#auto dm

There are two classes of people who rarely, if ever, unfollow: 1. People who know you 2. People who admire you If you want to ensure you never get unfollowed, you will have convert your Twitter followers to one of these classes. Sadly, not all of us can claim to be awesome enough to be admired by thousands, so trying to grow your Twitter account with class 2 people will be nigh impossible. Now class 1 is a different story... Make Strangers Your Acquaintances Your new Twitter followers are, most often, strangers. There is nothing stopping them from unfollowing you the very next day. How do you convert strangers into people who know you? Simple, you start a conversation with them. In real life, it is generally a dumb remark about the weather (but it works, huh? ;)). On Twitter it could be anything, but where and when do you initiate your conversation? Ideally, you should start conversing with your new followers as soon as possible. You could do that either via mentions in tweets or via direct messages. The problem with the former is that it will clutter your timeline and open out what should be a personal conversation for everyone else to read. So DMs it is - the more personalized, the better. Cool? Cool. Wait! Starting conversations via direct messages is great if you get a couple of followers a day. What if you get 50, or 100, or a 1000 new followers (the way we do with the official JustUnfollow Twitter)? In such a scenario, it is best to resort to auto DMs. Auto DM-ing Your Way To Longer Relationships An auto DM basically lets you define a message you want to send to your new followers. They have a bad name, because a lot of people consider them spam and with good reason. The problem is a lot of auto DM users use it for personal reasons (to increase website traffic, to get more likes etc.). These are the people who are most likely to get unfollowed by their new followers. To make an auto DM work, ensure that it is a conversation starter above all else. Which DM are you most likely to reply to: This one: "Hey! Thanks for following! Let's connect on Facebook: www.facebook.com/xyz. Also, visit my website: www.xyz.com" or this one: "Knock! Knock!" Our own tests have shown a lot of users are far more willing to respond to the second auto DM (even though it is not personalized in any way). It was as generic as we could get with an example. You can think of something that is more specific to you, your tweets and the kind of new followers you know your profile will attract. So get creative and create an auto DM that is: -not too long -not self promoting -a conversation starter and you'll soon be communicating with your new followers - people who will most likely not unfollow you. Auto DMs On JustUnfollow You can create an auto DM in JustUnfollow itself. Here's how: -Login to JustUnfollow, either the web app or the mobile ones. -Go to Automate (you'll find it in the features list) -Check the box next to "Automatically send welcome Direct Message to new followers" -Add your direct message text in the box provided -You can define more than one direct message (up to 10) and we'll send any one of these randomly to your new followers. (Click on screenshot to expand)

Auto DMs seem to piss a lot of people off and not without reason. They "are" spam by any measure. But, they also have their plus points. Read this post to know how you can continue using Auto DMs and also avoid irritating your new followers.

Auto Dm’s Are Never Good On Twitter

Auto Dm’s are never good on social media. They are not engaging and they show the sender is not really interestted in building a relationship.

A couple of weeks ago I received the following Auto DM

Not only was this an Auto DM but the sender had the nerve to apoligize for sending it. Does he really think that I will actually sign up for the event that he is putting on. The odds of that happening…

It's almost impossible to exist in social media without receiving an unwanted auto Direct Message (DM). Especially infamous on Twitter (which I love), 99% of the time the DMs sent add no value and, worse, irritate.

Even Twitter itself recommends against the practice:

Automating your direct messages

Including an automated “thanks for following” message to your new followers might be annoying to some users. We do not recommend this behavior; if you receive a DM you don’t like, you can unfollow that user and they will no longer be able to send you messages.

So here are 10 top reasons why auto DMs should be hung, drawn and quartered or at least sent to live in exile forever.

We are not robots, so why treat us like them? Auto DMs are generic; effectively mass produced, assembly line and we're supposed to value them on that basis? We who receive them are individuals (even if on behalf of organisations). To receive them is to be treated as nothing more than a robot; a non-individual - just one of the masses. Who wants to be treated like that?

They state the bloody obvious. Thanking us for following. Do we need to be thanked (generically, too, of course), when we're glad to have done so and don't need nor want automatic thanks to acknowledge our interest?

