Google them for your genre), doing virtual book tours where you’re exposed to readers of your genre, book promotions (there are a gazillion – again, Google them or contact me via email) and a myriad of other ways.

 

(And KDP Select if you’re part of that. It rocks if you also advertise the hell out of it when you go free. Just going free and tweeting the hell out of it? Not good enough.)

 

Twitter is but one part of your author platform.

 

What Twitter does do is increase your exposure and help you build a fan base, a tribe who will support you in your endeavors, just as you support them. Which is why you need to not simply broadcast book links. Twitter is social, two-way. Are you two-way when you broadcast? No.

 

Think about it: do you listen to the guy who pontificates endlessly about himself at a party? No. You find some excuse to get away, quickly.

 

Don’t be that guy.

 

AUTHOR LINKS: I love supporting my other authors and they support me back. It’s a crucial part of community building on Twitter that I value immensely. Unfortunately, I see too many writers fall into the trap of inbreeding, meaning they only tweet and RT their own links and links of other authors. That’s it.

 

The danger here is that no one person is that narrow focused. Do you only write? No. Surely you have other interests. Just as you played football in college or enjoy cooking now (sorry, can’t relate; burn water), it’s a good idea to explore other tweeps and build on those relationships. As I mentioned above, while Twitter doesn’t sell your books, word of mouth does.

 

My #1 bestselling eBook about men and women, The Mancode: Exposed has some unlikely advocates in the most random places due to my varied interests like movie scores, sci-fi, and even vodka. Who knew? Don’t limit yourself.

 

LOTS OF OTHER LINKS: There is so much great stuff to tweet out, right? Cool pix, unique info, music, book reviews, Pinterest links, Triberr mates’ blogs…how do we know how much is too much?

 

You may be one of those tweeps who IS quite conscious of their amount of tweets that contain links (and good for you) but feel at a loss how to control it. Well, there are a few things you can do:

 

  • If you’re on Triberr, go to settings and set your tribemates posts for 90 minutes. The auto setting is 20, which is too close together in my opinion.
  • Some tribemates post more than once/day. I don’t approve those. Sorry guys but I only blog once/week. Once/day approval is all you get from me.
  • Use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck (both free) to schedule in your posts. If you’re still using Twitter to live tweet, all your tweets are going out in batches and your tweeps are inundated. This helps with your time management also.
  • For goodness sakes, write tweets that have no freakin’ links!

 

(I will write more about content tweets and promo tweets on my BadRedhead Media blog in a few weeks.)

 

SENSE OF URGENCY: I see this a lot. We’ve all felt it. Some people just freak out! When their book is on promo! OMG! My book is free! Everyone buy it!

 

Enough with the exclamation marks. Especially early in the morning. If I haven’t had my coffee. Step away from the shift-1.

 

I work with lots of clients who are selling their books. I manage their Twitter accounts and in fact, their entire campaigns and I can tell you, Twitter is but one small part of how we go about ensuring their book sells. We look at:

 

  • Their Amazon copy, categories, tags
  • Advertising
  • Blog tour, interviews, guest posts, and book promos
  • Press releases
  • Facebook
  • Goodreads
  • LinkedIn
  • Blog post
  • Newsletters
  • Email campaign

 

& more. Much of the above is free or low cost so ‘blah blah I have no money or time and Twitter is all I can do’ is BS. Save it. If you use Hootsuite or Tweetdeck, you can post everywhere so ix-nay on the inks-lay. Got it?

 

So…I hope you have a few ideas at this point which show you other avenues besides Twitter to promo your books or business.

 

STOP THE MADNESS!

 

UPDATE: Since posting this yesterday, I’ve had QUITE the reaction from people who post nothing but links (imagine that) and they are not pleased with me. Ah, well such is life. I will grant them that IF you’re linking out interesting, unique data, people are more likely to click on it. I follow many streams that are link only if the content is useful or helpful to me. 
 
My point, and perhaps this is my bad for not being clear enough, is not that links are bad. Links are terrifically helpful. If you look at my stream, they’re full of em (how do you think you got here?) Most popular tweeps are linky. Many of us have learned to provide content with our links. It’s a balance. That’s all I’m saying.
 
Do whatever YOU want. It’s a free country. 

 

I’d love to hear your comments below. Please share your experiences or tell me where to stick it. Whatev. Thanks so much. If you know someone who can benefit from this article, please by all means share with them. Exclamation marks optional.

 

Do sign up for my newsletter The Chronicles of Snark. The form is just over there =====>>>> it takes seconds, and you’ll find out all the haps with the Queen of Snark. Yea, that’s me.

Still feeling overwhelmed by Twitter? Check out my April webinars.

 Cool stuff coming up this next weekend. I may actually tweet about it. Ha!

 

 

 

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Comments

    • Aw, I wouldn’t do that, Lance. I have such respect for authors. Anyone who publishes is putting ourselves out there. It’s how we go about making ourselves known that I question, that people need to learn about. And the info is there — just Google ‘author platform’ or buy a little book. Tons of great info about it. Why people think Twitter links is their only option is beyond me.

