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The Rise of Mass Twitter Following

Since my return to the blogosphere, I have noticed that the incidence of  ‘Mass Twitter Following’ is increasing at an alarming rate. People are doing this for a variety of reasons, mostly due to the fact they are seeking ‘instant authority’ and an ‘instant audience’. Typically, that kind of approach fails; and it rings true more so in our day and age than ever before.

To clarify things, Mass Twitter Following is the process whereby an individual will sign up to a service or purchase a product which they will then use to follow more than a usual amount of people in a day (200+). This contradicts the very fundamental principles of Marketing 2.0 and typifies OLD, TRADITIONAL and ANTIQUATED marketing 1.0 tactics (i.e. Let’s make a quick buck.)

Marketing 1.0

Let’s go back a few years, shall we? In 1998, we encountered the dawn of online marketing, with people parading around with horrible website designs and literally making a killing online (millions) selling sub-standard products. The problem for these marketers emerged when people realized that they were being scammed (it took us a while, but we got there eventually).

So, people started developing tactics to reduce their ‘con-artist’ image. This saw the advent of personalized email newsletters (Personalization 1.0), unfortunately, aside from the emails being personalized, they contained a plethora of pitches for more sub standard products. But in 2001, the dot com bubble burst, and along with many other factors, internet marketers realized that things needed to change…So we get to Marketing 2.0

Marketing 2.0

Identifying the exact point when the first signs of Marketing 2.0 started is superfluous, though for now we can presume it started from 2004 onwards (this is when the internet and online business started picking up speed after the burst of the dot com bubble). The fundamental principles of Marketing 2.0 are based around…

• Developing a strong Customer/Consumer Relationship
• A Strong Open Conversation and Critique (Social Media)
• Personalization 1.0 and 2.0

So, What Is The Issue With Mass Twitter Following?

More to the point…what isn’t the issue? Mass Twitter Following reinforces old tactics of ‘finding a big group of people and pitching blindly’ (in hopes that some of them will buy something). This business model is not only antiquated, it is actually flawed. What happens when you mass follow people on Twitter?

• You lose the relationship (because it was never there to begin with)
• Therefore…users following you are disloyal (i.e. they never knew you till you mysteriously added them…)
• As a result…they are less than receptive to your product pitches (they are also more willing to un-follow you due to sheer annoyance)
• In the end, you lose your credibility and your reputation – something not easily restored.

The principle here revolves around the fact that you can’t use Marketing 1.0 tactics in a Marketing 2.0 world. For those who do, seek a more long term approach as opposed to the 1998 style of doing business. It’s 2009 (i.e. a decade and more later). Taking the easy way out may be quick, but whatever was quick to come will also be quick to depart.

Simply remember, if you have 1000 loyal subscribers with whom you’ve developed a relationship with, 10,000 anonymous Twitter users following you doesn’t mean much when they don’t know of your work. For all those doing the right thing (using Marketing 2.0 tactics and caring about your customer base), keep doing it and keep on pioneering your niche! Long term relationships often mean repeat customers, as opposed to one off anonymous users whom you will most probably not hear from again.

Tags: Customer Loyalty, Internet Marketing, twitter