Archive for automated direct messages
A new spin on Automated Direct Messages on Twitter
Posted by: | CommentsI’ve written a few times about automated direct messages on Twitter (Should You Send an Automated DM to New Twitter Followers? and Using Twitter: Another Look at Sending Automated Direct Messages)
An automated DM in Twitter is when you use software to automatically send a direct message to new followers. I was (and still am) against them because everyone knows they’re automated and are often annoying to the receiver. They do nothing to help the receiver get to know, like and trust you better. Getting people to know, like and trust you is your main purpose with marketing.
However, I recently received this automated DM and this is the exception to my no auto-DM rule. Why? Because it made me laugh – which is clearly the goal. It is poking fun at how most people craft these types of messages and instantly made me like the sender a little more. Therefore, it did the job.
What do you think? Leave a comment please.
Andrea J. Stenberg
How to Look Bad in Twitter
Posted by: | CommentsRecently I noticed a wine expert had started following me on Twitter. Since I a) like wine and b) like to follow new people, I followed him back.
I then wrote him a DM (that’s
direct message – which is private on Twitter) asking him what his favourite Canadian wine is. At about the same time I received what is obviously an automated DM from him, thanking me for following and asking me to click a link and leave a comment about a wine I recently tried.
That was a week ago. There has STILL been no response to my message, which wasn’t automated. And his automated DM is still sitting at the top of my DM inbox, reminding me that he hasn’t bothered to answer my real message.
Remember, using Twitter (or any other social media tool) is about building relationships. It’s about giving people a chance to get to know, like and trust you enough that they want to deepen the relationship by visiting your website, having a conversation or visiting your store. By sending me an automated DM and at the same time ignoring my message to him, he missed a chance to let me get to know him better. And forget about like & trust.
You probably know that I’m against automated DMs (if not, please read this article http://ow.ly/4ujEb). However, if you are going to ignore my advice and send them anyway, please, please, PLEASE have the courtesy to read your own DM inbox and reply to anyone who sends you a message. If not, you’ll end up looking like a jerk.
Andrea J. Stenberg
Follow me on Twitter and if you send me a message, I promise to reply. And the reply will be from me, not a bot, not an assistant, not even my kid, but me.
And if you haven’t done so yet, please check out the free internet marketing ebook I co-wrote with @sos4business. Internet Marketing 101: Discover Three Simple Things You Can Do Now to Grow Your Business Online will help you jump start your online marketing. Get the free ebook at http://29daystogrowingabusiness.com
Using Twitter: Another Look at Sending Automated Direct Messages
Posted by: | CommentsAbout a year and half ago I wrote a post called “Should You Send an Automated DM to New Twitter Followers?” In case you haven’t read it, I was against it.
Shortly after I wrote that post, the number of automated direct messages (DMs) I received declined. In fact, for several months I received almost no automated DMs. Only DMs from people who wanted to send me, and only me, a private message. Now as much as I would like to take credit for this decline in what is essentially Twitter SPAM, I am sure my post is not the only reason for this. 
However, I’m starting to see a rise in automated DMs so I thought I’d revisit the issue.
First, let’s make sure we’re all on the same playing field. What is an automated DM?
A DM (or direct message) is Twitter’s private message service. If you send a DM, only the recipient can see it. This is different from an @reply (an “@” symbol in front of someone’s Twitter user name) which is public. For example if you put @andreastenberg in your Twitter message, everyone can read that message but the @andreastenberg let’s me know you meant that message for me or were talking about me in some way.
An automated DM is different. There are a number of tools that let you automatically follow people who are following you. These same tools often will allow you to automatically send a DM to anyone who starts to follow you. Now on the surface, this sounds like a good idea. If you’re using Twitter to market yourself or your business, why not automate things to make it easier?
Well, another term for social media is social networking. And I’m sorry to say, you can’t automate your networking. You need to put in the time.
Let me show you some examples of what’s in my DM folder right now. Please note, the names/links have been blocked out to protect the innocent (and not so innocent). Read More→
Should You Send an Automated DM to New Twitter Followers?
Posted by: | CommentsThe hottest thing in Twitter seems to be sending automated DMs to new Twitter followers. A DM is a direct message sent via Twitter which can only be seen by the receiver and sender, not by the entire Twitterverse.
How do they do this? By using a service like TweetLater to automatically follow anyone who follows them. They then create a message that TweetLater sends to all new followers.
When people first started doing this, it was kind of cool. You’d start following someone and suddenly you’d get a DM thanking you for following. If you didn’t have a lot of followers, it was nice to actually have something in your DM box.
But after a while it began to lose its cool factor. After all, if Twitter is really about building relationships, how are you getting to know someone by having an automated reply? In fact, now that I’ve reached a critical mass of followers I’m getting so many DMs I’ve started to delete them without really paying attention.
And yet, there was one guy I started following who did this really well. His Twitter bio says he has a free gift to all new Twitter followers. After following him, he sent a DM containing a link to get a whole lot of free tools.
So, should we be sending the DMs?
I attended a Twitter workshop at Podcamp Toronto last weekend when this topic came up. It sparked a heated debate about automatic DMs. One woman was extremely vocal about the subject. In particular, she hated DMs that contain links: links to your blog, website, podcast, free download, whatever. She commented, “I don’t even know you yet. We don’t have a relationship and you’re already asking me to take some action?!?”
That particular comment struck home. I’ve been telling people that Twitter – and all social media – is about building relationships one person at a time. You shouldn’t do anything online that you wouldn’t do in person. Sending an automated DM with a link is like trying to sell at a networking meeting before you’ve even had a single conversation with someone.
And I’ve been guilty of it too.
And not only is it annoying, several people in the session stated they unfollow anyone who sends them one of these automated DMs.
As soon as the session was over I logged into TweetLater and cancelled the automatic DM. I’m still automatically following anyone who follows me. After all, how better to get to know someone than by reading what they have to say.
So how do you build relationships with people on Twitter without the automated DM? I’m sorry to say, you do it the old fashioned way. Sending messages one person at a time. Read people’s Tweets and send @replies or DMs that comment on what they wrote. Start an actual conversation. Once you’re talking, once you have a relationship, then you can send that link.
Andrea J. Stenberg
What’s your opinion about automated DMs in Twitter? Love ‘em, hate ‘em, didn’t know you could do them? Leave a comment and tell us what you think.
PS: You might also enjoy reading Using Twitter: Another Look at Sending Automated Direct Messages
