12 Steps to Recovery From “Twitter Follower Addiction”
Hello, my name is Ben Mapp (@roadmapp) and I’m a recovering “Twitter followers” addict.
I started off thinking I knew what was going on, that I could control myself. But then things slowly got out of hand.
Twitter and Social Media Identity Theft
Social media identity theft is becoming a bigger and bigger problem.
Several high-profile celebrities have been in the news regarding fake Twitter accounts and some have gone to court over the issue. A few of the more popular cases involved:
- Tony LaRussa, baseball manager, who filed a lawsuit against Twitter, alleging an unauthorized and defamatory page in his name.
UPDATE: Later, on the day this post was published, Twitter co-founder Evan Stone responded to LaRussa’s lawsuit and detailed Twitter’s plans to combat false accounts, which include a “Verified Accounts” feature. Read Stone’s blog post. - Kanye West, Grammy-winning hip hop rapper/producer, who famously flamed Twitter on his blog over a fake account.
- Shaquille O’Neal, NBA superstar, who one-upped a Twitter Shaq impersonator by setting up his own Twitter account. Game over.
As an Internet marketer, your ability to be effective in your marketing is directly related to
(a) creating a name for yourself and/or your brand online and
(b) establishing the credibility of your name and brand.
If someone is abusing your name on social media sites or pretending to be you, that can have a negative affect your image and can adversely impact your business.
Keep It Real: Your Credibility & Ways to Improve It
The first key to Attraction Marketing is establishing yourself as a believable source of information. Whether your intention is to sell your own products, refer people to affiliate products, or sign up in your MLM downline, your credibility is critical. It’s your calling card.
As an Attraction Marketer, you want people to see you as a leader, someone who can solve their problems. If people don’t think you’re believable, they won’t become or stay attracted to you. If they’re not attracted to you, they won’t trust you. And if they don’t trust you, they won’t do business with you.
Just how believable are you? And how do you improve what Ann Sieg calls in "The Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto," your "Credibility Ranking"?
Where to Start
Start by asking yourself "What do I bring to the table that is new and unique?" There are lots of marketers on the Web competing for prospects and leads, why should they go to you? Or, in business terms, What’s your value proposition?
Once you’ve figured that out, let people know, tell your story in the profiles you post on the web. And always keep in mind: be yourself. If you’re a single mom who’s balancing a job, family, and a part-time business, tell people that. If you’re a business person who’s leveraging your offline skills to develop an online business, tell people that.
The point is to keep it real. Your authenticity is what will initially attract people to you — either because they are just like you or because they can relate to you.
Your "Credibility Ranking" basically refers to how believable you are in the eyes of potential prospects. I’m not sure it can be measured objectively. It’s more like a quality that’s very obvious when it’s there and very apparent when it’s not.
Ways to Build Credibility
To build your Credibility Ranking, you’ll need to put yourself in places on the web that people can easily find you, be attracted to who you are, and view you as someone who knows what they’re talking about. Visibility builds credibility.
Here are a few free ways you can use to improve your credibility and attract potential prospects to you. You don’t even need to have your own website.
- Article Marketing: Write articles on subjects you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, include your author’s bio with your own link, and post them on a high-traffic article distributor like EzineArticles. Ezine publishers can pick up your articles and publish them in their ezines. Great exposure.
- Forum Posting: Contribute comments or questions to online forums. Be helpful or insightful. Focus on adding value to the conversation rather than selling yourself. People will be attracted to you (or not) based on how you conduct yourself. Remember: keep it real.
- Squidoo Lenses: Create lenses on Squidoo.com focusing on topics in your area of interest. This popular site offers very easy-to-follow online tools that anyone — non-technical or otherwise — can use to make their own webpages. Increases your visibility.
What It Takes
Building your Credibility Ranking will take more than just a compelling story and some well-placed web profiles. More than anything, it’ll take time. Cultivating the trust of your readers and prospects is an ongoing process and crucial to your success. Truth is, you’re never really done creating it. There will always be more to go
Find out more on establishing and improving your "Credibility Ranking," check out Ann Sieg’s free ebook "The Attraction Marketer’s Manifesto."
Wishing You the Best,
Ben Mapp
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