Just how powerful has Twitter become?
Well, for a week or two in April, even the front page of CNN.com kept updated headlines about the race to 1 million followers. Ashton Kutcher won the race, and now has a site-leading 2 million+ followers.
But when does communication become shouting? When does sharing your thoughts become stifling the communication of others?
Basically – when does Twittering stop being a free flow of communication and start being spam?
The idea for this blog was driven this home over the Memorial Day weekend. USASEOPros has our business Twitter account, but some of us in the office also use it personally.
Living in Las Vegas and being in the SEO and online marketing industry, I follow a number of people in the same local industry.
It helps me keep an eye on what others are doing and saying. I also occasionally bounce marketing ideas off other minds.
Twitter is a great tool for exactly this: communicating.
In the office, USASEOPros uses Twitter to talk about interesting industry related blogs, articles and ideas. Sure, we will tweet about our own blogs, but the re-tweets and sharing of other authors’ stuff definitely outweighs our own self-promotion.
This weekend however, I had one person I was following that seemed to be on auto-pilot. There was a steady flow of tweets, each about an individual blog post that they had written.
It wasn’t exactly every 5 minutes – but it was close to it. I’m not sure if this user was using an auto-bot or not, but if they weren’t, they’re very dedicated to steady tweeting!
That isn’t the right way to use Twitter. When you’re tweeting that frequently, and all you’re “saying” is promoting your own content and your own services, people will stop listening.
Okay, maybe Guy Kawasaki can get away with it. But I don’t follow him. I no longer follow the user from Memorial Day weekend.
Businesses will probably continue to use Twitter as a soapbox, but unless they also share ideas and insights into the industry, special offers for their Twitter followers or provide USEFUL information, people will stop listening.
So if you’re using an auto-bot, STOP! Twitter should be used by someone in your company who knows the ins and outs of the business and can actively engage and converse with the community.
Don’t use an automated system to find followers and don’t simply auto-follow everyone who adds you. If you’re a business, then follow people in your industry. If someone interesting follows you, by all means return the favor.
But Twitter isn’t simply about numbers. Being at the top of the heap for followers doesn’t mean you are engaging in worthwhile conversations or converting web traffic to your site. Use Twitter as an individual that represents your company, and you’ll see real results.
So how to start…
First and foremost: learn how to use the @ function. You can use this function to communicate directly to one person on Twitter, and you can monitor who is trying to communicate with you.
There are also a number of great programs and websites that will help you use Twitter. Tweetdeck is perfect for managing your friends and followers from Facebook and Twitter.
Splitweet is great managing multiple Twitter accounts and for brand management. You can very easily see who is talking about you and respond quickly to questions or complaints.
Above all, remember that you are part of a community on Twitter. If you want people to listen to what you have to say, or visit your blog, give them something worth their time.
Don’t preach from the pulpit, but engage in conversations and discussions down on the street. You’ll find Twitter to be a much useful tool for online marketing and public relations if you take this approach!
By: Zack S.
Tags: brand management, online marketing, public relations, Twitter, USASEOPros
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