Branding yourself with Ghost-Tweeting

There are a lot of ways to network with other professionals and push your presence or business online.  Of all the options, the fastest growing trend has been Twitter.  When you consider all the work that’s required in order to maintain a business through day to day activities, it’s hard to imagine where you would ever find the time to make micro-blog posts or manage any other kind of network marketing campaign.

Twitter is constantly evolving machine, and it just isn’t practical to think that everyone who Tweets is personally creating all their own content.  There are numerous celebrities and business executives that utilize “ghost-tweeting” to get content online.  When popular Twitter user Guy Kawaski let it be known that he had ghostwriters and assistants creating his posts, there was quite an uproar in the community.  Some called it totally unethical, others said he was a genius.

Ghostwriting isn’t a new concept.  CEO’s, marketers and other web owners have utilized the services of copywriters to handle general tasks such as blog posts, online site content, ebooks, facebook updates and more.  It’s only natural that it would extend onto the Twitter network.  Ghostwriters handle tasks that their clients don’t have the time for.  This is the perfect individual to tend to Twitter updates.

Twitter accounts need to be updated on a regular basis, at least once a day if not more.  The content that is submitted needs to be consistent and relevant to the niche of the primary user.  Because good posting is almost scheduled, like blogging, a ghostwriter is an invaluable resource.  Twitter itself is a small but tedious tool, but it can still be part of a company’s marketing and social media campaign.  If you have a skilled ghostwriter, it’s an opportunity to add more value and gain followers to your brand.

It’s important to develop a relationship with a ghostwriter that is capable, skilled and can create content that is relevant to your market.  Your “ghost tweeter” needs to be knowledgeable in your company’s subject matter in order to create content that your readers will care about and follow.  Through consistent posting, they should be working to develop the brand of your company, provide tips and resources and be willing to comment/discuss topics with other twitter users that send direct messages.  It’s important to converse with other twitter users.  People have always wanted other people to talk with them, not at them.  If you or your ghost-tweeter aren’t engaging other users, you’re just adding to the noise.  You’ll eventually just create a black-hole of content that no one cares to follow.

Of course the idea of having a ghostwriter can come back to bite you, but only rarely.  You wouldn’t necessarily want to announce that you have someone ghost-tweeting, and having a ghostwriter announce who they are would probably be bad.  Some celebrities and CEO’s put disclaimers on their sites stating that they occasionally use ghostwriting services, others (like Guy Kawasaki) have their ghostwriters sign each post with their initials.  If you hire a ghostwriter to handle your Twitter account, treat it as a serious business transaction. This individual will essentially be acting as an ambassador to the company.  Make sure the ghostwriter you select can create a mix of promotional content as well as interesting feeds on Twitter without generating the wrong kind of controversy or negative attention.

There are hundreds of sites online where you can search for ghostwriters to handle your twitter account(s) or those of your client’s.  A few of the more branded sites are eLance.com, Getafreelancer.com and Guru.com.  With these sites, you’ll be able to post your project information and writers will bid for their hired services.

When ghost-blogging was new, it got a lot of negative publicity because popular content producers in the blogosphere felt it would destroy the platform.  A Blog-Armageddon, thankfully, has not occurred and blogging is still just as popular as ever if not more so because of the new marketing elements behind it.  Ghost-tweeting is a powerful way to handle content production as long as the person you hire is mastering great, retweet worthy content.

Add twitter and a ghostwriter to your marketing arsenal – it’s a worthy investment.

No related posts.