To understand the business implications of Twitter, first you must understand what Twitter is. According to their webpage, "Twitter is a real-time information network that connects you to the latest stories, ideas, opinions and news about what you find interesting." Many have labeled it the "cocktail party" of the social media platforms where interesting information travels faster and further than ever before.
A cocktail party is a venue where you move from person to person having brief conversations about topics you find mutually interesting. There are people and topics you avoid, people you get into deep conversation with, and people that you merely wish to meet. Twitter is the same. This
is a site that allows creativity to take flight. The limited characters force you to clearly articulate your message and encourage you to participate in brief conversations that are pithy and informative. With your tweets you may spur on a long conversation or merely be sharing a tidbit you deem worthy to pass on, all the while you are getting your name out there.
Now, how does all of this really relate to business...?
Twitter is a brand builder that helps you engage directly with a large audience and create a buzz about your organization through sharing information the masses find interesting. The more people talk about you, the greater the opportunity to build brand advocates. It is a chance for people to get to know the person behind the brand, an opportunity to share the recent happenings in your company and exciting adventures on the horizon. Twitter can help you connect with potential clients and every connection is an opportunity… to expand your
reach, to increase your bottom line, to cultivate loyal advocates, to
hear what your customers want and to stay ahead of the competition.
Curious how you can use Twitter to excite your audience and build advocates? Here are five easy tips:
- Be Real.
In both a figurative and literal sense. People are interested in WHO is behind the brand and what YOUR thoughts are. They are not interested in the constant barrage of overly pessimistic or incessantly peppy posts that reveal nothing about "the man behind the curtain." Be authentic. Show them the real you and actively engage with your audience. DO NOT use animated systems to share information. The only time people like a robot is on the dance floor. No automatic "thank you for following me" direct messages or posting every 30 seconds from Hootsuite so you don't actually have to take the time to interact with your network. Only GENUINE connections produce advocates.
- Be Relevant.
You need to know your audience. If you are a car salesman you do not need to be tweeting about the latest winner of the dog show (at least not on your business profile). Your audience follows you because you are the expert at what you do. You are uniquely you. Twitter is the perfect place to flaunt what you know. This does not mean you should shamelessly promote yourself (no one wants to read a commercial) but rather that you should be sharing relevant tidbits that will inform and inspire your audience. Talk about what you know. Ask questions. If you wouldn't want to read it, don't post it.
- Be Responsive.
Social media sites are not meant for one-way communication. Be sure to monitor your twitter page so that you can provide quick responses to questions that arise or respond to folks who engage in conversation with you. It is essential that you do not let the conversation die once one begins. Know that some people are more chatty than others (don't expect 1000 answers to every question you ask) and that EVERY person who engages with you is just as important as every customer who walks into a store. Don't wait days to connect as the average conversation on Twitter lasts less than two-hours. If you wait too long you may miss the opportunity to build advocates.
- Be Well-Written.
OMG I h8 IM spEk on twtr. I know you only have 140 characters to share your message, but if you want to be taken seriously as a business professional steer away from online shorthand. You are not hip or cool if you know the latest acronym and try to flaunt it on twitter. Please take the time to provide a professional, well-thought out, clever post that fits in the 140 characters and leave the shorthand to the middle-school text messages.
- Be Consistent.
If you are not committed to a consistent social media presence - do not create the profiles. It is better for you to have NO twitter presence than to post once every nine months. If you are the expert in your field (like I know you are) then you have information you can share (and should share) everyday. Don't be afraid to post multiple times in the same day if you have a lot to say. As long as your content is relevant you should flaunt it on a regular basis. Put an alarm in your phone or on your outlook if necessary, it is only five minutes out of your day and it could make all the difference in the world. Remember, you represent your company and if you disappear from the online world, people will wonder if your company may soon disappear too.
A few more free thoughts:
- Title your blog in a way that makes an interesting tweet so that your image is integrated
- Less is definitely more - clear, concise communications are a minimum requirement
- Get acquainted with twitter terms. A little clue:
- RT means retweet - sharing another persons tweet
- The @ symbol means you are directing your comment at a specific user
- #hashtags are akin to keywords and categorize Tweets to help them show more easily in Twitter Search
All of these tips are to help you cultivate an engaging Twitter presence that will help you build brand advocates who are interested in what you have to say and who will pass the message on to new connections. I wish you the best of luck in twitter-pating your audience.
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