Comments on: Are you using Twitter? Why or why not?

By: Scott Hilchey

Scott Hilchey — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:42:13 +0000

I think it depends. Business has every reason to be on Twitter. Where else can you get a message out instantly to constituents across the globe? Surely, an insurance organization needs to experiment in this space and relate to its customers' needs for relevant updates, offers and news. Why not even have a poll to see which brand's ad icon is more popular the "Lizard vs. the Lady" – it personifies the insurance business to a whole new level.

On a personal note, Twitter can be fun if you have enough of a social network (family and friends)who are active in using it.

By: Jennifer Beever, CMC

Jennifer Beever, CMC — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 19:04:53 +0000

I use Twitter very strategically. I send thoughtful Tweets with links to interesting articles, research studies, blog entries, videos that are related to marketing. My blog entry titles and links are Tweeted automatically. I make sure that I have strategic keywords in each Tweet. I do retweet other peoples' Tweets if the content is valuable. The benefits I have received include:

1. Reduced Time-To-Trust with other professionals, leading to referrals and business. This does not mean Twitter alone gets me business, but for people I've met face-to-face it accelerates the cycle of getting to know them and having them trust me. People buy from people they like and trust.

2. If I do a Google search today, results from social networking sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube) affect those results. Having Tweets optimized with rich keywords helps you come up higher on search results.

3. I have a lot of business connections on LinkedIn. These are people I know from several networks over the years, including every board and committee I've served on (there have been a lot). I tie my Tweets to my LinkedIn profile. If I Tweet 1-3 times a day, my LinkedIn profile is updated 1-3 times a day, and my status change shows on the LinkedIn profile home pages of 680+ of my connections. My photo and status blurb are in front of these people daily. That's great visibility for not much effort, but note that I am careful to not Tweet too much or Tweet weak content.

By: Kevin Gregory

Kevin Gregory — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:16:54 +0000

I have been able to make more connections on linked in and plaxo than Twitter. Blog has been helpful in putting a key message. Still figuring out Twitter.

By: Guy H

Guy H — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:52:49 +0000

Customers are on Twitter, so we can deepen relationships with customers there and show that we are an excellent business worth referring to friends.

By: Tony

Tony — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:51:22 +0000

I believe you can get what you want out of Twitter, Facebook or any of the social networks. Twitter is great for tracking what is going on in your industry. Find the experts and follow them.

Occasionally, you find out what they ate for breakfast or that everyone in their office is wearing a Snuggy, but most experts stick to the topics. I have received some very helpful information in a pinch. Be careful, make sure you are following the experts and not some crazy glue sniffer.

By: tim

tim — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:08:49 +0000

Lot’s of questions . “why”? Why Twitter ? or any media ?

What are your goals ? Do you want to promote or educate ?

Is it about you or your end user ? What it the real demographics of this end user ? Is that who you want to target your information ? Who uses Twitter and why ?

Personally ….at 50 years of age …I don’t have time.

“time” is the new comodity . There are so many more ways to stay connected today . I simply don’t have time to add one more layer to my life . This may differ for a 25-35 year old . I see young adults texting and checking FB in church today !! “Really” ?

By: Dorne Massiah

Dorne Massiah — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:49:56 +0000

Mike,

Although I'm a frequent user of LinkedIn and Facebook, I haven't taken to Twitter at all. Outside of not having the time to contribute or read various thoughts or a regular basis, I also like having a bit more depth behind the information given. This is difficult using Twitter. I primarily use it to keep abreast of event activities.

DEM

P.S. By the way…Great shot of Zach!! :-)

By: Cindy Donaldson

Cindy Donaldson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:34:16 +0000

Mike,

I'm a daily user of Twitter and love it! As was mentioned above, I often get more information than I put out on the Twitterverse. Twitter has allowed me to increase traffic to our company blog http://www.foundersgrp.wordpress.com, increase our brand awareness nationally and locally and most importantly keep in daily contact with our clients (those that choose to follow us).

I use TweetDeck to manage my tweets, linkedIn and Facebook accounts – I keep it open all day on my desktop.

Great tool!

By: Miguel Edwards

Miguel Edwards — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:37:03 +0000

Like everything else, Twitter (and the entire social media sphere for that matter) is what you make of it. If you your network (or followers) consists of folks journaling their every meal or emotional conversation with their personal trainer, then perhaps you may find these tools something of a waste of time. However, if you put real effort into connecting with thoughtful people who have something to contribute to your life, your company, or your industry, the value of a hundred management consultants awaits you at your Twitter login. Since diving into the world of virtual networking, I have found and leveraged resources that would have otherwise been needles in a haystack, I have reached an audience with my company’s messages far greater than my marketing budget would allow using traditional means, I have kept abreast of industry events (including G2 on my competition) in 140 character increments – as opposed to the time consuming process of rummaging through countless industry pubs and email newsletters. The short answer here is that there is tremendous value to be mined from Social Media – the operative word is mined. Like anything else worth doing, it takes effort, it takes strategy, it takes planning, it takes ingenuity.

By: Steve Anderson

Steve Anderson — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:30:51 +0000

Twitter is a way for me to stay connected with friends.

Personal friends: Because of their posts I do know a little bit more what is going on in their lives so when we are physically together the conversation is not "what have you been doing?" but "Tell me about (something I knew they were doing because of posts).

Business friends: I find Twitter to be a great information resource. If someone I trust thinks an article is worth reading, it probably is. It is also a great way to "listen" to what people are talking about. A business should look for their clients and if found interact with them.

Twitter saves me time. I post to Facebook and LinkedIn via Twitter. One tweet, three platforms updated. Twitter allows me to tap into multiple research assistants.

Twitter is more efficient. Because several of my neighborhood friends are on the platform it is fast and easy to organize a party. You may laugh, but one friend's mother was killed in a car accident in Ft. Worth. Within a couple of hours friends had organized how we were going to help that family.