Auto-Tweets. I hate them. We all get them from time to time on Twitter. I call them The n00b Boobs. You know who I mean. THOSE people (or brands). The nimrods who think Social Media is still just another advertising medium. The people who program keywords into the system and as soon as someone mentions those particular keywords, they get an automatically generated Tweet, selling someone else’s crap.
This is the story of @BodyWorkerPro. And the guy in the dunce cap photo reminded me of him. He is one of those people who thinks Twitter is just another form of direct mail.
His words, not mine.
Via Twitter – @BodyWorkerPro: @PRDivaRach @TilsonPR The twitter response system is a legit and worthwhile means of addressing people just as direct mail does.
And why does he feel he needs to use this program? I thought you might ask…
Via Twitter – @BodyWorkerPro: @TilsonPR I don’t stay on the computer all day, so it does it for me.
And my favorite one: My Tweets are coming whether you like em or not!
Via Twitter – @BodyWorkerPro: @dorizinn I suggest you block my tweets. And you won’t be bothered by my tweets.
Here’s a news flash, @bodyworkerpro and all the other spammers out there (yes, this is actually something I consider spam) – It’s called SOCIAL Media for a reason. Computer programs aren’t SOCIAL. Engage people, not their Twitter feeds.
Our friend Ken’s mistake was that his program tweeted members of a very active South Florida social media community who called him out on his spam and were actually nice enough to give him words of advice/warning. He argued at first, seemed to be interested in changing, then sent out another dozen spam tweets. As a result of his arrogance, he was bombarded with Tweets, blocked and reported as a spammer and generally given a bad name throughout the South Florida social community. He shunned the most important people in his geographic area. The ones who could actually help him succeed. Never mind the fact that they’re a pretty powerful community.
Twitter users are much too savvy for spam techniques. If you or your brand are actively involved in the social media space, KNOW THE MEDIUM. Twitter users are very different from your average Facebook friends. The number of Facebook users may dwarf the number of Twitter users, but you won’t find a more knowledgeable group of people ABOUT Facebook and its members than Twitter users. These are the types of dynamics you need to keep in mind when creating your social media strategies.
Know your space, know your audience and, perhaps most importantly, respect the audience you don’t know you have.
Don’t be a Ken. (He also plays music when you enter his website! Yikes!) – You are welcome for the link.
Shelly Kramer is a Principal Analyst and Founding Partner at Futurum Research. A serial entrepreneur with a technology centric focus, she has worked alongside some of the world’s largest brands to embrace disruption and spur innovation, understand and address the realities of the connected customer, and help navigate the process of digital transformation. She brings 20 years’ experience as a brand strategist to her work at Futurum, and has deep experience helping global companies with marketing challenges, GTM strategies, messaging develoment, and driving strategy and digital transformation for B2B brands across multiple verticals. Shelly’s coverage areas include Collaboration/CX/SaaS, platforms, ESG, and Cybersecurity, as well as topics and trends related to the Future of Work, the transformation of the workplace and how people and technology are driving that transformation. A transplanted New Yorker, she has learned to love life in the Midwest, and has firsthand experience that some of the most innovative minds and most successful companies in the world also happen to live in “flyover country.”