Imagine you're at a social event. You walk in the door and someone introduces themselves to you. As soon as you introduce yourself, they launch into their sales pitch.
How would you respond?
You'd probably leave the conversation as quickly as you could. You'd probably be turned off immediately, as they haven't taken any time to build rapport with you and to understand what your needs and desires are.
Unfortunately the very similar thing happens too often on Twitter.
When connecting to new people you'll often receive an automated message. I'm sure you've encountered some of these:
"Hey, you should like my Facebook page, go to www..."
"Thanks for the follow! Please retweet my ..."
"Check out my web site at www..."
"Subscribe to my YouTube channel..."
What these people fail to realize is that you can't ask for something from someone when you haven't first established any sort of rapport or relationship.
A key tenet of copywriting is that you need to address the underlying needs, desires, and problems of your target audience. And this is where many businesses on Twitter are making a big mistake. They lead with "me, me, me" or "we, we, we" instead of "how can we deliver value to you?".
To gain followers and customers, you first need to establish a relationship.
How do you do this? Offer them something of value. Offer assistance. Invite them to contact you with questions they have on the topic you're an expert in. You could offer new followers a deal or discount if they become a new customer.
I encourage these businesses on Twitter, who too quickly jump into their sales pitch, to take more time to build rapport with their prospects and find ways to add value to them.
Focus on your customer's value, on their problems and desires. It's the key to winning.