Using Twitter Search to find Buyers in the ACT!
March 17th, 2009 | 73 comments
If you’re one of the many people who still think Twitter is a waste of time I predict your thoughts will change soon. Twitter is a very powerful networking tool and it’s not only useful for Business to Business networking either! More and more people, including potential CUSTOMERS are using Twitter and one feature they offer makes Twitter INCREDIBLY profitable and that is SEARCH!
Twitter Search provides many benefits. Probably the most talked about is its ability to track brand awareness. Just do a search for your name, company, product etc. and you’ll see every “tweet” that mentions that word or phrase, from the newest (usually seconds ago) to the oldest.
But one thing that that I’ve found, which has incredible profit potential, but is rarely talked about (I haven’t heard ANYONE talk about this yet) is the ability to find potential customers who are minutes, even SECONDS away from buying! There is no other social platform, or platform in general for that matter, that I know of that allows you to see and connect with people who LITERALLY have their credit card in their hand!
Here’s what I mean. Type any or all of the following phrases into Twitter Search:
I’m buying
thinking about buying
will be buying
(put the search phrases in quotes for more targeted results)
Cool huh?
There is incredible opportunity in that, which means idiots will also see it as a new spamming route. Take my word on this, Twitter isn’t the place to spam! If you start spamming these people your account is going to be removed quickly and people are going to block you!
Spamming won’t work with this! BUT, if you happen to have a blog post etc. about the product/service these people are about to spend money on, with maybe a review or something helpful, and you sent them a manual, useful @reply letting them know about it…
I haven’t done anything with this, but I know if a solid plan was put into place and alot of thought was put into it, this could turn into something very profitable!
I had originally told my clients over at Coaching with Josh about this and planned on keeping it behind closed doors there, but I realized it’s going to be talked about publicly whether I blog about it or not, so I might as well be one of those who do it… so there you go, take it how you will!
photo credit: Fosforix
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17th March, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Thanks Josh, I am just getting into Twitter so this is definitely some useful information for me!
17th March, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Interesting find, now the hard part is how to monetize it without looking like you are monetizing it!!
17th March, 2009 at 4:56 pm
Hey Josh — this is really interesting. I continue to be amazed at the power of Twitter — especially in internet marketing. Looks like all of those people that said Twitter was a waste of bandwidth are turning out to be wrong.
Great post (again).
Thanks,
Mark
17th March, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Josh,
Thanks for this timely post…I just had a BIG duh moment.
Cool stuff…I am bookmarking this for my readers.
17th March, 2009 at 4:58 pm
@ saltwater – True… I think it can definitely be done manually (I’ve sent honest recommendations to reviews etc. many times,) but automating it could be challenging. btw, please read my comment policy.
17th March, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Great idea Josh. For such a simple site, Twitter is a tremendous asset to any online business.
Another great tool I’ve been using is:
twitter.ezinearticles.com
This helps me locate other people in my niche for potential joint ventures. You should definitely check it out.
17th March, 2009 at 5:00 pm
I have been using Twitter for a few weeks as part of my marketing strategy…and it definitely has potential.
Looking forward to more good tips of the trade.
Thanks
17th March, 2009 at 5:22 pm
Ok, so I’m going to test your theory and see if people are ready to buy my product or service.
I’ll get back to you and see if I can pick up a new client in 3 days.
17th March, 2009 at 5:26 pm
Thanks for the idea Josh. Even if you aren’t selling anything, keyword search is a good way to find folks that have similar interests. Maybe more people will start using twitter like a networking search engine, where our keyword embedded posts are returned in the results. I’m sure someone will design a software to gather important data about twitter and sell if for more than most of us can afford.
17th March, 2009 at 5:30 pm
Thanks for the info Josh.
I have to confess I am one of the people that wondered what Twitter was all about.
I even got as far as creating an account a few months back, but haven’t done anything with it. I even have people following me – as I apparently go nowhere! Lol.
You’ve inspired me to take another look!
17th March, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Even more amazing is tweetgrid.com
17th March, 2009 at 5:57 pm
Awesome info.
Okay, this post has won me over. I had created an account but did not use it, because I did not want my productivity suffer, running after each new interesting thing that got tweeted.
