While reading an internet business report this week, I ran across two articles that give excellent advice about using Twitter.
Here are a few great take-a-ways:
“Guerilla Tweetfare” by Dan Nickers
Once you’ve set up your Twitter account, use Twitter’s search tool (http://search.twitter.com) and search for people who are discussing your particular niche or product.
Then, join the discussion and provide useful information and value. Dan suggests being funny, not spammy. He says, ”When you reply with value, the person will most likely follow you, reply to you and thank you.”
When someone replies to you on Twitter, all of their followers become aware of the conversation and may see you as a good person to follow as well.
Dan sums up his article with this, “The obvious goal here is to create buzz. The more value, humor and legitimate feedback you provide, the more followers and attention you will receive.”
“Sweeten Up Your Social Networking” by Carrie Wilkerson
She shares Dan’s perspective and suggests…
- Guard your character. Twitter is a very large fishbowl. People are listening and watching at all times.
- Be conversational. Interact with people, show interest in them and see how you can be of value in their space.
- Be consistent and engaged. If you only go on Twitter when you’re bored, have a promotion, have a blog post or are seeking input, everyone will see right through you.
Carrie ends with…”When your audience knows you, likes you, and trusts you, they will want to know more about who you are, who you know, and what you have to offer.”
I believe Dan and Carrie did an excellent job of really drilling down to the core of how to best use Twitter as a marketing tool.
I admit I haven’t kept up with Twitter much in a few months. Effectively using social networking requires a commitment to spending some time on a regular basis socializing with the members. Remember, it’s all about the people and the community.
Happy Tweeting!
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]]>Principles of Social Media
- Social media requires a continuing dialogue. Don’t start an initiative (on any social network) unless you plan to stay there forever.
- If you plan to stay in it for the long haul, start the dialogue. If you’re interested in people, they are more likely to be interested in you. Talk to them in their language (not your jargon or academic-speak)…and talk to them about things that resonate with their interests. The goal is to connect on a human level.
- People trust personal recommendations. Active word of mouth influencers are the single most effective marketing tool. Empower people to recommend you, then make it easy for them to do it.
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Using online social networks for marketing is different from traditional marketing tactics. It’s not just a matter of getting your message out to as many people as possible. This is akin to spamming. The main distinction between traditional online marketing and marketing on online social networks is that effective online network marketing involves relationships. It is not just a matter of pushing your message; it’s a matter of having a conversation or relationship with your audience.
Having said that, you may wonder who is your audience. Is it anybody and everybody who will listen? Not exactly. Although you should strive to increase the size of your network, you must keep in mind that you must target influencers within your market. Those people who blog or write, content producers, frequently are more likely to generate buzz about your organization than those who are content consumers. The content producers are the leaders of online networks. You want the leaders on your side.
In short, don’t turn down somebody who friends you on an online network like Facebook or MySpace, the two largest network communities. Go ahead and add people who want to be your friends, if they take up too much time and don’t provide any value for you, you can unfriend them later. Keep in mind that amongst those friends you add, there may be an influencer or two who will recommend your product or service to others. If you have a system that targets influencers, then you will have used an online network to its fullest potential.
Having said all that, it is vital that your interactions with your online friends are genuine. As soon as you come across as fake or not genuine, whatever goodwill you may have generated will flip into an equal amount of ill-will. Keep it personal and keep it real.
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