in: Twitter
by: Katie Hellmuth Martin
Watch out: sending a direct message on Twitter when someone follows you is overkill and could annoy your new follower. Sending an auto DM used to be possible in Twitter, and the source we used to recommend years ago was TweetLater, but they don't seem to exist anymore. You could try the JustUnfollow app, which can apparently send an auto DM, but can report to you who unfollowed your Twitter account.
We would only recommend creating an automated Direct Message if you have a really, really clever thing to say. Twitter does not recommend auto direct messages. Other marketing companies like these guys flat out beg you to not create an automated Direct Message. In a similar vein, Twitter did away with the auto-follow feature, where your account would follow someone automatically based on a type of tweet they made because it was disingenuous and unsocial (a robot is doing your work). Twitter is placing more importance than ever on a human behind an account, and is not making it easy to auto-anything.
SEE ALSO: Twitter Emails Your Bio to People! Is Your Bio Any Good?
For those who don't know, an Auto DM (or Automated Direct Message) was an instant message your new Twitter follower gets after following you. Usually this Direct Message got emailed to the email account that is on file for your new Twitter follower. You can access DMs in your side column of Twitter, or through a third-party application like TweetDeck. Direct Messages were designed to only be available to the person who owns the Twitter account, and is not a public message, like a tweet is.
While an automated Direct Message is a bad idea, what is happening is Twitter is emailing people for you! There are several instances where based on an action that you take after reading a tweet, Twitter will notify the person who wrote the tweet and will include your Twitter bio in that email. The only way this will happen is if you actually interact with others on Twitter instead of relying on automated tools to do things on behalf of your account. Find out the 3 ways Twitter automatically sends an email about you.
You can still send a DM (direct message) to your new followers, but you must do each by and, aka manually. Being that this takes some time, you can be more selective with you you send a DM to, to make it worth your while. Make it unique and rewarding to the new follower that you have earned. Tailor a message just for your new follower that mentions something about their persona portrayed on Twitter. Your job now is to woo them and keep them a follower through your tweets.
Twitter is a powerful tool to build relationships. This includes relationships with the media and even celebrities. If you are trying to get your business into a national or local magazine, or for someone to hire your services, a genuine pursuit via Twitter is a strategy that has proved effective for many small business owners.
SEE ALSO: Using Twitter and Other Social Media to Boost Your PR Success.
SEE ALSO: Using Twitter and Other Social Media to Boost Your PR Success
SEE ALSO: Your Social Media + PR Questions Answered
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