How to Use Twitter to Promote Your Writing Services

© 2009 Ugur Akinci
There is a good way to use the Twitter to promote your writing services, and another way that’s not that good. I’m finding these things out myself by trial and error and I wanted to share some of my findings with you.
1) Always share something useful and relevant, either by linking or including the whole content (if it fits within 140 characters). Always remember that the audience you are targeting are not your fellow writers but prospective employers. This, of course assumes that you strictly have a commercial purpose in mind.
For example, to Tweet about “That’s it for day – heading for bed now!” is good to establish a “relationship” of sorts and to come across as personal and real. But in terms of perking up a prospective employer’s interest, it means nothing. It actually may come across as amateurish. So think twice about your targeted Twitter audience and what you’re trying to achieve.
What would be the proper Twitter content, for our purposes?
Well, “I’m glad you asked” as they say in traditional direct mail copy.
Twitter” src=”https://technicalcommunicationcenter.comwp-content/uploads/2009/12/02twitter-150×150.png” alt=”02twitter” width=”150″ height=”150″ />2) One excellent Twitter content is to explain to your prospective customer why hiring you would be a “profit center” decision instead of a “cost center” one.
In plain English, it’d be great if you could explain why they’d be losing money by NOT hiring you. All the best professional writers I know do that by explaining not the FEATURES of their own writing and background (since the clients really don’t care that much about your PAST achievements) but the BENEFITS they’ll enjoy in the FUTURE by hiring you.
In that context, testimonials are obviously important. It’s human nature: none of us wants to be the first to try something out. If there are other people out there who tried out something and liked it, then it’s easier for us to make the same decision. There is “comfort in numbers” as they say. You can achieve that by either squeezing a short testimonial into your Twitter post or giving the link to your testimonials page.
NOTE: The new FTC rule requires disclosure of any “material connection” between the reviewers and the product/service owner.
IDEA: You can run a series of short list of benefits with each Tweet.
3) Another thing I found out: pre-scheduled automated postings do not work that well since people eventually figure out that a machine is doing the posting and not you. That really kills the authenticity, the sense of now-and-here that Twitter thrives on. Yes it takes time to feed the Twitter monster but it’s a potent social marketing and networking platform that may be worth the trouble in the long run.
What are your experiences of Twitter? Is it working for you? Can you measure the results?
I think the overall verdict is still in the air. So that’s why I’m interested to get your take on this as well. Write to me by using the COMMENT link at the end of this post and share your experience with all of us. That would help us all become better communicators as a result. Thanks in advance.
P.S. Did you hear that TWITTER was selected the most frequently used word of 2009?!  Go figure…