The debate will continue in 2010 about the value of using Twitter for your business, and if you jumped on the Twitter wagon in 2009 I'm sure you have your own conclusions as to its effectiveness.
I found myself asking how valuable Twitter was as a business tool, and what I found is the main things I learned from using Twitter in 2009 were business lessons brought to light from the Twitter medium.
So if nothing else the value of Twitter for business, at least for me, was the learning that took place through the application about business in general not just business on Twitter. Here's my top 8.
1. Communicating beats selling
On Twitter as in life communicating gets you farther than selling. Those constantly pumping their products on Twitter - we ignore. Those constantly pumping their services at the mall - we ignore. Talk to me, provide some value in the conversation - okay, now you've got my attention.
2. 10 is better than 10,000
Ever notice there is a core group of your followers on Twitter who really dig what you're doing? They're always there, retweeting your stuff, talking up your service, and gushing about your products. That's what you're looking for, on and off Twitter. Those people make your business better. I'll take the 10 people obsessed (we're talking tattoos of my logo on their chest obsessed) about what I do, than 10,000 casual "fans" any day.
3. Relationships take time
No brainer, but often neglected. Want to get the most of out your business? Just like on Twitter, relationships take time...but
4. They are worth it
If you're creating those obsessed fans we talked about above, the weeks, months, and years you take to create the relationship will pay you back 10 fold.
5. No magic bullet
If you jumped on Twitter thinking it was going to solve all your sales problems you're probably disappointed today. There really is no magic bullet, nothing is going to turn your business around overnight or take it to the next level other than hard work.
6. Marketing is the sum of its parts
Much like the "magic bullet", no one piece of marketing or advertising is going to be "the one". Some of your campaigns may work better than others, but your marketing is the sum of all its parts. This includes your advertisements, your service, and your relationship with your customers.
7. Unfollowing - not just for Twitter
Customers are unfollowing you all the time if you don't meet their needs. On Twitter we can see this because our follower count goes down, in the real world it's less visible. What are you doing to make sure you're not being unfollowed?
8. First it's about you, then it's about them
Why someone followed you on Twitter is probably about you, why they continue to follow comes down to them.
As a small business owner you make or break your business. We've talked about how most people are buying you, not necessarily your product or service. At first you attract the customers...but then the dynamic shifts... your business becomes about them. Your success or failure lies in their hands.
Your Turn
What say you? Any Twitter reflections from your experience? Put'em in the comments below...
Photo Credit: magerleagues
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Interesting take on Twitter usage for a business. The conclusion I take from this is that Twitter is usually only worthwhile if you are able to use it form solid connections with customers. If you are only using it to promote occasional sales, you may be missing the boat.
@Laptop
You hit the nail on the head. The companies not seeing value from Twitter are those who are out there saying “look at me, look at me, look at me”, or “Buy, buy, buy” – without first establishing the connection with their customers showing them why they should care. Same is true offline as well.
Matt
I would also say that alot of people make the mistake that thinking bigger is bigger, just like in the real business work sometimes bigger is not always better, just like in the case of twitter followers, I’ve seen it plenty of times where big lists are less valuable than someone who has concentrated on creating real connections and has a smaller list.
Till then,
Jean
Other than just a platform to reach out to more people and to acquire more clients, Twitter has been a great platform for me to reestablish business relationships in an easier manner. Long gone are the days where I need to brainstorm for a conversation starter. All I need to do now with Twitter is simply send a relevant reply to my clients or connections’ latest tweet and boom, a conversation will soon form.
Twitter is definitely a cool means of keeping people up to date with whats happening in your life / business. I feel the process here is a lot like fishing. You have to subtly put the bait out there, and play it before getting the strike.
Business promotion, Branding and Spam all three are different on Twitter, so far my experience on twitter is more than 90% people believe in spam, Twitter is really great online media tool for personal as well professional use but as you mention building relation will take time, i’ll agree with your pera that “10 is better than 10,000″
@Jean
Agreed. Like I say, I’d rather have 10 obsessed fans than 10,000 luke warm followers.
Matt
@Wayne
It certainly has greased the wheels of conversation. Do you find that you reestablish the connection on Twitter and then take it offline (or at least to email) to have greater depth of conversation?
Matt
@Net
Yeah, and you have to be sure you’re fishing in the right pond, using the right bait, and fishing at the right time to be successful. =)
Matt
@Business Form Templates
Unfortnately the spammers are giving it a bad name in some circles, but then that’s what the unfollow button is for!
Thanks for coming by,
Matt
I think #3 is the biggest thing most people miss, Relationships. Everyone wants to setup RSS feeds and forget about it, but twitter is about 2 way communication like blogs. you need to be their and check back to see what people are talking about.
Yes, I do reestablish connections using emails but since Twitter is a less formal way to spark a conversation, I tend to start from Twitter and if things get serious, I’ll switch to emails.
Matt,
#1 is the most profound. When I’m making the decision to follow someone, I look at their recent tweets and try and determine the communication/selling ratio. Too much selling means a no follow.
If you communicate and be a human, the sales will follow!
George
I am not a fan of Twitter. With everything that I have to do throughout the day it seems like a waist of time. However this post gives me some good points and maybe I do need to jump on the Twitter band wagon. The thing that I liked was have 10 good followers and not 1,000. I know people that have 10,000 followers. That is not realistic. Insight on what people think of what you say in real time is something that appeals to me.