“Twitter in the Morning, Twitter in the Evening, Twitter at Suppertime…
by Andrew Millar
Be my little Twitter and Tweet me all the time.” Social media, as its name suggests, is about being sociable. Twitter has taken this idea to new levels.
As everyone knows by now, whether or not you have ever used Twitter, it is a form of internet communication that is limited to 140 characters. Twitter CEO @dickc: “Beauty of 140 characters is it fosters creativity in the way ppl tell story. Like haiku.” Of course, it also makes hash out of the English language. But that’s the Luddite in me speaking; language evolves over time and we are best served by embracing change.
Twitter itself advises us to fire off messages three to four times a day. This certainly satisfies a major rule of advertising which is to keep your brand in your customer’s ‘top of mind.’ But relax. You are not expected to create all of those messages. The idea is for you to pass along website links to relevant news and information your customers will enjoy. Add on your own comment to personalize it. The advice is to make one in three or two in four of your Tweets from others and the remainder your own thoughts. Now I know this may seem like a lot of communication but think of it like conversation you strike up at the water cooler or the dry cleaners; you are simply socializing with those who are interested (followers) in what you have to say.
Since traditional conversation is a two-way street, it’s important to occasionally comment on and mention by Twitter address what some of your followers are discussing. There are two benefits to this: first, it’s polite to acknowledge what is of interest to those following you and, second, by using their Twitter name (@JohnDoe) in your tweet, your tweet will be seen by all of their followers.
Yes, but…
The key to getting started seems to be choosing people to follow who interest you. Who are the “thought leaders” in your field whose opinions you consider valuable. By following several of them you will begin to understand the process. If you want to pass along their tweets to your followers, simply press the ‘re-tweet’ button on the tweet.
Think of all of this as just another marketplace where you have the opportunity to be heard and to build your brand or profile while you develop a following of prospective clients.
As with all marketing, consistency is the key. Develop your plan, refine your message and “twitter in the morning, twitter in the evening, twitter at suppertime…”