Would you be willing to pay to get your tweets listed at the top of search results, based on keywords? That’s the idea behind TweetUp, a venture started by Bill Gross. It’s a search service that readers can use to find relevant tweets based on keywords. Business owners and others pay for the privilege of appearing at the top of the results. The New York Times explored the service further with Gross and reports:
“The gamble is whether Twitter users who have turned the microblogging service into global communications phenomenon will be willing to pay to get their 140-character messages noticed — and whether other Twitter users will view such paid placement as legitimate.
So who does Mr. Gross expect to pay to put something as ephemeral as a Twitter post on top of the charts? ‘I think everyone who is looking to build a following will pay,’ he said. That means companies that want to build their brands as well as individuals who hope to drive readers to their Web sites.”
Similar to Google Adwords, you’re bidding on keywords for higher page ranks. With TweetUp, you’re paying for higher tweet post ranks. Either way, you (or your competitors) are paying to stand out among thousands of tweets.
Whether or not you should pay for TweetUp will depend on how much they charge. Like with Adwords, you’ll want to limit your spending in order to control your marketing budget. If the price is too cost prohibitive, then it’s back to grassroots marketing on Twitter, which has helped many entrepreneurs to boost sales and transition from the workplace to their own business.
About Brandon Leibowitz