But gosh, Josh you have opened my eyes.
Thank You.
17th March, 2009 at 6:14 pm
Cool Josh…thanks. Could mean a lot of work though…for ? returns. Good to try though.
17th March, 2009 at 6:40 pm
Thanks for clearing up how this works in the coaching forum. It could definitely be worth it for certain niches!
17th March, 2009 at 6:42 pm
C’mon, Josh! If you were selling something or even just looking for niche marketing ideas, it would take you forever and a day to find anything useful on Twitter Search… I still vote for Twits as 2009’s Time Suck of the Year…
17th March, 2009 at 6:53 pm
@ John – I’m not sure how that would take forever and a day, but you’re entitled to your own opinion
However, do you think you could convince 7 and 8 figure marketers like Tom Ziglar (Zig’s son,) Mike Filsaime, Joel Comm etc. that they’re wasting they’re time?
I have a feeling you won’t be able to
And just for the record, if something wastes my time I don’t do it… simple as that. I’m on Twitter though.
17th March, 2009 at 7:33 pm
Josh,
I am late to the Twitter game. I just logged into my account yesterday and wiped the cobwebs out.
I’ll give your suggestions a try.
Jonathan
17th March, 2009 at 8:38 pm
[...] anymore. It is one of the most effective networking and sales tools for probloggers. Check this out Using Twitter Search to find Buyers in the ACT! and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter. If you haven’t customized your Twitter [...]
17th March, 2009 at 9:27 pm
Very interesting. I’ve been playing with Twitter a bit, maybe now it’s time to get working with it!
17th March, 2009 at 9:36 pm
I just started using Twitter within the last 4 weeks or so. Use a software tool to help me build my following a little faster~Used properly works really well~Used poorly and as Josh says Twitter and/or tweeple will shut you down.
17th March, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Thanks for that tip Josh. I have been sceptical about Twitter but to be able to find people that way is great. Obviously, as you say, it has to be used correctly, but it is a reasonably quick way to find tgt buyers. Bit like PPC you need to use the right search terms.
17th March, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I haven’t even signed up for Twitter yet!
I’m a bit behind the game, I suppose, but I’ve found that with only so many hours in my days, I can’t do everything.
Perhaps I’ll be late to the party, but I’ll probably get there eventually. I suspect if it is worthwhile it will still be there when I arrive.
17th March, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Sounds good, I was wondering about the income potential, lots of folks say NO, it’s not for $$$, but like everything else, good intention will work anywhere!
Great!
Darryl
18th March, 2009 at 12:16 am
@Darryl, the income potential is tremendous both for the site itself and its users. For instance, Kevin Rose @digg has 303,430 followers. He just launched a new site called wefollow.com and guess what, chances are that those 300k followers are checking out his site the instant he posted a “tweet”. It got me to check it out. Same goes for Authors, Rock Bands, Stores offering sales on hot items, etc, etc….. In addition, companies running commercials or advertising specials will be able to monitor whether anyone is talking about there products. (i.e. Tweet – Just saw the funniest commercial from Brand X)
18th March, 2009 at 12:36 am
I honestly don’t think that people on Twitter are there to buy anything. Most are tech savvy and just looking to feed an information addiction or to socialize.
I don’t see people making money with Digg traffic or Stumble traffic either. This is no different.
Don’t get me wrong, I really like the social aspect there, but I would never buy anything from anyone there. I must suspect I am not alone.
AL
18th March, 2009 at 1:34 am
Thanks Josh..I recently watched a video that teaches this…quite a good trick! Thanks, Stuart Stirling
18th March, 2009 at 2:16 am
Can someone (or Josh) tell how does someone really profit using twitter? I’ve got lots of followers and I am following just as many. I will NOT pay anyone any money to tell me how it is done! There are tons of new ebooks, sites, blogs etc… that are gushing with ways to make money with twitter. But I have yet to see any proof of anyone really doing this!
I think most of us want to see real legitimate proof of how it is done
Paul
18th March, 2009 at 12:59 pm
Thanks, Josh! this sounds like it could be a great tip. Still trying to really understand Twitter, but it seems like the opportunities may be endless.