"Join Us/Me on Facebook/Have You Seen My Facebook Page" No bloody thanks! Ninety-nine per cent of them ask us to join them and/or favourite them on their Facebook account. Woah - waaaait a minute (or forever, preferably). It's too in your face and too familiar already. We've just decided we've liked their tweets - or even just one tweet - enough to motivate us to follow them. But a split-second after following them on Twitter (and a lot of other social media as well), they're already inviting us around to be their best friend at their wedding/hang out/to be a potential client/be a part of their family/subscribe/receive and be loaded with yet more. If we want to, we will. But first and last: let us decide. We have our own minds and want our own time to think about whether we will or won't. If we like content enough via Twitter, it's more than likely we'll check out whatever other site they have added to their Twitter profile or via their tweets. We don't need reminding of this, being told of this, and it's certainly not persuading us, either.

"Join Us/Me on Something Else Besides Facebook!" Again, no thanks. And how weird is it that we don't even know each other - but we may end up becoming great friends on social media over time - yet you're inviting me to join you on your LinkedIn professional network? We've never done business together and we don't know each other from Eve. What sort of professional private network has someone in it that you don't even know from experience or by recommendation?

Me, me, me, meeeeeee. The irony of auto DMs is that they're about acknowledging the fact that us - we as individuals - includin as an individual acting on behalf of a group - matter to that person who DMd us. But isn't it more a case of being about them, not us? Isn't it getting in our faces and private spaces immediately, rather than a polite, friendly nod of the head from some safe distance in the cafe? (For which, a direct tweet is great, saying thank you, acknowledging your name, if you want - please, no mention or invitation of your Facebook or other accounts; we know or will decide for ourselves; otherwise there's no need, really. No, really no need.)

They're so boring. When 99% of them say the same thing, it is - to paraphrase Patrick Bateman's character in American Psycho (page 320 of US edition): "Pumpkin, it's a tumbling, tumbling tumbleweed of a bore, darling." 

Too much of a bad thing can make you sick. Meaning, who isn't sick and tired of them? Who isn't tired and irritated and fed up to the back teeth with them? And since we're already sick, why on earth would we want to get more sick by someone coughing up another DM one in our face? No, thanks.

They provide no value, so you could end up losing a valuable follower and/or even a client.

They are horribly predictable.

They are a waste of time. 

Maybe I sound over the top, or like the Grinch. Sorry if I do. But surely I'm not the only one who feels this way? After all, check out these six thoroughly enjoyable rants, reasons and recommendations to end DMs, which I've bundled together in one link to save time. 

In the meantime, for anybody who does auto DM, allow me simply to recommend to put in something meaningful, original, compelling. Heck, interesting and different would be great! In other words - anything that is not blindingly obvious (like your website or asking us to join you on Facebook or simply thanking us when we need no thanks, etc.).

If I do receive an auto DM that surprises and delights me, I'm a happy bunny, believe me - as, I'm sure are others - all of us who could be your long-term followers, friends, advocates and even clients. Just please treat us with consideration: as the individuals we are.

If you've been around the Twitter block a few times, you have most likely run into someone who will direct message you as soon as you follow them. No, these people are not on their computer waiting for your follow; they subscribe to websites that send these messages automatically for them.

Don't:

"TrueTwit" is the most annoying of these cases.  "So and so uses TrueTwit validation service.  To validate click here:"  The reason these people sign up for services like TrueTwit is to eliminate robots and spammers so the user knows who they should and shouldn't follow back.  However in my opinion, these services do much more harm than good.  I know whenever I see these messages, I almost immediately unfollow the person I just followed.  Most people don't have time to click the link, enter the CAPTCHA and whatever else the site requires.

In addition to TrueTwit, other people send out automatic direct messages along the lines of "Thanks for following, let's connect on Facebook!" or "Appreciate the follow, check out my website and download my eBook."  Hold up, it's not that easy...  You have to impress me with your Twitter content first.  If I like your tweets, I'll probably look to see if you have a website, a blog, or even an eBook.  My suggestion: make a strong impression on Twitter and your followers will look for more ways to connect with you.

In all situations regarding automatic direct messaging your new followers aren't being appreciated and if you're like me, unfollow just as quickly as you followed.  In creating and maintaining your social media accounts, I would highly recommend staying away from these automatic direct messages.

Do:

There are still ways you can engage with your new followers and make them feel appreciated.

Monitor their tweets and find their interests, spark up some conversation and see what you have in common

Send them a message telling them that you viewed their website and you enjoyed it.  In doing that, they may reciprocate and view your website or blog.

Don't bother with DM's at all.

Dirty Little Twitter Secret