| design58 | social media consultancy | huddersfield, west yorkshire, uk

Using Twitter….

This post was originally added to a Linked In discussion, where someone simply asked for a little advice on using twitter effectively.

As with any network online or offline there needs to be a strategy and schedule to make the time used most effective. As with Linked In and Facebook and other social media online platforms there is a definite importance in being able to target your connected community and target audience through various search methods. This can then cut down time wasted just throwing out blanket messages by giving the ability to reach those who have an interest in your products and services.

To help define your targeting use Google Alerts http://www.google.com/alerts for daily or real-time email alerts when your specific keyword is mentioned. Aligned with this you should also use http://www.hootesuite.com http://www.tweetdeck.com to again get real time updates on keyword searches. Twitter Search http://search.twitter.com does what it says effectively where http://tweetreach.com can show how tweets and #tags are being followed. Those are some applications for making Twitter effective there are and will be more made constantly, best to keep it sustainable and effective within your schedule..

Never sell or constantly direct people back to your website with discounts, deals and offers. By being informative a twitter profile can be a resource rather than an interrupting source of spam marketing. Being informative and knowledgeable about your industry area will build trust and loyalty from followers who will then share your name within their networks.

Be personable and real not corporate and grey, Twitter provides a fantastic opportunity to communicate rather than promote. Understanding your network, audience, clients, and customers is vital and this is a perfect platform to do this. Helping a business provide what this following actually need rather than what is assumed to be needed this is a result of direct contact. Through this direct contact a business should be flexible to change and develop in line with the relevant needs.

Engaging with a network, community or target audience is the base of any social networking on or offline to build relationships that are long term not simply focused on a short term financial gain. Many people get annoyed with certain Twitter users being overactive it is quite simple to unfollow. It’s even easier to get into conversations on Twitter with real people in real time this builds relationships and the connectivity required to develop the trust and loyalty suggested above.

Never automate responses to adding followers this is the same as the faceless request on Linked In an automated thanks is corporate and grey and lacks personality. A personal Direct Message shows care and thought for the person at the other end. Also automated Tweets may save time but they also mean you aren’t there to answer in real time too, it’s a decision you have to make but don’t feel by not being there you are missing out.

Develop a schedule that provides time in chunks throughout a day when you are there doing specific things. These can change depending on time to include posting information, listening to followers, retweeting, replying and searching for specific followers. This can be done in 10 or 20 minutes chunks evenly through a day. Through experience you will find when is the best time to do these specific activities on Twitter depending on your followers and their online activity.

All these suggestions are the basics of any communication using effective technology to connect and talk with people. Although these people are part of a business they provide real contact for a customer or client. People don’t buy what you do but why you do it, when engaging and showing empathy you gain trust. It’s far easier to be genuine and authentic than fraudulent.

I have made contacts and clients through Twitter for myself and my clients. It may happen immediately but more likely it will take time to develop these relationships, be patient.

Sharing a little more conversation

We all want word of mouth referrals whether they come from online sources or offline, I personally ignore emails unless from known sources. It’s quite evident that many people have effective online networks [better than many businesses] and so these networks can share information a lot more effectively than previously.

As we move on less and less searching will happen specifically through Google [or other search engines at the front end]. Instead we will begin to have information fed on the keywords or alerts we request. How many people would even think of using the yellow pages to find a plumber but would ask friends, family, colleagues, contacts, followers? The list can be added to where relevant and with regard to whose opinion you trust and feel loyal to, trust and loyalty are very important factors in building the reputation of a business.

Whilst building reputations there is still the opportunity to link word of mouth to previous work and contacts, a recent client of mine found by being more active on Linked In he was back in contact with people he had known for 20 years. Conversations can start around familiarities, whether new or old businesses nobody should be selling products or services through any platform. Instead I would advise simply being informative about your knowledge, skills and experiences within your industry. By doing this contacts, followers or friends get to know you as a resource not a source of interruptions, discounts and deals.

There are many ways to search specifically for what we want, by building a connected community online we are able to spread the awareness of what we know and do globally. I have been doing this since 1982 simply promoting interaction, participation and viewing audience analysis based on engaging with people and developing long term relationships. By taking time to listen to those we want to connect to we are better placed to understand their needs, bringing this to conversation shows them that we respect their views too.

The important factor in everything linked to these thoughts is people not technology, by building the correct mind set to communicate effectively to the people important to your business those relationships will build whether online or offline. It is vital that it doesn’t become one or the other but working together strategically for the business to develop, always providing an approachable and personable opportunity for conversation.