18th March, 2009 at 2:12 pm
@ Darryl – Well Twitter in general is a networking tool, not a direct money maker. This post is more about other possible marketing uses aside from the primary use, which is to make friends and network within your niche.
@ Allyn – I don’t care what the platform is, if there are people who are seconds away from buying there is something special there! Anyone with a marketing mind will see that!
@ Paul – Make friends and help people, that’s how you make money with Twitter and any other social site. All money is not direct!
18th March, 2009 at 2:40 pm
Hey, Josh, thank you so much for telling me this! I had no idea… (time to read the friggin’ manual, I guess).
I searched for “Moving to Denver” and found several people who might be interested in what I post on my blog. The search for “visiting Denver” was less successful, but I probably just need to refine it.
18th March, 2009 at 3:28 pm
I first heard about using Twitter search over this past weekend and I’ve been using it over the past few days now. Although I’ve only been twittering for 10 days now, I already have almost 700 people following me. That’s about 70 new followers per day.
I only follow about 20-30 people per day, but for some reason I get a lot more than that. I guess reading and watching several Twitter tutorial ebooks and videos helps.
I’ve never used the “buying” search terms yet, but I certainly will now. Before I do, however, I need to set up my other Twitter tools like “tweetlater”, tweetdeck, and “hellotxt”. These 3 tools alone will help speed up my Twitter experience so I can start focusing on marketing my products.
To date, I have about 14 Twitter tools, including the top 3 above, that need to be set up. However, using the Twitter search tool effectively is probably one of the best ways to give your online business a fast start.
Joe
18th March, 2009 at 3:38 pm
Josh,
This is the first reason I have heard anyone give as to how the time spent on Twitter could be valuable. I am ADD enough that I have not taken the time to play with Twitter.
Allen
18th March, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Josh,
Very interesting. For sure as a marketing tool is huge.
I wonder how an air conditioning contractor in Phoenix can use this tool to produce sells?
Jose
18th March, 2009 at 7:28 pm
@Jose
Let me help answer your question by asking you two.
(1.) How many AC contractors in Phoenix use Twitter?
(2.) How many people post twits that say “Man, I’m gonna buy me a 5 ton heat pump today…”?
On the other hand, you could start a business by sitting and watching Twitter for somebody who needs an AC unit or service (in Phoenix) and than sell the lead to a contractor… riiiiiight!!
C’mon, folks, get realistic!!
18th March, 2009 at 7:41 pm
@ Jose – By following a bunch of people in Phoenix then doing “air conditioner” related searches and making connections with customers. Be optimistic and you’ll see even more possibilities! Be pessimistic and you won’t find any possibilities!
18th March, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I think it’s funny that Twitter cannot even find a viable way to monetize itself, let alone a contractor in Phoenix trying to monetize it.
Seriously, social traffic does not convert.
that is realistic, not pessimistic.
AL
18th March, 2009 at 8:12 pm
@ Allyn – oh they can’t? lol Social media isn’t about direct sales it’s about networking. That’s the problem. People think the only way to make money is directly. Those who don’t understand that don’t have to participate. No one forces me to run a profitable business I just find what works and do it.
18th March, 2009 at 8:24 pm
Wow talk about days of serching EACH tweet.
Ok so one tweet has the words “yes I’m thinking of buying it.”
Now go to that profile and s e a r c h backwards to find out what IT is.
18th March, 2009 at 8:26 pm
@ Dennis – Twitter search shows every tweet that contains your search phrase, so no need to do that. Maybe I’m misinterpreting what you’re trying to say?
18th March, 2009 at 8:28 pm
“More and more people, including potential CUSTOMERS are using Twitter and one feature they offer makes Twitter INCREDIBLY profitable and that is SEARCH!”
so then someone looking for a drycleaner in Indianapolis is using the twitter search engine? ROFL
18th March, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@ Allyn – Be sure to take a shower after rolling on the floor. Sounds like you’re convinced… nothing wrong with that. Best of luck with your business. You do your thing we’ll do ours
Luckily I don’t sell drycleaners in Indianapolis lol
18th March, 2009 at 8:30 pm
@Allyn… You got that right!
@Josh… You got that right, that is, social media… is about networking, which in turn can get you some links, which in turn can help you get ranked, which in turn can help you make money.
