It’s Time to Stop Automated Twitter DMs

In the fall of last year, Twitter removed the 140-character limit for direct messages. While many rejoiced over the new 10,000-character length, I muttered a few choice words under my breath. To me, this only allows longer unnecessary Twitter DMs to come through to both my personal account as well as the Netvantage account. Seriously, look at these:

Twitter DMs

And this is my personal account. It’s way worse for Netvantage. I understand that people want their ebook or blog posts read, I do too, but an auto DM isn’t the way to go about it.

Here are a few of my issues with the automated Twitter DMs.

They Are Impersonal.

Does this message scream thankful to anyone? No, it’s more pushing. This isn’t car sales. If you were really thankful and thought we were a beneficial follower, you’d strike up a conversation. A DM like this doesn’t make me want to reach out and connect. It makes me think I’m another notch on a belt to them.

Thanks for Connecting

There Is No Follow Through.

I can’t say this is true for all accounts that send automated DMs, but for the majority of them, they don’t care about you once you’ve joined their follower count. I have never received an additional message beyond the automated DM from any of the accounts.

They Aren’t Thought Through.

Who thinks it’s a good idea to send an SEO company a tweet about needing an SEO expert? Someone who uses automated DMs. Sorry, but as an SEO company, we don’t need your services.

Thanks For Following

 

They Are Downright Annoying.

Have you ever received a DM and thought it was worthwhile? I am one of those people who hates notifications on my phone so I’m usually annoyed that I have to go into Twitter and open the messages tab to get rid of it. I don’t even care what it says when I know it’s automated.

I don’t think Twitter should get rid of the DM function. They can be beneficial to engage with people in your industry or even get in touch with a long lost friend. Clearly, I do think automated DMs aren’t a worthwhile tool for engagement and really should be stopped.

Lexie Kimball

Lexie is an Account Manager at Netvantage Marketing, an online marketing company that specializes in SEO, PPC and social media. At Netvantage, Lexie assists with online marketing campaigns and social media outreach.

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