By Steven Wagenheim

In case you haven’t noticed, social networking, especially Twitter, is very big. There are people out there who have tens of thousands of followers. Maybe you’re one of them. But, I have to ask this question. Are you screaming to be heard? If you are, you’re going about things all wrong. There is a right way and a wrong way to be successful with social networks. I’m going to show you the right way. What you decide to do is up to you.

If you frequent Twitter for any length of time during the day, you’ll notice two kinds of people. Well, actually three. One will be successful, one will be so-so and the third will fail. If you don’t know which is which, I’m going to point them out under no uncertain terms.

Let’s start with the so-so guy. He’s the one who talks about what he ate for dinner, his latest golf conquest or maybe the TV show he’s currently watching. He just likes to chat. He doesn’t really offer anything in the way of useful info but he’s not intrusive. He’s certainly pleasant enough. And maybe, the rare occasion when he puts out a link to a product, he might make a sale…maybe. But he’s not very successful with using Twitter.

Then there is the guy who is just a total failure. Not only that, he’s the guy who usually ends up getting thrown out of the network altogether. He’ll do nothing but send links to products…all day and night. He’ll send direct messages with spam to everybody who follows him or even personal replies to people with that same spam. He has nothing useful to share. He’s just there to sell you stuff. He annoys everybody he comes in contact with. Yes, he is a total failure…not just as a marketer.

Then there is the successful person. He’s the one who shares important info…maybe a news item that people need to know or an article with important tips on doing something. He doesn’t chat a lot, but occasionally lets people see a social side for fun. He mixes it up but always provides value for the people following him. He’s subtle about his promotions, usually including them at the end of the articles he sends. He actually helps people when they have questions and problems.

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