I initially posted this article as a guest post on one of my favorite Twitter tips blogs.

The images I posted had some malfunctions. Here’s the update with a few edits to avoid duplicate content issues too.

You ever thought or heard these statements?

Twitter just takes too much time…

I don’t ever really see much come from my Twitter efforts…

Twitter does take time.

It can be hard to see immediate results from Twitter efforts.

Here’s a real-life success story on how I got lots of buzz and viral marketing – which means links, traffic, and brand building – via Twitter.

5 Simple Steps to Twitter Viral Marketing

Step 1: Guest Post on a Credible Blogs

• 5 Blogging Basics You Can’t Live Without

Step 2: Send a Few DMs to Twitter Friends

Be careful. I read an interesting article about “how to piss off your Twitter followers“:

Unless you’re trying to get more exposure for some noble charity or cause, asking people to RT your tweets just makes you look pathetic. Enough said on that front.

Step 3: Ask Credible Twitter Users What They Think

• Obviously the post has to be something half way decent if you expect any response.
• Obviously the post has to be something related to what the Twitter user Tweets about.
• Obviously, if you do this too often, you’ll be annoying and get un-followed!

Step 4: @CopyBlogger Re-Tweeted the Article

Thanks to @copyblogger (Brian Clark) for his willingness to pass on the article and link to his Twitter followers.

Step 5: The Viral Explosion Began!

Notice the effects @copyblogger’s RT had on the article distribution… Now the take-aways:

The 5 Keys to Twitter Viral Success

1. Don’t Spam all Your Twitter Friends asking for a RT. Imagine going to a party and having one of your “friends” stand on the table the whole time jumping up and down yelling, Look at me! Look at me! Look at me! – Get the picture? Don’t do this!
2. Reference other valuable articles within your blog post. Everyone likes a good mention, even big name bloggers. Referencing other credible blogs within your industry can help with search engine optimization efforts too.
3. Beware of OVER self-promotion. Dan Hollings (Why Follow @dhollings) explained Twitter in one easy statement -“Twitter is like a “cocktail party” – you can’t just talk about yourself over and over again – you’ll lose people.” Similar to the friend jumping up and down on the table analogy – Just. Don’t. Do. This!
4. Find Twitter users who have good listeners and become friends with them. The easiest way to monitor “listenership” is found in the proof above. If one friend RTs your stuff and then hundreds of their friends RT it, you know the friend has good “listeners”. Once you’ve found a friend with good Twitter listeners, don’t abuse the relationship.
5. Be grateful! Even the big names in your industry appreciate a “Thanks.”

How have you implemented these Twitter Tips to see results?

Update: