Channelone.TV: The Twitter Timeline Massacre

Friday, April 22, 2016

The Twitter Timeline Massacre

Mel,

A few weeks back Google tossed a hand grenade at the SEM brigade with its "Right Side Wipeout."

And while the troops scurried around picking up the pieces, almost no one noticed the explosive little "care package" that Twitter slipped under the tent flap...

Now when it comes to traffic, Twitter is no Facebook. But in certain niches (like marketing and technology) it's been a great source of free or cheap clicks.

For years, Twitter's "everything happens in public" setup and laissez-faire stance on automation made it easy to collect thousands of targeted followers.

And unlike Facebook, Twitter's news feed showed every tweet in real time.

That meant that in theory it was possible to reach every single followers with your tiny messages—generating traffic on demand and driving email list growth.

It was a marketer's paradise.

Well, the gravy train is officially over.

Last month Twitter rolled out a new algorithm-based timeline, similar to the change Facebook made several years ago.

Today when Twitter users log in, they see a bot-curated list of "relevant" tweets.

Which means your marketing messages are locked in a virality death match with cat gifs and Trump memes.

Looks like the cats are winning, too.

Accounts with tens of thousands of subscribers that used to command thousands of clicks per month have seen traffic shrivel to half or even a quarter of what it was.

Maybe you're thinking, "So what, Perry? I don't even use Twitter. How does this affect me?"

Here's how...

In last month's Mastermind Club webinar, I covered the 21 core tenants in the "Planet Perry Manifesto."

And #5 on that list is:

"A business that requires free traffic to survive isn't a business at all."

Until you can spend a dollar and acquire a customer at a profit, you're just killing time until that traffic source dries up.

If you have a source of cheap traffic now, that's great. Use this opportunity to chisel your way into the market.

But don't stop there.

Go deep.

Keep working on your USP.

Keep increasing the lifetime value of your customer.

Think: toethold, foothold, stranglehold.

And when the next traffic bombshell lands, you'll look around the smoking crater and realize you're the only one still standing.

Carpe Diem,

Perry Marshall

P.S. I'm told the "Planet Perry Manifesto" webinar was a real barn-burner. The 21 principles I covered are foundational for every marketer—from AdWords newbies to grizzled direct response pros.

Mastermind Club members can access the replay in the members' area.

Not a member yet? Join today.