Today, I’d like to introduce you to our guest author, Harris Fellman. Harris recently launched CoupDeTwitter – a course on how to properly get started with twitter, get lots of followers, and turn those followers into cash.

He is by no means a Social Media Purist, but still he teaches what he considers the “right way” to interact on Twitter & other Social Media platforms (hint: it ain’t by spamming people with your offers). Harris has a number of years of success in the internet marketing realm and I feel very honored to have him as a guest author today.

With that … here’s Harris’ blog post entitled “How to Take Over Twitter”:

It’s everywhere. From blogs to newspapers to books at Barnes and Noble. And it’s loud. Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet.

It’s Twitter. And whether you like it or not (yet) it’s going to be around in some form or another for a long time I suspect. Might as well get used to it, right?

A couple of months ago I was in the same boat many of you might be in right now, wondering whether all this Twitter madness was of any use to me at all or whether it was just a bunch of noise, literally. But I started to hear a lot of Twitter related stories and talked to people that I personally know who were using it in ways that I hadn’t considered before.

And the lightbulb finally went off for me. There was some serious power in Twitter! People were not only using Twitter to make connections and network with others, they were making money too. Some of them making LOTS of it as I came to find out.

The biggest thing that stood out for me is this…

From a marketing perspective, Twitter = Listbuilding. Plain and simple. Proper listbuilding is all about building a list AND building relationships with the people on that list. And in many cases the people I was talking to confided in me that their Twitter contacts were more responsive than even their e-mail lists were. As a long time email marketer, I was pretty shocked. But I started doing research and I discovered several truths that I want to share with you.

There’s a right way and a wrong way to go about using Twitter, and some rules of thumb to keep in mind along the way. But there are several crucial steps you’ll want to take note of.

Here’s how this works:

1. Get followers.

Sounds simple right? But there’s a lot of stuff out there that will make you think you can just automate the process and be done with it. BEWARE, Twitter is watching. If you do it wrong, you’re sunk. Account Suspended. Tweet no more.

2. Build a relationship with your followers.

Yes, that’s right, you’re going to need to start talking with your followers! You want to treat them like you would anyone you might meet at any other social gathering, stipulating that you’re not at a professional wrestling event and everyone is already yelling at one another.

3. Get them Clicking & ReTweeting.

Once you build that relationship with them you want to encourage (gently) them to start clicking links you provide with items of interest and most of all to get them Retweeting your posts. Why? Because the *real* power of Twitter is NOT in your own list of followers. Nope. The real power is in the power of the exponent. If you give things of value to the Twitterverse, the Twitterverse will return the favor… Tenfold.

4. Make money.
Last but not least. You want to make money, right? Of course you do. Once you’ve completed steps one through three, there are a ton of ways that you can start to monetize your followers…their followers and their followers followers. But also beware: Twitter spam is on the rise and people are becoming wary of anyone who just jumps into the pool and starts shouting Marco Polo at the top of their lungs. You have to be very careful to craft your Tweets so that people are still getting maximum value from you.

Four seemingly simple steps, and they’re not rocket science, but they do take some finesse and time to do properly. If you’d like to learn more about how to properly implement these 4 steps, I welcome you to join me and my Coup De Twitter system. It will teach you how to do Twitter the RIGHT way as well as 7 easy ways to make money with it plus a handful of advanced tactics as well. Please visit Coup de Twitter to watch a free 35 minute video that I have prepared for you (no opt-in required).

Thanks for reading – if you liked this article, let me know on Twitter – my ID there is @harrisfellman.

Harris Fellman
CoupDeTwitter.com

The concept behind InstantPlugNPay.com is really very simple. It was developed by Craig Haywood (or the blue guy) who is also the owner of highly successful sites like TrackThatAd.com, MyViralPopAds.com, ExitLightBox.com and MyViralSurfer.com

From the above sites you can probably deduct that Craig focuses heavily on Viral Marketing which is good when you consider what he’s done with InstantPlugNPay.com

A quick summary of the IPP homepage reveals that IPP is a resell rights product website which integrates with mlm through viral marketing, but that doesn’t even begin to lift the layers of nice goodies. In Fact, Jane Mark from JPEAdvertising.com describes it better…

“I know. It’s resale rights gone MLM and viral but that doesn’t tell half the story. People who have no idea how to sell resale products have it made. You set it for them You give them autoresponder sales letters and new, jazzy sales pages to work with. You give them all the viral tools to sell the products and they sit back and relax.