Believe me, there are easier ways, right Allyn?
18th March, 2009 at 8:37 pm
@John Moving..yep! much easier and much faster ways.
I love being social on Twitter, but that is all.
@Josh. no offense meant here. If you’d like a bunch of “yes” men in comments, please let me know and I will take you out of my feed reader. I have no problem with that if that is how you roll.
also, to answer your DM to me on Twitter (can;t DM you back) yes, out of my almost 700 posts, I schleped my ebook one time. Guess I got carried away.
also, how many sales have you made of products on Twitter with all the hours of socializing, foot rubbing and toe stroking? just wondering. has anyone from Digg ever bought something from your sidebar? Do you make bank from facebook?
…But set up an affiliate site on pre-owned domain and get a few links (for ORGANIC search traffic in Google) and you can be in position one by dinner time! That’s how I roll.
AL
18th March, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Allyn – Investigate the term “networking.” Like I mentioned before, the primary benefit to Twitter is networking. This post is simply a “For your info” think outside the box type of thing.
18th March, 2009 at 8:43 pm
@Josh I get it man, I am just messing with you. And look at all the free content I have given you with these greatly keyword stuffed comments!
Make Money With Twitter!!!!!!!!!!
LOL
you are a good sport and I appreciate that.
now I am going to go use the Twitter search engine to go find some tickets to the next showing of Riverdance.
AL
18th March, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Good deal, we didn’t even make any enemies
If you’re ever in the Indy area we’ll have to have a coffee. I think Twitter has even more potential than just networking… these things just need to be carefully thought out and planned by the right person/people.
19th March, 2009 at 2:16 pm
Josh…”Make friends and help people, that’s how you make money with Twitter and any other social site”. This also goes for websites, blogs and any offline marketing.
19th March, 2009 at 2:25 pm
@ Paul – True statement (with most business models.)
19th March, 2009 at 7:23 pm
[...] popular by the end of this year. A few days ago Josh Spaulding has written a great article titled Using Twitter Search to find Buyers in the ACT! and stressed the importance of Twitter Search when trying to find potential [...]
20th March, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Nice tips Josh. I’ve just recently joined twitter and am in the process of using it as a marketing tool as well. Haven’t really put much effort and time into it though, but will definitely consider it.
Cheers!
Welly Mulia
20th March, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Nice tip Josh, thanks…I put in a search for thinking of buying and will buy and both came back with 100 results and I’m sure it will continue throughout the day
20th March, 2009 at 9:48 pm
@john I only just did this today so I don’t have all the answers. But!
Some people actually tell you want they are “thinking” about buying and what they “are” going to buy so whether or not they want what YOU are selling doesn’t matter – you know that they want to / are going to buy something.
If you analyse it enough, you may come up with data that suggests what people on Twitter are interested in buying…as I said I don’t have all the answers and I am not an expert. Time will tell….
21st March, 2009 at 12:55 am
@JO
that is what they call “analysis paralysis”
stop checking stats and go build!
21st March, 2009 at 1:40 am
@allyn please…as I said I’m not an expert but there seems to be a lot on here! As I said just stating my opinion
I’m of the sort that will learn by experience rather than listen to people just because they said so 
21st March, 2009 at 4:26 am
Great info on Twitter. It can definitely be an incredible asset for social networking and website promotion.
23rd March, 2009 at 5:04 pm
Great post on twitter. Social networking sites like twitter are cash cows and the newest way to attract visitors to your services and products. If anyone hasn’t cashed in on twitter, you are missing out!
24th March, 2009 at 7:51 am
I like twitter a lot because they are so interactive there and things can get really viral in a very little time.
Thanks for the tips and insights.
24th March, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Many thanks for this great tip Josh, yes I can see how that could work.
Admittedly I’ve been one of those people who to date has avoided Twitter, the very domain name has put me off visiting them so far, ‘twittering’ sounds like something a couple of old women do, gossiping over the washing line about this that and nothing in particular, the very connotation of the name therefore, I could just see no benefit to visiting the place, but the more I read about it and now, especially after reading your own views, I’ll be sure to check it out to see how it might benefit our own website design and funnel marketing business, minisite designs etc.
