Are you sick and tired of automatic direct messages on Twitter?

Do you feel that they are a waste of time and pointless?

If you’ve been active on Twitter for any amount of time, hearing the word automated direct message may send chills down your spine. They stink, right? In fact, most likely you don’t even open your messages because of how annoying they can be to read.

There is no denying that receiving any type of DM that is all about the sender and not about the you, the receiver, is extremely irritating. Maybe some of these popular messages sound familiar:

  • Thanks for following me, grab my free e-book at….
  • Hi there! Thanks for the follow. Visit my website at…
  • Thank you for connecting, please like us on Facebook at…
  • Learn how to make money online here…
  • Folks are raving about __ watch the video here…

You get the picture, right?

Oh and don’t forget about this one–maybe the most irritating one of all: @…uses True Tweet validation services. To validate click here…

If you are using any of these, how are they working out for you? Is it time for a change?

The True Tweet validation may seem like a valid way to prevent spammers or robots from following you, but more often than not, you are preventing everyone else from following as well. The other examples are a little more tricky. Some of them seem okay because they are saying thank you for the follow, but then they go right into a salesy kind of feel. There is no connection or building of a relationship in any of these examples.

Sending an automatic DM can be a great way to build relationships and begin a conversation. However, they can also be a complete turn off if done incorrectly.

The #1 thing you need to keep in mind with any type of social media, especially Twitter, is that you need to earn the right to sell and market your product or service.

If your first time talking to a new follower on Twitter involves only talking about you, most likely you are not going to get any type of response. Instead, if you lay the foundation to start building a relationship or connection, then the entire atmosphere changes.

Here are some tips for automated DM’s on Twitter:

  • Ask a question. If you goal is to build a relationship, why not ask a question? Asking questions such as, “What’s your favorite social media platform?” or “What’s your number one weight loss struggle?” can often lead to a response, which leads to a conversation.
  • A simple thank you. There is nothing wrong with sending a DM that tells your follower thank you, but leave it at that. You don’t need to add a free offer or gift or visit my website, after the thank you. Tell them you appreciate them and are looking forward to learning about them–then be done.
  • Connect beyond 140 characters. This one can be a little tricky, because you are asking them to find you on Facebook or LinkedIn or Google+, whatever you favorite place is to connect. However, if you do it right you can build up your followers on other platforms through Twitter. Let them know that you appreciate their follow and that you’d love to connect on ___ too. Then add something like, looking forward to it or can’t wait–something that shows your personality.
  • Follow back. If you plan on implementing auto DM’s or are already using them, be sure that you have an automatic follow tool in place. When you don’t follow back, your followers can’t respond to your message. If that can’t happen, you’ve lost the opportunity to make that connection.

When writing automatic DM’s on Twitter, take a look at what you read and what you respond to. Don’t make them about you–write them for your followers, by focusing on them.

What’s your experience with auto DM’s? Do you love them or hate them? Comment below and share your thoughts.