Six months ago I just didn’t get Twitter. How could you get any meaningful message across in 140 characters or less? I now #love Twitter. Here’s why.
Lots of useful information
No, Twitter isn’t just about Kim Kardashian selfies and Justin Bieber’s latest misadventures. There is a community of business owners large and small, including some from the Flying Solo community sharing their articles, tips and other great content that they’ve discovered.
Twitter is a great way for getting your content out there, and if done well, can help to drive more traffic to your website.
Tip: Don’t forget your manners, it’s not all about you. Make sure you share other people’s content as well.
I learn and engage with Twitter chats
Twitter chats are hosted Twitter conversations about a particular topic. The tweets that are part of the chat contain a common hashtag (keywords that are prefaced with # symbol) so that they don’t get lost in the other Twitter traffic.
There’s a Twitter chat for practically every aspect of running a small business from finance to copywriting. If you start your own chat or you are asked to be a guest expert, it is a great opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in an interactive and social setting. There’s nothing like a few impromptu questions to get your pulse racing as you respond with a flurry of tweets. It’s also a great way to learn from, and get to know other small business owners.
Chat and be social
Yes, Twitter is a social platform and there is definitely a lot of room for random chit chat as well as networking and all that other business stuff.
It did take a while but I now regularly chat with other small business owners from Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales, who I probably wouldn’t have known without venturing onto Twitter. I also have it on good authority that if you put in the work, over time, Twitter (like other social platforms) can also be a good source of referrals and work.
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Tip: If you don’t know many people on Twitter, be sure to show your manners by thanking others for following you.
Also, retweeting may start up a conversation.
I have access to my business idols
I’m not talking about Guy Sebastian, though I do follow him and happen to think he is super talented. I’m talking about business idols.
I happen to have a business ‘crush’ on Andrew Griffiths. I really enjoy reading his articles and books and always listen to his podcasts with Tim Reid. This past week I tweeted that I had enjoyed his recent Flying Solo podcast, and to my surprise, he replied. It totally made my day.
Maybe you have a business crush too, come on, admit it. Maybe yours is Seth Godin or Richard Branson. These guys are on Twitter, you never know, they might just respond to your tweet.
While Twitter is often in the news for all the wrong reasons, it is a valuable tool for business networking, content sharing and brand awareness. Try it out if you haven’t already. I #dareyou.
How has Twitter helped your business?
