This is merely an observation. I’ve been using Twitter since 2007 and using it for business since 2011. I’ve seen plenty of changes in use over the years, and the biggest one is the switch from being a primarily social site to a primarily informational site. Yes, you have always been able to head to Twitter to find out what you needed to know before national media picked up stories, but the interaction is lacking. Greatly. The worst offenders seem to be social media marketers.
One of the biggest items that we marketers push is being social on social media. Talk to customers, interact with them. Be another person in the conversation. When I scroll through my Twitter feed, very few of my fellow digital marketers are actually doing this. Yet they post links and retweet articles about this very thing ALL THE TIME.
Now, I’m not immune from this. I certainly can get caught up in posting articles and retweeting, but I do try and take time to acknowledge others and create some interaction. Usually that effort is met with another retweet or simply a like. How is this practicing what you preach? For me this has resulted in seeing Twitter as less important than other social media sites. This makes me sad, because I’ve met so many great people via Twitter.
I also try and mix personal with business. As we tell our clients, in social media people love to see a bit more about YOU, they don’t always want to be sold to. It’s not any different for marketers. I know I don’t personally need (or want) to see article after article about promoting your business online. I know how to do that, I want to get to know the people posting the articles. Tell me a bit more about you!
There is a huge side-effect to being more personal and talking to people online. You can create new business opportunities. Showing a bit more of your personal side can help potential business determine if they want to do business with you. It shows honesty and that you do have an understanding of the social side of social media. Use social media the way you want your clients to use social media. That is the biggest selling point you have.
So here’s my pledge, and I hope other marketers can follow suit. Let’s talk to each other! We already know we are good at what we do, but I want to get to know you. Can you do that? As I said above, I’ve met so many great people on Twitter, but that doesn’t mean I can’t meet any more!
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