Twitter humbly asks, “What are you doing?” Perhaps the more appropriate question
for Twitter to ask would be, “What interests you?” Try thinking in this context as you
begin marketing yourself or your business through Twitter. Remember that tweeting is
like having a conversation. Imagine yourself at a conference or a business-networking
event. If a perfect stranger came up to you and blurted out, “I’m eating the empanada
hors d’oeuvres right now,” you would probably look oddly at this person, give them an
awkward smile, and move swiftly on your way. On the other hand, if a different person
came up and said, “I found the information provided by the last speaker very valuable
for my business. How about you?” you’d probably be more interested in what this
person had to say, and more inclined to respond yes or no. That’s how you should treat
every Twitter interaction. The most successful people and brands using Twitter are
the ones who treat Twitter as an ongoing, open, and thought-provoking conversation
rather than just a broadcast medium. These users are knowledgeable about their business,
responsive to feedback, and respectful of the community.

So what the heck is Twitter, anyway?
The common definitions of Twitter are mired in industry jargon such as “social
networking” and “micro-blogging,” so if you don’t understand those terms, we need
to take a step back for a minute. I find myself explaining Twitter to newbies as something
akin to instant messaging or chat—that is, Twitter is a platform that allows you
to share, in real time, thoughts, information, links, and so forth with the Web at-large
and to be able to communicate directly, privately or publicly, with other Twitter users.
The main difference, however, is that each Twitter communication cannot exceed 140
total characters.
I am also frequently asked questions about who can see these messages and if
someone has to join Twitter to communicate. I stress that most Twitter posts, known
as tweets, can theoretically be viewed by anyone with an Internet connection at any
time. No one needs to have a Twitter account to view someone else’s tweets. The public
accessibility of Twitter makes it somewhat unique among social networking websites,
where normally you can’t see people’s information without them first accepting your
invitation. If you do want to communicate privately with other individuals on Twitter,
though, you will need to join and create an account. (I’ll tell you more about how you
can send private messages through Twitter a little later.)
Twitter is based on the simple question “What are you doing?” and encourages
users to answer exactly that. But if you use Twitter only to broadcast your commonplace
activities, you’re missing out on its real potential. After all, if all you ever write

is “Going to the grocery store now,” or “Just fixed the office copier,” you’re not really
opening up the door for much conversation, are you?
Conversations of many kinds and the ease with which Twitter facilitates
them compose the hidden power of Twitter, particularly as a branding and business
marketing
tool (Figure 1.1). Twitter has given the public unprecedented direct access
to companies, celebrities, and power figures in a way that hasn’t previously been seen.
Conversely, Twitter enables unfettered and immediate direct access to the masses. For a
brand, Twitter can rapidly reduce the timeline and costs of research, product launches,
pilot tests, incentives, and promotions; plus Twitter offers a number of other possibilities
that we will explore in depth later

In early 2006, a young software engineer named Jack Dorsey approached the media
syndication company Odeo with the idea of finding a simple way to share what his
friends were doing—that is, their status at any given moment. Drawing on his previous
work programming web-based emergency dispatch software and finding inspiration in
instant-messaging applications, Dorsey was interested in developing a real-time statuscommunication
platform with a social spin. Entrepreneur and Odeo founder Biz Stone,
liked the idea. Stone and Dorsey collectively decided that short message service, or
SMS (the technology used by mobile phones to send and receive text messages), would
be ideally suited to this concept. They decided on a maximum message size of 140
characters, because it was fewer than the maximum 160 characters permitted by SMS
text messaging, which would leave room for a user name and a colon.
In only two weeks’ time, the first prototype of what would become Twitter was
born. The service quickly grew popular with Odeo employees and other insiders, and
attracted the attention of ex-Googler Evan Williams, who initially funded the project.
Twitter was launched to the public in August 2006, and by May 2007, Dorsey, Stone,
and Williams officially cofounded Twitter, Inc.

Lie #1 – Everyone is your prospect! 7
Lie #2 – This really isn’t sales. We just share products with people. 11
Lie #3 – Anyone can do this! 15
Lie #4 – We’ll build your business for you. 19
Lie #5 – We have the best product ever! 22
Lie #6 – You just don’t have enough belief! 27
Lie #7 – The proven system.

Internet marketing is any marketing strategy that takes place online. Also referred to as online marketing, it encompasses a variety of marketing forms like video advertisements, search engine marketing and e-mail marketing. It is the opposite of offline marketing, and can also fall under digital marketing. Internet marketing needs a good approach in areas of design, development and advertising. A company with a total web site marketing plan will have more success online than one that has just designed a web site without thinking of how to market their company through it.