      Reply

  12. Excellent article, Sister Snarky Redhead. I am an avid reader, ditto my hubby. Now that we’re retired, reading is our life. We also tweet for amusement now and then, and I enjoy getting to know some authors this way… YOU, for instance. 😉 But I agree with you, some of the nonstop self-promo tweets with links and self-quotes is getting more than a little tiresome. Although I have purchased several books because of twitter, yours included, twitter promos aren’t the way I typically do my book shopping.

    I wrote and published a novel in 2000, back in the dark ages when social media was little more than a gleam in Mark Zuckerberg’s eye. Although my novel is, in my humble opinion, a really good read, it hasn’t sold a whole heck of a lot, mainly due to lack-of-promotion laziness. I just got really bored with the whole book-signing self-promoting thing, after the first two or three. My novel (The Second Mrs. Robinson, pen name Rebecca Rochelle) is still available on Amazon, but at a ridiculous price… something like $25, + shipping. With all the other awesome books out there, who in their right mind would buy a book by a complete unknown at such an exorbitant price? True, I did have at least one stalker buy my book last year, but he was probably the only one.

    Lately I’ve been thinking: this would be a wonderful time to pull my book from the publisher, do a bit of rewriting to bring it up to date (ie, the initial Human Genome Project is done, already), re-publish it as an ebook, and hire my savvy snarky redheaded girlfriend to teach me how to promo, the RIGHT way.

    So, what’s holding me back? Did I mention laziness? We moved 8 years ago and I never got around to notifying the publisher of my new address, so they could keep sending me my tiny annual royalty check. Please tell me you have a cure for that one, Rachel.

    Maybe I just need more coffee.

    ~Lady Q

    Reply

    • Yes, Snark Sister, you absolutely need to update and republish as an eBook. Why not? Besides the laziness part of it. (I have matches to light under your cute ass if you need.) The market is SO different now. There’s no reason NOT to. And you know I’d be happy to help you create your marketing campaign, Red. xo

      As for buying books from Twitter, sure, it happens occasionally. We love to get to know our fellow authors and purchase their work. I do that frequently myself. But the majority of readers are not on Twitter. More are on Facebook. Some aren’t on social media at all.

      When I was a pharma rep, I’d go into the same dr.’s offices for YEARS and they still wouldn’t know my name even though I’d always introduce myself and wear a name tag. They knew me as that so-and-so drug rep. Lots of Facebook readers know me as ‘that Mancode chick’ or that snarky redhead. Whatev. As long as they know me in some way, it all works out at some point.

      Reply

  43. From one redhead to another: thanks.
    I am just starting out and this is really useful advice. I find the whole scene a bit intimidating to start off with, but I’m getting in there and having a go – never thought I would. Couldn’t see the point of tweeting about when I’m having breakfast, going to the loo etc. – and still can’t. But have found many awesome writers and blogs to follow and learn from – including yours – so a big heartfelt thanks, and I promise I’ll try to put your advice to good use.

    Reply

    • Thanks so much, Norah!

      Honestly, if all people have to write about is food or loo habits, we don’t want to follow them anyway, right? It’s a matter of seeking out interesting, content-rich people to follow who want to focus on relationships and not the hard sell. The onus is on us to both provide that and follow those who do.

      thanks again!

      Reply

  44. Oh man. Thank you for posting this. So many of the authors I’ve connected with flood their feeds with promos all the time. I just want to shake them until they learn how to use Twitter properly!

    Reply

    • HI Olivia! Yes, it is ridiculous at this point. Twitter is social, not advertising, not broadcasting. I’m not sure WHY that seems such a difficult concept for some. Others do it on purpose, with various rationalization like: I don’t have time to interact, RT etc (which means they’re selfish? Few admit to that) when in fact, they haven’t learned how to use the channel properly as you say.

      thanks again!

      Reply

  45. Hi,

    I am not new to Twitter, but new to my business and am working on engaging my audience on Facebook. My FB page is link to Twitter, but each status update, article share etc will show as a link on Twitter….not sure how I can avoid that AND more importantly, I came here from a Google search as I have concerns that I might be in danger of alienating my FB friends whilst “engaging” for my business.
    I have just published a book, but I refuse to discuss it.

    a bientot.

    Kathy

    Reply

    • Hi Kathy! That’s an easy fix, actually. Go to SETTINGS >> PROFILE (scroll down on the menu on the left) >> scroll down to the bottom — uncheck the box that connect your Facebook to Twitter. Save changes. Done!

      I never recommend connecting the two, mostly because of the reasons you stated. I typically schedule in posts or shares on Facebook using Hootsuite anyway — so everything goes out at different times.

      good luck!

      Reply

      • You’re right of course, I can do that and will. I have Tweetdeck and Buffer so can schedule Twitter (when my majorly slow internet is working more efficiently) and was introduced to Hootsuite yesterday. I drove me nuts, so am taking a breather before giving it another go.
        Pinterest and Stumbled Upon seem to be working well.

        Thanks,
        Have a good day.

        Reply

  46. Excellent advice, Rachel! Def need to change my FB so it’s not connected to Twitter. I had gotten a little tired of promotions on Twitter and haven’t been using it much lately. Now I have a new perspective.

    Reply

  47. Thank you Emily Post, I mean Rachel. Love to have a list of rules to follow. Much appreciated, especially with all the lovely snarkiness. Drink your coffee and tweet on.

    Reply

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