Now you know about how I feel about my relationship with Email and Facebook, but today we tackle Twitter.
As a marketing person I see the value of instantly connecting with people. Being able to be on the front lines of customer service issues, interacting with people who have similar passions as you, and networking to find your next customer. These are brilliant ways to use Twitter.
The question for small business is how much time do we need to be spending on this tool - and remember it is just a tool. My real assessment is that for work related twittering 15 minutes 3-5 times a week is fine.
So, what do you do during that 15 minutes?
- Add Value - what does that mean? Tim Ferris brilliantly says that, "Some self-indulgent tweets are fine, but make sure 90%+ help or
entertain your readers somehow. Information empty calories are
parasitic." I take that to mean that you want to connect people to ideas, information or simply be yourself. Don't use it as a platform to sell your product constantly, see it as the giant cocktail party it is and jump in with something that might be helpful to someone else.
- Be Authentic - that is probably the most important piece of advice. Mashable has a great Twitter Guidebook and their advice is, "Authenticity is the golden rule in social media. We’ve known this for
years, but there is another, related rule that is just as important:
you and your brand need to be believable." Being YOU is what people are looking for. This is a platform that lets you share who you are, not a random robot!
- Find Folks - one of the best things you can do on Twitter is find people who you would want to connect with. First, find people that you are currently working with, people you know in real life, and companies that you love. You can do this with a Twitter Search right in Twitter. It isn't the best tool, but it is a good place to start. The other is Tweepz. It takes the Twitter search to the next level. (I'll share more on building followers in a more detailed post later.)
For the first part of the game I was on Twitter talking to a friend of mine across town about the silly ads undermining men and their masculinity. I was also watching the smart ass comments that everyone had about everything. Everyone a) thinks they are brilliant and b) that they are the next Whoopie Goldberg. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't always care and I don't think you are always funny.
And then it hit me.... Twitter was taking MY experience of the event and coloring it with the mostly negative comments (why is humor so often negative) of my followers. So, I shut it down. I just put the phone down and watched the game with my husband. He was right in the room, could explain what was happening, and enjoy the digitally enhanced scream of the Who with me. Real people are more important than 140 character moments with people I have never met.
That doesn't mean that I don't want to connect, I just want to do it with clarity. So, I am imposing a 3 tweets a day for the rest of February rule to see how that feels. Really, I'm not that funny either!
What is your relationship with Twitter? How are you using it and do you think it is a boon to your business? Personally, in moderation - like EVERYTHING else - I think it has value, but don't let it lessen your real life moments! Who Dat?
Tomorrow TV and that dreaded idiot box takes over our lives - even if it is "research" for my job!Photo Credit: S. Son
