Twitip

by Ryan Miller – Follow him @ryancmiller

With Twitter being the big buzz word all over the MSM, blogs and just about everywhere you look, it seems like everyone is jumping on the Twitter bandwagon.  And that’s not a bad thing at all.  But most people don’t know how to ‘use’ it or don’t understand how it can be a great tool meet new people, manage lots of conversations, track buzz, and help your business.  While there’s no one RIGHT WAY to use Twitter, the ‘What Are You Doing’ moniker is just the tip of the iceberg.  Here’s 10 ways to Be Useful on Twitter: (more…)

by Karri Flatla, the principal of snap! virtual associates inc., an online consulting firm specializing in Internet marketing and copywriting for busy entrepreneurs. You can follow her on twitter @karriflatla.

Twitter may be the simplest social media we’ve seen to date. Yet tweeps everywhere are asking what they’re supposed to do with the little networking tool that could. Perhaps it’s the daunting intimacy of the new twitterverse that has many wringing their hands. Or perhaps we’re over thinking how to network on the new social web.

Successful business networking-online or off-is about artful follow up. As such, creating alliances and finding work on twitter isn’t a fishing expedition. You can’t just throw your @name into the pond and expect a bite. While it’s plausible that you could solidify a deal in 140 characters or less, the chances of a fruitful courtship are much better if you extend the conversation beyond the white box.

Here are 6 ways old school style networking can inject your twittersations with real profit potential:

1)    You’re not a used car salesman. If you see a request on twitter from someone you don’t know, resist the urge to pitch. Instead, follow the person if you’re not already following him or her. Then Reply with a soft sell like “Hi @Jane. We specialize in red widgets. We may be able to help.” It’s Networking 101: respond to a need without acting like a desperate idiot. People still like this.

2)    Use the Direct Message (DM) function when appropriate. In the above example, if you were already following one another, you could DM the person stating your interest in supplying the product or service requested. If you do publicly reply as in (1), use direct messaging in whatever conversation might ensue afterward. In other words, shouting out your email address-or worse, asking for theirs-on the public timeline is obnoxious.

3)    Don’t give your phone number or Skype ID unless they ask for it. Exchanging email addresses instead (via DM) permits a feeling of space and control for the person you’re courting. It’s up to him or her when and how to reply to or send an email.

• Bonus TwiTip: Never harvest a tweep’s email address from his or her website unless you’ve been give the green light to do so (i.e. “Please contact me.”). Don’t, under any circumstances, send an unsolicited email! This will make the person on the other end not only think you’re desperate but also feel intruded upon.

4)    Wait for an invitation to pitch, even if it takes forever. The quick and dirty sensibilities of twitter can be misleading, so much so that you forget yourself and go in for the kill too quickly. At any time in the conversation, your tweep may decide, unbeknownst to you, that he or she wants to feel out the relationship a bit more. Sometimes chemistry is immediate. And sometimes it’s a slow burn.

5)    Jump out of the digital conversation completely. I guarantee that 99% of your competitors on twitter will not do this. So, take a few minutes away from the screen and send a handwritten note. I don’t know about you, but with all the time I spend online in my personal and professional life, a handwritten, stamped envelope in my real life mailbox gives me the warm fuzzies.

• Bonus TwiTip: In your note, briefly reference how you met (twitter) and what you discussed by email, IM or phone. People are busy, and so it’s courteous to jog their memory.

6)    Above all else, be patient. Don’t fret if a sale or contract doesn’t materialize quickly. That’s not the main goal anyway. Remember, you will be using twitter to reconnect with your tweeps again and again. Twittersations may happen in 140-character snippets, but relationships happen over time and space and various communication modes.

In these recessionary times, you can’t beat the returns you will get from cultivating relationships the old fashioned way. Perhaps the warm handshake is missing. But the tangibility of your brand is not when you adhere to tried-and-true business networking principles. Twitter may be revolutionary, but only you can make the magic happen.

Photo by Macarena C.

If I had to list my top 10 ways that I’ve grown my own Twitter network – somewhere towards the top of that list I would share this simple – yet powerful tip.

Ask Questions

The act of consistently asking quality questions on Twitter can have a massive impact upon your network. Here’s 6 reasons why questions are so powerful:

1. Questions Signal to Followers that you are Interested

So many people use Twitter purely to ’shout’ at their followers. They rarely make space for people to interact. Questions send a signal to your followers (and potential followers) that you’re not just on Twitter to have a monologue – but that you’re interested in dialogue and conversation.

2. Questions Prompt Conversation

I find Twitter to be most effective when conversations evolve on it. One of the best ways to ‘get people talking’ is to ask them a question – particularly if it’s about themselves and their experience.

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Broadcasting or Conversing on Twitter? Sonny Gill shares with us some tips on how to have Conversations rather than be a Broadcaster.

So you want to join the Twitter. You think of a cool username, sign up and get excited at the thought that you have complete freedom (140 characters worth) to tweet about whatever you want. You seek out the most popular Twitterers and start following them along with hundreds of others. How simple, you think. Now, the time has come for your first tweet:

“Hey all! Check out my blog www.pleasereadmyblognow.com!”

Hmm, no responses and not many people following you back. Let’s try that again:

“Glad to finally be on Twitter all. Leave some love on my latest post!”

Ok, we get it – it’s about you. Unfortunately, other people aren’t as accepting to your philosophy and won’t listen to you. Why, you ask? It’s because you’ve become a broadcaster – someone who constantly tweets about themselves and their blog/site. You fail to get involved with the community and end up providing little to no value to your network.

Wait – don’t give up on Twitter already because no one is listening to the broadcaster in you. As with any network, group or forum, there are always basic cultural mores to understand that’ll help you become a better communicator. Twitter has a few of its own that will help your experience:

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