By Matt Wilson. Follow him @MattWilsonTV.
We all have them—”social media friends”—people who we talk to online but most likely have never met in person. We connected with them because of a common interest via Twitter, engaged in interesting conversation with them and shared a bond, but we don’t really consider them a true friend.
Truly using Twitter to its fullest potential means networking not just for casual online interaction but actually creating long lasting relationships. Real friends will shout from the rooftops to promote your brand, real friends collaborate, work together and would do anything for each other. Let’s start making these Twitter friends into your own global network of people who have a vested interest in each other’s success. Besides, what good are your friends if you don’t really know them?
But don’t be a creep!
Ew, you want to meet me in person? Is it really okay to meet people online? Yes! It’s important to realize that there is a real person behind that avatar—not just another click thru to your blog.
Make people feel like they know you.
Your Twitter brand should have both personal and professional elements to it. In order to create real relationships your Twitter friends should trust you.
- Your avatar must look like you! You want people to stop you at events because they recognize you from Twitter.
- Take the time to look at someone’s profile and website. Know more about your friends than just their handle. Read their bio, check out their website and ask about them. People want to know you care!
- Post videos of yourself and ask questions—the more interaction people have with you on Twitter, the closer people feel to you. Engage your audience!
- Help people! If you are helpful on Twitter, chances are you are helpful offline. Networking is all about giving—remember you have to give to get. Providing value on Twitter eventually creates value in real life.
- Compliment! Flattery goes a long way on Twitter. Tell someone you admire their work and think they are a leader and you are much more likely to make a real friend!
- Post Twitpics. Your personal brand should have a personality; make sure they know you are real. Take interesting pictures from your everyday life. It doesn’t have to be a picture of your children, simply try a picture from an event you are attending.
Now take networking offline!
- Attend or organize a Tweetup. Use http://twtvite.com to send out invitations. Get a few real friends who are on Twitter together and invite all your respective Twitter friends.
- Schedule phone calls. Meet someone on Twitter who you’d like to know better? Ask to schedule a phone call. Send a DM and specify a time limit of 10 minutes. Nobody’s time will be wasted. Imagine you did this every day?
- Don’t want to pay long distance or give out your number? Invite a Twitter friend for a #VirtualCoffee meeting on Skype. Connect face to face and have a real conversation.
- Have a column on Tweetdeck specifically for people you’d like to meet in person. You can monitor people more closely this way by organizing friends into one big column, or segment them into geographic location.
- Never eat alone! Traveling? Make a conscious effort to meet people you’ve connected with on social media. Of course meet in a public place and keep things casual. Plan this in advance.
- Attend Events: Go to tweetups, networking events, conferences, keynote speeches, unconferences or anything with a hashtag on Twitter. Tag everything with a hashtag and let it be known you are looking to do some real life networking.
Take the leap!
Creating a network of global friends means going out being assertive. Don’t be shy—start approaching people. Set a goal for yourself of 5 real life connections each week. Connect with one person daily or knock them all out in a single day of the week. It’s time to start using Twitter to its potential.
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@EzyBlogger
Twitter have been good to me.
I can say I have met friends on twitter who later become my GOOD friends…
@Essenceofnone
I believe it has become a great place to interact and read about alot of good and interesting read. I am happy to be here. Thanks
@g_ro
I love Tweetups. They are a great place to put a face to a name.
@jaredotoole
Its crazy how many of my connections these days are directly from twitter. I get approached at events all the time by people who come up and say its “so and so” from twitter.
Twitter has by far become my most effective networking tool and I have formed not only friendships but business partnerships from it.
@dcfemella
I’ve only made one good friend out of Twitter. I’ve had more success on Friendfeed. Maybe now that I am using Twitter more, I can find some great friends on there.
@PatriciaLiao
Hi Darren! I haven’t met any of my twitter friends yet, but your article has inspired me to find ways to make it happen.
)
Keep well.
