Twitter guide for Affiliate Networks

Following on from my post the other day I'm delighted that a lot of the UK affiliate networks have been in touch to pledge their allegiance to the mighty Twitter! Seeing as a few have emailed me privately to ask what I would like to see from a network Twitter account I thought I would post here with a few ideas and also encourage feedback from my blog readers too. Before I go on I would like to start out by saying that Twitter should in no way replace your existing communication channels. Your network emails, blog posts, newsletters and forum communications should still remain in place. The fact that Twitter only allows 140 characters per Tweet means that you won't be able to get much across anyway. However there are still a lot of ways in which it can be effective, more on that later. Because Twitter is becoming more and more mainstream every day, with mentions in the national press, TV news and even the One Show, lol. Then you really shouldn't be missing out on this huge new marketing channel. It's my firm belief that every UK affiliate network should be listed on Twitter and will benefit from it massively. The first thing I would recommend for all affiliate networks is to read up on some of the beginners guides that are available for Twitter. If you haven't used Twitter before it can be a bit daunting, and from reading some of the comments in my previous posts its apparent that a lot of people still don't get it. I can recommend this. Then, make sure that you have some information in your Twitter profile to show everybody who you are. Mainly the URL of your network and a short descriptin in the "Bio" field. I would also recommend using at the very least a custom avatar of your logo and if you want to be really swanky you can customise the Twitter background with your brand too. Now that's the basic stuff out of the way, let's get on with what I think the message is that you should be getting out on Twitter. I think the first golden rule is not to do what Zanox do and just publicise new programmes in the same format. This makes for really, really dull reading and as if it was produced by a robot. I would recommend using Twitter to portray more of a personal face of your network but not too personal. I.e. don't use it to send round the latest jokes and funny emails etc. Keep it business, but make sure it's got a human element to it. Finally, before I move onto some ideas on what to Tweet I would definitely recommend that you build your Twitter profile by seeking out affiliates on Twitter and "following" them. Ian has a great list of affiliate Tweeters here. It's also worth looking at the followers of these affiliates and also see who they are following. Before long you will have a huge list of followers simply by following people who will then follow you back. Remember your Tweets will only be "heard" by followers so get yourself out there and build up a network. Also, post your Twitter details on your website, blogs, forum signatures etc. etc. OK, here are my top tips on what I would like to see from a UK Affiliate Network account on Twitter. 1. Announce new affiliate programmes but not in a robotic press release way. Maybe stuff like "Do you have sites in the toy sector? New merchant XYZ launch with 10% commission" then a link to either your affiliate network blog or the signup page that contains more information. By Tweeting in this way you will attract affiliates in the sector relevant to the merchant in your Tweet and also appear to be a nice smiley human :) 2. Announce special offers, best sellers, commission increases, voucher codes, promotions, incentives, competitions etc. All affiliates like this kind of juicy stuff so if something especially tasty comes up then announce it on Twitter. Once again, link back to your offers blog post with more details (if you haven't got an offers blog then why not?). The great thing about Twitter is if your users like your posts and think they are useful then they will "ReTweet" then which basically means they will forward it on so all their users will see it. Another great way to not only spread your message but gain new followers too. 3. Networking events, training courses, parties, seminars etc. Use Twitter for getting the word out to more people about these types of events. 4. Twitter Search - a lot of users use Twitter as a search engine to see what is going on in the world. So if somebody has a site about say mobile phones and you just announce that a "mobile phone" merchant has a great new offer, the chances are that these users that are looking for Tweets on "mobile phones" will pick up your Tweet and then you possibly have a new affiliate. All because you Tweeted a new offer in a very descriptive way (see 1.) and was then found in the search results. Another good reason for being as descriptive as possible in your Tweets and not robotic. 5. Industry comment - again, to show that you're real people and not robots why not initiate debate on hit topics within the industry? For example, when the latest Econsultancy affiliate census comes out instead of just linking to it and saying "Econsultancy report now available, click here to get it" why not Tweet "Econsultancy report now available. 30% of affiliates see the recession as an opportunity, do you agree?" That way you can really engage with your users and spark debate too. Remember Twitter should be a 2-way dialogue between you and your "followers" so don't just use it as a press release service. I guess the other side of the coin is to remember that as an affiliate network you should be impartial and non too controversial. So while I would recommend sparking debate I wouldn't recommend expressing any strong opinions. Remember that while Twitter is a bit more informal than blogs and forums, the same rules of remaining impartial should still apply. 6. Set up individual network staff Twitter accounts - seeing as your network Twitter account should be mainly business orientated there is nothing wrong with setting up individual Twitter accounts for network reps. Using these accounts you can maybe be a little less "corporate" and join in with the banter a bit more. I.e. say one your affiliates posted a link to a funny photo or joke it would be fine to reply as a network rep to his/her Tweet and say "lol nice find Mr. Affiliate, I laughed my socks off". But if you were to reply in the same manner from your official network account it may seem a bit weird, maybe impersonal. I don't know, I would just rather see the personal stuff like that come from a human face instead of a corporate account. 7. Not too much and not too little - Don't flood Twitter with 50 Tweets within the space of 5 minutes with all your network announcements and news. This will just flood your visitors screens and cause annoyance. Instead spread them out, allow people time to react to them and see what reaction you get to them too. On the other hand don't just post once a week/month. No point in that, you need to be present and remind your followers that you are there and are active. 8. Breaking news - merchants can be a pain sometimes can't they? Lol. Suppose you get an email from a merchant to say that their half price sale is starting in an hour online. By the time you type up a network email, format it and deliver it to thousands of affiliates, it can take hours. In these situations use Twitter to "break" the news almost instantly. There you go, a few ideas on why and how I think UK Affiliate Networks should use Twitter. If any readers have anything to add then please leave a comment below. 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