I had never opted-in to a Twitter ad service…that is until Sponsored Tweets. I read up on it, cause hey, I figured if I’m gonna tweet as much as I do, wouldn’t it be great if I got paid for it? The key feature that led me to sign up is the fact that the final copy that will be tweeted is ALWAYS written directly by you the person whose account it is tweeted from.

Here is a quick overview of how the system works:

1. Login at Sponsored Tweets using your Twitter login details and fill in a short survey. This helps them figure out what demographic you most speak to when you tweet. It also helps them find ads that are authentic as possible to your voice. In my experience this has worked – I’ve tweeted ads about social media (international) and a kitchen makeover contest (geared at Canadian mothers).  Once you’ve signed up -  sit back and wait to hear from Sponsored Tweets.

2. You get a DM from Sponsored Tweets saying that you have 3 days to review an opportunity in your account.

3. You login in with your Twitter details to the site and check out the service/product you would be tweeting about, how much it pays, and the link you would be using and where it would take your followers should they click. If anything about the product, service, sales page or squeeze page is not your style, you do not have to accept the job, if it is – move onto step 4.

4. Here’s your chance to play admaker – having looked through the information, you now get to write your own compelling tweet. That’s right, you write it. The only rules are that you include the link supplied along with a method of disclosing that it is in fact an ad. This can be hashtagging the tweet #ad, adding “sponsored by” or “brought to you by” to the tweet – there are alist of disclosing methods supplied and it is up to you to chose the one you are most comfortable with. So there is no fooling your followers, I like that.

5. You submit your tweet to Sponsored Tweets for a final check, they then tweet it out for you. Their are opportunities to have your tweet go out up to 3 times (and make more money) if the first tweet was very successful – but they do not hijack your account and send out spam willy nilly. In fact once they send out the first tweet, they DM you to let you know.

If you have any questions about how it has worked for me so far, don’t hesitate to leave me a message. Have you tried Sponsored Tweets? What has been your experience?

If you do sign up though my referal link, make sure to email me at ghada at realsocialgirl dot com and let me know or leave a message here.

Happy Tweeting!

Marketers shouldn’t take for granted the stay at home mother. Restricting ads geared to mothers to Baby wipes, cleaning products and anything pink is not the way to go. Women and the subset of mothers make up a big chunk of the spending that goes on, and its not just frocks and shoes.

According to a survey by Pew Research Center, women are the key household decision-makers. When it comes to deciding on major home purchases, managing household finances, and other decisions, women are very much involved and often are in charge.

Highlights from the survey that Marketeers need to take note of:
- in families where just one person makes most of the decisions, it’s usually the woman and not the man who has the last word when purchasing a major item for the home
- Among the many dual-income families, the fact that the man often earns more doesn’t mean that he decides more
- In 74 percent of homes the woman is fully engaged in what that household will buy and from whom

So the car salesman needs to take note next time. Even though hubby may be asking all the questions, it may just be that wifey has the last word. So don’t condescend, instead keep her needs in mind, direct as much attention to her as you do her husband as she may be the primary decision maker.