They don’t have to do a thing. I love it.

They can even let people know by Twitter that they have a new product for sale right from the members area by just popping in their twitter information.”

Here is how it works…
Every member of IPP gets a product store where all products in the store (supplied by Craig) is linked to your own domain name. (which you create free when you join)Every month Craig ads 3 new products to the store, does the ad copy for you, integrate an auto responder follow-up series for you (which he hosts on your behalf). He also ties viral marketing to every product to ensure your visitors multiplies your selling efforts as well as social network marketing through the means of Twitter Tweets. Btw., if you join IPP Craig also helps you to virally grow your Twitter followers

Now, this is where it gets interesting. This is the first and only program I know of where you can make a substantial income without even paying a dime (although the pro benefits are exceptional…more on that later). As a free member you will get 50% commission for any product sold from your store. The member who referred you will also get $2 for every product you sell, as will the member who referred them. Going pro makes this even more lucrative. Every time you sell a product to someone, they will also get an option to join IPP (under you), so this makes it easy to get in more people underneath you, however, Craig has gone the full 9 yards to ensure getting sign ups is as easy as possible, by also providing you with a tracker that virally promotes itself (in other words, affiliate links you advertise) as well as your IPP products at the same time. At the same time, you will also have access to all the information of people who buy from your store, which means you can import leads into your auto responder of known buyers.

Going Pro…
I am not going to tell you the price to be a pro member as this violates Craig’s terms of service. What I can tell you is that it is so low, I thought it was a joke. But on a more serious note, it gives you the opportunity to rake in a small fortune every month. As a pro member you will also earn 100% on all products in your store paid directly to your PayPal account. If you don’t have PayPal, Craig also provides you with another option that is globally accepted. Something which made me realize Craig thought of everything is the pro member affiliate benefit. Since you get 100% profit on products in your store, it is only fitting that you should be able to get affiliates to promote your products for you. As a pro member, each product in your store is set up with your own affiliate program which pays out 50% to your affiliates and 50% to you. All of this is handled without you having to do anything. The system even recruits affiliates for you.

Final Thoughts…
The InstantPlugNPay.com system is a rare gem. It is a full stay at home program where no skills are required from you. Everything, and I mean everything is done on your behalf. I know you have probably heard the term: “You’ve never seen anything like this.” a thousand times before, but this time it is true. This is one program I am giving a rating of 10 out of 10. Hint: When you log in for the first time, you will be presented with a one time offer to go pro. While you can still upgrade later at a price which is still a joke, I highly recommend you do it when you are presented with the oto as it is the lowest you will ever get it at.
Click on the banner to get started.

The following is a guest post by one of my favorite online marketers, Jessica Swanson of Shoestring Marketing.

Twitter is one of my all-time favorite places to market my business, Shoestring Marketing.

In addition, I encourage every small business owner to jump head-first into Twitter in order to develop strong business relationships and find new customers and clients.

However, one complaint that I often hear from my own clients is that Twitter is intimidating, confusing and even a waste of valuable time. I want to put these complaints to rest once and for all.

I have compiled 7 Golden Twitter Rules that, if you follow, will catapult your business to the top of your industry in no time at all!

1) You Must Have a Profile Picture.
If you are going to use social media as a marketing tool, take the time to find a picture of yourself for your profiles. Social media marketing is about interactions and building relationships. People want to “see” that there is a real person behind your business.

2) Go Ahead And Brag!
Obviously you know that you shouldn’t jump on Twitter and start shouting “Check out my product…it’s really the best one in the world!” However, offering value to other Tweeters is one of the highlights of Twitter. So, go ahead and let people know about a blog you posted, an article you wrote or a webinar that you will be hosting.

