Until recently I didn’t really understand the true power of Twitter, so I figured this would be a good place to get my thoughts out.
Let’s take a quick look at the Internet landscape and compare it to something we can all relate to: the city where you live right now. Think about the parts of town where you go to find things to buy. Whether a mall, a mom-and-pop shop or the market where companies and individuals are all set up to sell their goods. Are these really different than the online stores on the Internet? I don’t think so.
What about the plethora of newspapers you have to choose from? The Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, National Enquirer or even your local newspaper. There are a minimum of 100 online news sites to every one newspaper that exists offline. In most cases you can access this news for free without trudging across your front lawn to retrieve your paper from the bushes. :)
I’m sure you can see the parallels with all these on and offline comparisons. But you are probably still wondering, “Where does Twitter fit in?”
People who sign up for Twitter typically use their 140 character allotment to tell the world what they are doing. In some cases they use a link that sends users to more detailed information. As I mentioned in my previous article Confessions of a Reformed Twitter Spammer, I began using Twitter the wrong way because I simply didn’t understand it. Since those dark times, I woke up when I heard an excellent comparison: Twitter was compared to a cocktail party.
Think back to when you arrived at a networking cocktail party and watched that annoying salesperson bounce around from person to person. They fill everyone in on what they do and what type of business they are looking for, and after cramming their business card in each person’s hand they leave and move on to the next person. Most of the time, their entire conversation lasts less than 15 seconds and they don’t even take the time to ask the person what they do, or even their name. Would you ever contact this person? I didn’t think so!
I was that person in the early days with my Twitter use. I thought it was a tool for me to repeat the information I wanted to spread over and over so my prospective target would be sure to get the message. Since I didn’t get it, I didn’t realize I was annoying people and giving them every reason to ignore me.
Who wants to be pestered over and over with the same message?
I believe the best way to use Twitter is to provide valuable information for the people you would like to reach. Make sure when someone arrives at your Twitter profile page they find relevant, useful information with links to more complete information. You should give Twitter the same time and attention you do the content of your website...unless you don’t pay much attention to that either.
There are many other ways you can use Twitter for your business beside providing content-based information. Stay tuned this week for more examples of how to use Twitter for your business.
