I am on a wonderful Listserv – DC Web Women – where an involved discussion about Twitter erupted last week. A subscriber, who was new to Twitter, was having a hard time seeing Twitter’s business value. Beyond that she was having difficulty “getting” who to follow, avoiding noise, etc. All completely valid questions and ones that I asked myself when I started tweeting. I wrote this reponse to the group and thought that I would share it with you. It was well received and folks seemed to appreciate the input. Enjoy!
Like everyone else, I too couldn’t figure out the value of Twitter and it took several months before I had that “a-ha” moment and everything clicked.
WHO TO FOLLOW
When I started I followed anyone and everyone. And I ended up with a lot of noise but really no substance (which is what I’m hearing from the list). So, I spent some time trying to find the right folks to follow. My interests lie in social media and animal rescue. So, I did some research and found folks who were thought leaders in social media and followed them. Then I took a look at who these folks were following and followed a few of them. Once I found the right folks to follow, the noise began to subside and real conversations started happening.LURK THEN ENGAGE
I lurked for a long time, watching the conversation and learning the etiquette. My lurking resulted in a lot of great resources and ideas from others. Then I jumped in and started my own discussions about topics that were important to me. And to my surprise, folks that I didn’t know responded. It was great.CONNECTING
I am an independent contractor so all of my business is through networking and word of mouth. Twitter has allowed me to connect with respected professionals in my field that I wouldn’t normally have the ability to “meet”.RESULTS
I’ve gotten a few blogging opportunities, writing gigs and interviews via contacts I’ve met on Twitter. I’ve been able to secure donations for my animal welfare nonprofit. I’ve also been able to obtain a lot more public exposure for my personal brand as well as my nonprofit via Twitter contacts and posts.If you Google “finding folks to follow on Twitter” there are tons of lists with quality folks you can follow. I can also send you my list if you are interested. Here are a few good websites for navigating Twitter:
- http://twitterholic.com/ – most popular Twitter users
- http://search.twitter.com/ - enter a topic and see what other folks are tweeting about it
- http://www.twitterlocal.net – helps you find users in your geographic area
- http://tweetburner.com/ – allows you to track the links that you share on Twitter
As you can tell, I am a huge advocate of Twitter as it has truly helped me build my social brand in a very short amount of time.
I do agree with the person who said that if you are not trying to meet these types of goals or your industry just doesn’t mesh with Twitter – it may not be the right tool for you.
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HI Beth
Thanks for this; you’ve inspired me to re-visit the whole Twitter thing; I know people rave about it but I thought it might be a ‘fad’ and interest die down, but it hasn’t so the come has come for me to check it out.
thanks!
Hey Fiona – I’m glad that my post helped you out. Demystifying Twitter is sometimes a challenge but I do swear by its value once you have that “moment”. Ping me if you have any specific questions. Good luck!
Best
Beth