Not quite! Because of the nature of Twitter, the short answer is you really CAN’T monetize Twitter. At least not directly. Twitter is by nature a social beast. It’s about building relationships, and creating personal connections. When you go in and just start using it to try and make a buck, believe me your Twitter followers notice, and they will not like you very much. They will most likely even unfollow you.

Which begs the question, if you can’t make money on Twitter, what’s the point? Just because you can’t monetize Twitter directly, for example sending out mass links to products in the hopes of a sale, it doesn’t mean it can’t be monetized indirectly.

You are building a relationship with like minded individuals. If you use Twitter in the way that it was intended to be used, you will be establishing yourself to your followers as a real person just like them. You will be allowing them to relate to you on a personal level, and get to know YOU, not just your business or product.

Guess what that means the next time they are in the market for something you provide? You will be the first person they think of purchasing from! Your product or service will get first crack at providing them with the solution they are seeking, simply because they now feel they KNOW you and can TRUST you. Two key components in any successful business transaction.

Does that mean you can’t let your Twitter followers know about your products and services occasionally? Of course not. In fact, with all your Twitter efforts, all roads should lead back to you, your website, and your business. For every 10 – 15 retweets you send out of other followers stuff, you should send out one of your own related to your brand or business. And it should send folks back to your website.

Your Twitter profile should have a link back to your website. And if you are using your Twitwall appropriately, that too should lead back to your website or business. The key is to walk the fine line between promoting your business, and building those relationships. The relationships are paramount to success way more so than spamming your followers with ‘Buy This Product Now Links’. The relationships are what will increase your revenue in the long run.

So remember that sometimes it really is better to beat around the bush a bit. Build relationships, connect with people, provide value that doesn’t cost them anything. Direct marketing and sales is a flop on Twitter. Just don’t do it. Your followers will thank you and love you all the more for it!