Thank you again for your very useful newsletter, if only all internet marketers were like you.
As usual top notch advice!
Many thanks!
Mark
25th March, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Thanks for the tips.Never knew there was a separate Twitter search.
26th March, 2009 at 1:40 pm
[...] Josh Spaulding wisely pointed out in a recent post, it’s a great tool for an affiliate marketer, to find people who are looking at making buying [...]
30th March, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Thanks Josh,
I signed in to Twitter to-day and have been looking around. Looks a fine place to build joint vetures or interest groups of the same-thinkers. Very obviously a strong tool to network.
When I read most of the comments here,
I see it important to have a correct and positive attitude, when we start to use Twitter.
It will be good, if a member thinks it will be!
1st April, 2009 at 1:38 am
Thanks for the Twitter insight Josh. Was scratching my head and “twittering” around trying to figure out how to use Twitter in a time-effective method.
This tip is Twitter priceless!
Many Thanks
Suellen
3rd April, 2009 at 1:45 pm
[...] Using Twitter Search to Find Buyers in the Act [...]
5th April, 2009 at 7:04 pm
[...] Using Twitter Search to Find Buyers in the Act [...]
6th April, 2009 at 3:16 pm
[...] As you know, Twitter is widely recognized as a powerful networking tool. It isn’t a direct traffic or sale generator in most cases, but as I explained the other day, Twitter could have direct sale/lead/traffic generation potential! [...]
7th April, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Thanks for that info. I was just thinking of actually using twitter in my online business.
You have nailed it in the head. Clear cut info of how to use twitter professionally.
Looking forward to more of your posts.
7th April, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Hey Josh,
I just found your blog here today because I heard some people on the WF saying you had some great content. I was just browsing around and I found this post, and it is actually a pretty good idea. I heard another marketing talking about something similar, I can’t remember who though, but I haven’t tried it yet.
I am still trying to get used to using Twitter. I just started a little bit ago, but I keep forgetting about it and I don’t tweet very often.
It is interesting to see how many people say that social networking doesn’t make money. I network with people on forums, and when I released a product I made $200 in sales on the first day and I just put a link to it in my signature. I didn’t send out an email or ask anyone to promote it and I didn’t actually talk about it. I just put a link in my forum sig.
I am hoping that by using Twitter and interacting with more people I will make more sales if/when I release another product due to the relationships I have built. I know there are ways you can make money a lot faster, but I believe that by building relationships you can make a lot more money in the long run.
Shawn
PS. I am using other methods of making money, mainly using SEO & article marketing, but I also like to network with people and build relationships.
26th April, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Tis is a very good suggestion, and why not try it out? It can be done without spending too much time, so what is there to loose?
30th April, 2009 at 4:21 pm
Hi Josh,
Great post and helpful tool. However, at the time of this comment, I’m getting a 500 internal server error. I’ll try twitter search later.
I just installed TweetDeck. Not sure I’ll keep it installed as it can be a little distracting.
Kind regards,
Theresa
30th April, 2009 at 6:25 pm
[...] http://ez-onlinemoney.com/blog/money-making-ideas/using-twitter-search-to-find-buyers-in-the-act/ [...]
21st May, 2009 at 12:13 am
It looks like every day I am learning something new about Twitter. At first I found it annoying until I started using TweetDeck to filter out some of the unwanted chatter. I think that I will have to play around with Twitter search, just to see if I can utilize it for something.
24th May, 2009 at 2:00 am
Great post Josh! The Twitter search is a great way to find buyers in the act. I just wish it would display the total number of results found for each keyword search. Hopefully, that will be implemented in the near future.
Another great tool I’ve been using is Twazzup.com. It has a couple extra features like the follow and retweet button which is very convenient.
Tom
2nd June, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Hi Josh,
That’s a an outstanding post. And I am overwhelmed with the number of comments.
Rather than the keyword “Buying”, I’ve mentioned demand generating keywords like “Looking for”, “Searching for”, etc. However, you also have to consider short forms like: “looking 4″, “searching 4″, “know ne1″, etc.
I am amazed that not much people use this technique. But, we will soon see a lot of businesses adopting this. Then, when you tweet a demand generating keyword, you might get a lot of responses.