So it’s no secret that my Twitter account is mainly to promote Fellowstream.   I recently wrote an article on how I think start-ups should use Twitter to promote themselves.  However, as stated in that post, I believe in the power of relevant marketing, to start conversations, to connect the right people to the right tools, and overall, not to spam people.

In the days following that post, I’ve noticed something interesting.  Several people have commented that when I reply to them using Twitter, that they appreciate I’m being subtle about talking to potential customers, that I’m not “spammy.”  On the other hand, some people replied back to my Twitter messages saying  things like, “I usually don’t respond to spam, but I’ll check it out.”

There’s two ways to look at people’s responses to my Twitter replies.

1. I’m Pathetic. People still view my tweet posts as spam.  Even when they ask exact questions that pertain to Fellowstream (such as “Does anyone know of a good team task management tool?”), they really don’t want random people like myself to respond.  They’re asking their small group of Twitter followers, and by replying, I annoy them.
2. I’m Awesome. Even though I am a stranger representing a company to these people, I’m doing so in an informative way.  I only talk to them when they’re looking for my product.  Sometimes I don’t even mention Fellowstream.  I simply get involved with them at a personal level to talk about project management or collaboration.  Those relationships help people gain trust both in me as a person and in Fellowstream.

In the end, marketing is an art, not a science.  Some people have a better approach than others, and there are as many opinions on how to go about it as there are Nigerian princes trying to put money into my bank account.  Still, I wouldn’t mind hearing your opinion about how I am doing and, as always, suggestions for improvement (especially if you’ve interacted with me on Twitter lately).

-Deborah Fike

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