How can micro-blogging programs enhance your affiliate marketing efforts?

Micro-blogging/messaging platforms like Twitter, Jaiku or Pownce allow you to put a short blurb out there online that can be viewed by friends, by widgets, or by anyone (if you choose) who has the address to your micro-blogging page. They allow you to keep in touch, or just give some news to your friends or associates, without getting to heavily involved in a conversation, or writing a blog entry or email. They provide one place, to update people in a quick short burst.

As an affiliate manager running an affiliate program, I've already started considering the uses of how I can leverage these platforms for enhancing the news dissemination for the affiliate program.

When Twitter first hit the scene, people were using it to send all manner of things. What they were eating for breakfast, where they were driving too, what movie they were thinking about going to see. The ease of the platform, and the ability to update via SMS (in the case of Twitter), allowed people to just post anything that came to mind. Now, this of course appealed to many people, but it also turned a lot of people off. A common negative response was, “Hey, what do I care what John Smith was eating for breakfast?”.

However, one should not discount these platforms idle chatter or a useless time waster. How useful they can be is really up to you..

Let's take the case of a blogger. What a great way to get the word out, in a quick burst, that you've just put up a new entry on your site! Not everyone has the same abilities as Robert Scoble with his talent of digesting 500+ RSS feeds on a regular basis. Your blog may have a few dozen RSS subscribers, or it may have hundreds, but I can guarantee you that there are more people reading your blog than are just subscribing via RSS. Twitter can provide a great means for getting the word out to some people that you have a new entry on your blog, and suggest to them tot come by and have a read.

Now, let's consider a different angle. Some of the heaviest users of micro-blogging platforms are your fellow bloggers. One of the best ways to get traffic to your blog (other than search engines of course), is to befriend other bloggers, get links from other bloggers, and get other bloggers to talk about or mention your blog. Micro-blogging platforms provide one with another way to befriend fellow bloggers and communicate with fellow bloggers.

Bloggers link to blogs that interest them, or to blogs written by people they have a connection to. Micro-blogging platforms give you a means to better get the word out about your blog, but also communicate beyond just your entries, and creating a shared experience with your “colleagues.” So get out there, build a good network of friends, and network with other users.

Once you build a network of your readers, and your fellow bloggers, well they you can start asking questions, gather information, and just get involved in the conversation to get some ideas and fuel for your blog.

Micro-blogging doesn't have to be just about idle chatter. They can be highly useful tools, it all just depends on how you choose to use them.

I personally have started using Twitter more for personal type of postings, and my Pownce account I've reserved for affiliate business. I haven't used Jaiku that much yet. If you're a Baghaus affiliate, feel free to check me out on Pownce, as I've started putting up some program updates there.

If you sign up, then feel free to add me on Twitter or Pownce:

http://www.twitter.com/daveoli

http://www.pownce.com/davebkk

Dave