Think about this for a moment.  We all want to get our message into as many hands as possible, if we’re using social networking as a business tool.  But how valuable is that broadcast if nobody is actually looking at it?

My thought pattern follows along the same one that I was using when I was defending Gary McCaffrey and his TweeterGetter application.  Many people complained that it was “evil” because you were building this huge list of people without having to follow them back.  I argued that simply following people who follow you (reciprocal following) is actually a bigger problem than simply following people who don’t follow you.

Let me quickly explain why this is so.

Many who were complaining about TweeterGetter complained that their list is about “quality” not “quantity.”  Now that is not necessarily a bad argument, but it isn’t supported by being a reciprocal follower either.  I submit to you that your list of followers is of higher “quality” if it is actually filled with a bunch of people that you AREN’T following.  The reason is that if someone follows you, and they remain a follower even if you don’t follow them back — THEN, and only then, can you be sure that you actually have a dedidcated audience that actually WANTS to hear from you.

Think about it… how many of the people that you’re currently following do you actually pay attention to unless they @reply you?  For me, if I’m honest — the answer is NOT MANY!  I don’t ignore people or go out of my way to avoid reading their tweets, but I don’t go looking for them either.  Lets cut to the chase, I don’t have time.  And neither do you!  So wouldn’t it be foolish to assume that everyone who is following you is actually looking forward to and reading your tweets?

For me, I log into Twitter, and I scan the first page of Twitter, and if I see anything that interests me, I reply to it.  But if it’s not on that first page when I log in, I’m never going to see it.  The reason is simple, and it’s one that internet marketers should be aware of…

You want to get your site listed on the first page of Google, why?  Because you want to be seen!  Well, Twitter is no different.  If an update isn’t on your “updates’ home” page, you’re probably not going to go searching for what your tweeple said.  And guess what, they probably won’t be looking for yours either!

Are YOU reading Twitter updates on pages' 4 and 5? No? Well, your follower aren't either.

The reason reciprocal following doesn’t work is the same reason that safelists are GENERALLY not effective.  They aren’t full of people hoping to receive YOUR emails; they are full of people wanting you to read THEIR emails.  So everyone signs up with an email address that they don’t even check (come on, admit it — if you’ve used safelists, you’ve done it too!), so as not to be bothered with a bunch of “spam.”  It amazes me how people think that while they may be avoiding other people’s messages, that these same people aren’t doing the same thing to them.  Of course they are people.  Wise up!

So while I’m not telling nor suggesting that anyone abandon Twitter from their marketing campaigns, what I am suggesting is that we do a better job of keeping Twitter’s actual marketing “power” in perspective.  Sure, having 45,000 followers means that you have the POTENTIAL of having your message read by 44,000 more people than they guy with only 1,000 tweeple on his list — but if your list is comprised of 45,000 people that you’re also “following” [and ignoring, which you probably are (unless you're spending 48 hours a day on Twitter)] without actually FOLLOWING, then it’s conceivable that his 1,000 followers might actually be paying attention to him.  And as I’m sure you already know, having “eyes” on your product doesn’t mean much if they don’t care about your message to begin with.

I bet you think it’s a better use of time AND money to get 50 TARGETED visitors to your web site using a highly optimized Google Adwords campaign than it is to purchase one of those “100,000 ‘HITS’ Guaranteed!” traffic packages, right?  Thought so!So my point is this… Twitter may be (and IS) a great tool, but try not to get caught up into believing all of the hype right now that makes it sound as though building a big Twitter following is just as good as building a huge optin list.  The fact is, from a marketing standpoint, it’s not!  I believe that Twitter, like television commercials,  is a valuable tool, but I also know that half of all households mute those commercials anyway.  The bottom line is that exposure has two figures one needs to keep in mind.  First, how many people will your message reach; and secondly (and even more importantly), how many of those people will care?

Just something to think about…