There are only so many Tweets in which you can tell your followers what you are having for dinner until people start to unfollow you. YAWN.

3) Autofollow Those Who Follow You.
I have an app from www.Tweetlater.com that allows me to automatically follow everyone who follows me. I then get to know whom I am following through their Tweets. If I think they are annoying, I unfollow them. But, how in the world can I make a decision to follow someone based on a 140-word profile? For all I know, this person could be the next Faulkner with some of the most profound Tweets known to mankind.

I truly believe that it is in good taste to follow everyone who follows you and then unfollow those who you just don’t groove with.

4) Interact With Your Followers.
Twitter is truly about building relationships with others. You need to answer questions, make comments and interact with your followers. I believe that if you are not able to interact with your followers, you shouldn’t be using Twitter as a marketing tool.

By the way, if you ever @ me, I will always interact with you! I love meeting and talking with new Twitterers!

5) Don’t Obsess About Those Who Unfollow You.
First of all, you do not have time to monitor and keep tabs on everyone who is unfollowing you. Second, you really shouldn’t care who unfollows you. If someone doesn’t like your Tweets, then they SHOULD unfollow you. You are not on Twitter to make sure that everything you say appeals to every single person. You are on Twitter to connect with new and interesting people. (Of course, if you find that dozens of people unfollow you every day, then you will need to reflect on what you are Tweeting.)

6)Your Tweets Do Not Always Need To Be Witty And Profound.
Obviously, in the ideal world this would be the case. But, the last time I checked, most people on Twitter are not professional writers, bloggers or word-smiths. They are just regular people making connections. Of course, you should strive to add value and interact with people. But, don’t worry so much that every Tweet is a witty comedy sketch. Just be yourself and have fun!

7) Always Remember That Twitter Is About Common Sense.
When you first become involved on Twitter, you will encounter all sorts of different people. There will be Twitter newbies, Twitter veterans and Twitter know-it-alls. Don’t let the know-it-alls scare you. To succeed on Twitter, you simply need to interact with others, ask and answer questions and be nice! Don’t worry so much about “the rules.”

Twitter is an amazing and powerful marketing tool. However, believe it or not, besides spamming and other illicit behaviors, Twitter is mainly about using common sense. Interact, be nice, ask questions, listen, and add value. And of course, just be yourself and have a little fun!

Jessica Swanson, “The Shoestring Marketer,” has helped entrepreneurs, all over the world, explode their businesses using cutting-edge, proven, NO-COST internet marketing strategies. To receive your FREE Marketing Kit, which has helped thousands of entrepreneurs, just like you, learn the exact techniques for marketing their businesses for NO-COST, visit:
Shoestring Marketing.com

If you thought using Twitter was only for social networking, think again.  People are starting to tap in to the concept of making money with their Twitter website.  You can make money with Twitter, but there are certain things you have to do in order to make a profit.

Of course, you must have a Twitter account in order to make money with Twitter.  Signing up for a Twitter account does not cost you anything.  When you get your Twitter site set up, you will want to start posting tweets to your site.  Posting tweets will help you get followers.  When followers tweet posts to you, you should respond in kind.

It is not necessary to have a gigantic following in order to make money with Twitter.  It’s better to have followers that have the same interests than hundreds of followers that are not interested in cultivating a relationship with you on your Twitter site.

You don’t want to be too quick about promoting things in the very beginning.  It’s better to get to know the followers on your site.  You should want to establish a trust with them.  They should also want to establish a trust with you.  When it’s time for you to make money with Twitter, it will be easier for you because the relationship has been established.

When you are ready to make money with Twitter, don’t blatantly promote your products or services.  Some people could think that you are trying to spam them.  It’s not a good idea to mention your product to your followers every time you send a tweet.

However, when the time is right, here are some ways that you can make money with Twitter:

Product recommendation – You could write a recommendation of a product to your followers.  Encourage them to check it out and take action.  It’s a good idea if you actually tried out the product  yourself before you recommend it to them.  It will make you the expert on it, and they will be more inclined to purchase.

