Twitter has been getting all sorts of attention in the media these days. And depending on the “expert” who is doing the talking, Twitter is just a passing phase OR it is a social phenomenon that will continue to grow.
I’ve been on and off twitter for almost two years now. When I first joined I thought it was a total waste of time so I walked away. After recently giving it another go, I’m kicking myself for my short-sightedness.
In recent months I’ve met a number of people who say it is their number one source of new business. A friend has so far sold a hundred copies of his book because of his witty and often times hilarious tweets. Though I can’t claim that Twitter is a source of business for me, it is:
– driving focused traffic to my website
– a great way to find and meet people with common interests
– a way to find guest experts for my Blog (coming soon)
– a fabulous resource for getting loads of interesting information I would never otherwise run across
I’ve very conscious and focused about using my time, so I’m not on twitter all the time. I do however try to post something useful every day. And when I have 5 or 10 minutes between tasks, I browse though my incoming tweets to find interesting resources and information.
My followers are primarily made up of two groups: photographers and people interested in Search Engine Marketing. Whenever I post about those topics I can definitely see an increase in traffic to my website.
There are many twitterers who build empires and then there are those who carefully develop a network of like minded people. Personally I like a tighter focused community because my tweets are far more likely to be read and acted on.
How to Get Started With Twitter:
How to Get Started With Twitter:1. Join … it’s easy. The user name you choose is what everyone is going to see. Choose your own name, or choose a name that has some relationship to your business or what you want to promote. Try to make it easy to remember or recognize. http://twitter.com
2. Add your bio. You only get a few lines to promote yourself, so make them count. Add your interests, your background. Add your website URL
3. Add a photo. Your own or an avatar. Make it recognizable or memorable. As I’m scrolling through a long list of incoming tweets, I will often stop just because of a recognizable image.
4. Start tweeting. Try to tweet at least once a day … two or three if you can manage it.
5. Manage your expectations. You aren’t going to build a list of followers overnight. Nor is it likely you will get a new client tomorrow (though that would be nice!). Think of this as a long term relationship building process.
6. Contribute with information and observations. Don’t just advertise your services non-stop. If you do, don’t surprised to see your followers quickly bail out on you.
Enjoy and have FUN.
RESOURCES
Twitter Decoded: Marketing with Twitter
Your’s is the second or third article I have read on this topic, and I understand what you are saying, but we have heard this with all the other social networking products from facebook, to linked in, etc. I hate twitter, really, but I would use it if I thought it wasn’t too late.
Wouldn’t my energy be better spent trying to find the thing that’s going to take off in six months and being one of the first there?
I don’t think that it’s too late for twitter, from what I’ve seen it is continuing to grow in leaps and bounds … and unlike network marketing where people in on the beginning grow their networks exponentially, you have to build a group of followers on twitter whether you started two years ago, or whether you start today. My group of twitter followers isn’t huge, but I definitely get enough FOCUSED traffic to make it worth the 10 – 15 min a day I spend!
I am a writer and I must say I get a constant stream of ideas for articles from twitter. I follow anyone in my subject areas and cruise and follow links for an hour a day. Well, an hour is what I’ll confess to.
I am challenged to keep my tweets to 140. You might have been able to guess that.
OH yeah. I use tweetdeck it makes looking for subjects easier.
Congratulations to Kevin for winning the May 16 Photography Comments contest for this comment!
Oh … and Kevin? I use tweetdeck too. Love it.
I’ve been on twitter for several months now, and have managed to get myself a giant following of 50 people. Other than the entertainment value, I guess I don’t understand.
I’m a portrait photographer so my clients need to be local, how do I get clients from using twitter?
I’ve heard that one can build a local twitter audience. I have NO idea how, but now I will ask my twitter followers if any of them know. If I get anything useful I’ll pass it on. Does anyone here know?
It is very easy and effective to involve business through twitter, you just need to increase the followers and have to publish the picture on your wall to display and mention the information, what you want to do, you will get clients automatically, if you can provide quality portrait. And believe me this is the best way for showing and advertising.