Keep working, I really enjoy your blogs
@makingamilliond
I have met some great people on Twitter and it is a great way to make friends. It is also a good way for people to brand themselves if they are promoting something. But I believe if you are branding yourself, your music, rock band, book or anything else you should just go to a site like http://retweet.it to do that.
@ariherzog
…of course the fallacy assumed here is a Twitter friend is not a real friend to begin with. Or, more to the point, that Twitter is not real.
@SophieBifield
“It’s important to realize that there is a real person behind that avatar—not just another click thru to your blog” …. This is unfortunately forgotten too often…many social media mistakes are made by ignoring the fact that real people are behind the screens. If we all spent more time focusing on building relationships rather than gaining traffic, we’d realise the traffic comes anyway…and it’s much more genuine and beneficial traffic…People commit to people.
@Tariq_Anderson
Twitter has allowed me to meet over a thousand wonderful people who i don’t just consider friends, but also family.
@christybella
I agree! I have re-connected with AND met some of the BEST people and they are like my family! What a wonderful idea. I enjoyed reading this! Thank you…Follow me if you want-http://www.twitter.com/christybella
@otherdoc
What?! My Tweeps are ACTUAL people?! I thought the Internet Fairies were just toying with my emotions.
Seriously, though, it’s good this is out here because shut-ins like myself do very desperately need to find more ways to connect with people in Meatspace.
@JohnExley
This is a really great article! Some of the relationships I have formed on Twitter have become close friends after meeting in person, and Tweetups are a terrific way to bring people together and network!
I especially like your mention of #VirtualCoffee Matt! I think that chatting over Skype with friends from Twitter can be a nice way of getting to know people and the 2nd best thing to connecting in person.
@jmarkow
A couple great tips here. I have made a few friends through twitter. This post has inspired me to take things a step further and host a Tweetup together.
I really like the call to use “twitter to its potential”. Well done Matt.
@christiantjr
Great tips here. I am 100% in agreement that making “real” relationships is one of the most valuable things about online networking. never forget that every business is a people business. You don’t sell to “clicks”. You sell to people. Get to know them!
@badbadbad
This gets into a topic of great interest to me: What does intimacy look like in an e-culture? In this case, we’re talking about the intimacy of authentic friendships.
I wrote a provocative multimedia novel. To spread the word and find an audience, I signed on to Twitter about a month ago and I’ve gained a decent number of friends and fans (aka “followers”) since then. The thing is, I’m only interested in adventurous, open-minded, kindred spirits — not bots, marketers, and number whores.
Earlier today I posted the lyrics to a provocative song related to the novel. It was funny to see how I immediately lost as many followers as I gained once this particular series of tweets hit the Twittersphere.
Rather than being discouraged, I was heartened by this response. As I mentioned, I want to interact in a mutually supportive community.
Before my follower numbers got outta hand, I was dumping phonies and bots from my list every few days. Now I’m just too busy to deal with this. But I’m still wondering: many tweeps (especially the self-proclaimed social-media mavens) are all into their numbers. But don’t we want “authentic” connects? And if so, doesn’t that start by creating genuine fellowship from the start?
@maryroucoulet
I have gotten addicted to twitter but I do find quit a few twitter members very stuck up!. I mean, I try and try to communicate with twit members and I just get completely ignored. You know, I find that is igorant and ashame. I am a proud Christian and go to church every Sunday & bible studies. I just do not understand why people are the way they are, and I just feel people are either hurting inside or afraid to speak. Why are people so rude?. I join twitter to make friends not enemies. I have receive one celebrity attention & he called me ‘dear’. I was happy & that is all I want, is to see people with a heart,(to be supportive not being so rude). One thing that I find rude,(with a celebrity that replied to me on my twitter), was ‘he’ said in a rude remark was ‘FYI’. ‘For your information was uncalled for’, and this guy is a church going person?. That hurts and I was in tears.