Affiliate marketing – If you are recommending a product on behalf of someone else, you can place your affiliate link in your tweet post.

Your product – You can promote your own product and sell it from your sales page.

Any of these ideas are ways that you can make money from Twitter.  The key to doing it is not to constantly throw it in their face everytime you tweet.  Your followers will be turned off because they will start thinking that your main motive for being on Twitter is to sell your product.  The easier way to lead up to this is to provide quality and meaningful content to your followers.

Everybody’s been talking about Twitter. You can’t get through a newscast these days without someone mentioning Twitter or Tweets. Barack Obama tweets. But what exactly is this new social marketing tool, and how can you use it to grow your business?

Twitter is like a blog on a microscopic scale; instead of writing whole posts and your mailing list being notified when a new post goes up, a tweet (what a Twitter post is called) can only be a maximum of 140 characters, and the people who are following you get your whole tweet at once, instead of having to go to your website.

Twitter has now become huge. Companies like Apple, Intel, H&R Block and Zappos are all on Twitter. As mentioned above, so is the new President of the United States.

So how do you leverage this phenomenon? You need to get up and running on Twitter, asap. And you need to build your list of followers. While that may sound like something out of a bad science fiction movie, its actually just building a list of people that want to receive your tweets, much like you built your mailing list for your blog.

1) Import Your Contacts
When you sign up for Twitter, make sure you import all of your contacts from Gmail, Hotmail, your address book and your mailing list.

2) Write Your Profile
Make sure that your profile is complete to make it easier for people to find you, and use the same keywords in your profile that you do on your website. Always include a link to your website (including the “http” to ensure that it’s clickable) – you’re trying to build your business, after all. You can also personalize the colors and the sidebar of your profile page.

3) Understand How Twitter Works
Twitter is not another marketing tool that you can out and out manipulate; it is a social marketing tool that will only be useful to you is you actually become part of the community. It is not a place to spam, and don’t actively promote yourself.

Build a standing in the community by replying to other tweets (retweeting), share cool stuff, and build trust, then direct your followers to a blog post, filled with useful information, and only then use that post to get followers to take action. Trying to take people out of Twitter right away and into a sales pitch will get you labeled as a scammer.

4) Build Your Audience
To build your audience above and beyond your initial contact list, you’ll need to look both inside and outside Twitter.

Outside of Twitter, you can put a link to “Follow me on Twitter” in your email signature, forum signature, website, blog posts, and any other way that you communicate with people (where appropriate, of course – I don’t think the IRS wants to follow you on Twitter.)

Inside of Twitter, it’s all about following people. You can find other users that you admire, and see who is following them; you can also see who is following your friends; use Twitter directories to find members who are likely to follow you; use the search feature to find profiles of people you want to follow – and follow all of them. They will, in turn, follow you.

5) But Watch How Much You’re Following
While you’re building your following, you still need to maintain a balance between people you follow and people that follow you. Follow too many, and you’ll be seen as a spammer; don’t follow enough, and you look elitist. You can do this by growing slowly; don’t add 500 new friends in one day. Add 50 at a time and give them time to start following you so the balance is maintained.

You can also use a tool like “Friend or Follow” to balance out your lists; it will tell you who is following you that you’re not following yet, and vice-versa. It will also let you keep track of those who follow you, so you follow them and then they stop following you. They’re most likely spammers; don’t use this tactic or you’ll get the same reputation.

6) Be Someone Worth Following
Be witty, and post useful information. If you’ve got a niche, make sure that you’re talking to them. If you have news, tweet it. You can also use the tools on Twitter to take your blog posts and automatically tweet them.

You can tell people what you do; always be upfront with people. You just have to avoid the obvious sell, people can see that coming from a mile away. You can promote your business and celebrate your victories (XXX is happy to get the YYY account!), but don’t try to sell anyone anything.

7) Follow Wisely
And, in this sense, ‘follow’ has a broader meaning. Look to the experts in your category who are also on Twitter, and learn from them. Find 10 to 20 users you admire that have more than 300 followers, and try to learn how they did it. Take their ideas and make them your own.