Unless you’ve just crawled out from under a rock, you have most likely heard about the new free micro-blogging sensation www.twitter.com . Twitter is currently one of the fastest growing social network sites, just behind Facebook and MySpace with over 55 million visitors per month.
This whole phenomenon is based on the simple question, “what are you doing?” People “tweet” (post) their 140-character updates to their followers. At the same time, you’re catching up on what’s on their mind as well by reading their tweets.
Think of Twitter as a local bar you like to stop in for a quick drink to catch up with your friends and hear the latest news and gossip. Sometimes you stay for a while because the conversation is really juicy and sometimes it’s a quick night cap because none of your friends are there (or particularly interesting) that night.
I know what you’re thinking…you don’t need another time sucking online network . The truth is, it’s way more productive than Facebook or Linkedin. Remember, you’re only speaking in 140-character sentences so everyone gets right to the point.
Twitter is an amazing marketing tool. I personally know several people who have gotten business, secured contracts and even landed new jobs all on Twitter. It provides a great platform for you to get immediate feedback on ideas, products or concepts. Remember, this is free marketing research!
The trick is to figure out how to bring value to your Twitter network and then bring it! People who easily grow their list of Twitter “followers” are the ones that “tweet” interesting, relevant or current information. Going back to the bar analogy, the people who have something compelling to say are the ones who have a large group gathered around them. When they talk, people listen. Same goes for Twitter.
As you think about growing your Access and Influence (A & I Factor™) with your network, I would highly recommend you check out Twitter. To help you get started here are a couple of things to keep in mind to help you grow your Twitter network;
Don’t be boring! No one wants to engage in conversation with someone who is dull or self-centered. Don’t make your “tweets” about mundane details. We don’t care what you just had for dinner. We want to know what’s on your mind and how it might be helpful to us.
Create an interesting profile. Setting up your account and profile with Twitter can be done in 15 minutes total. Keeping with Twitter’s belief that less is more, you will only have 160 characters to create your profile so make it catchy and unique.
Let Google help you. Setup Google alerts (another free service) to send you daily updates on articles or blog posts that have to do with your expertise, interest or passion. You can then “tweet” the links to your followers which will help build your credibility and value.
Thanks to Twitter, I have met some of the most interesting people, from all over the world that have connected me to amazing resources and information. If you would like to join the conversation, we would love to have you drop by at www.twitter.com. You can find me at @sarahmichel or http://twitter.com/sarahmichel
I’m the tall blonde standing by the bar.
