My Quest for Twitter Success

I am branching out into the Social Media Networking field like my life depends on it. As part of this new direction, I have signed up for Twitter and I am quickly learning how to use it for the success of my business, not to mention my personal reputation as a sales and marketing consultant. So, for those of you sceptics out there who still think Twitter is a waste of time or only for people wanting to appear to have more friends than they do, please read on.

I have decided to dedicate a portion of my time to becoming a world-renowned Twittering Expert. You are going to help me on my way, just by reading this blog and benefiting from my trial and error experiences. So, to start with, I thought a basic “How To” was in order.

How to Use Twitter for your Business

There are many different ways to use Twitter, just as there are many different reasons to use it.

To be honest with you, when I first signed up for Twitter I was extremely doubtful. I looked around and saw a bunch of people talking about what they had for lunch, how long their afternoon run was going to be, and what their favorite characters were doing in their favorite television shows. I really couldn’t see how this could benefit me or my business.

And then I came across a link that brought me to a really great article about marketing. I don’t have it anymore, unfortunately but it started me thinking. I immediately followed the person who had posted it. Soon enough, I found 4 or 5 other people to follow who posted really great links on how to increase sales or improve my marketing techniques. So, reading and finding quality Tweets is one way that you and your business can benefit from Twitter. I have found countless helpful blogs and sales sites that I can honestly say have improved my business techniques in only the last month.

I began to tentatively start leaving my own posts. Sometimes I would “retweet” messages which I had found helpful. Retweeting is simply when you place “RT @originalpostersname” in front of the exact same message that you originally found. This is a great way to attract followers to you, because they understand that you are sharing quality information if it was valuable enough to be retweeted.

As I gained a few followers, I began replying to some of the messages I liked. I would also Direct Message some folks who I thought deserved a big pat on the back. Rex Richard, my <secret?> marketing mentor, has received many of these messages from me because his words of wisdom are almost always absolute pearls and I appreciate them immensely!

By instigating conversations, I not only gained those Twitterers as followers, but I also gained the trust of other readers. I was now considered a helpful person to follow because I gave feedback.

Gaining an audience who trusts you is of utmost importance on social media platforms like Twitter because when you start subtlety promoting your products, they will already think that what you are saying is worthwhile and they will then pay more attention to your offers and pitches.

Obviously, this is a more direct way that you can benefit from Twitter: you can plug your business. You want to approach this carefully though, because you will quickly lose your audience if you start to appear like you no longer care what is important to them, but only about your bottom line. That is a truth for all sales practices though, and I am sure you are all well aware of the required subtleties.

You can also plug your other social media outlets: blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, MySpace. This helps to establish YOU as a person worth following. You will become an authority, an expert. That will help your business as you will be come the person people go to for answers.

There are many other ways that you can use Twitter, many little tips and tricks. I will do my best to keep you interested and profiting from this great network.

For now, I want to give you some homework: I know you are all rushing to join Twitter right now, if you haven’t already, and I would like you to find at least one quality post that you think will help your business. Retweet the post and copy it here as a comment. Make sure to include the poster’s Twitter name as well as your Twitter name, so that everyone has the opportunity to follow them at will.

In the meantime, there are a few ways to reach me with questions, comments or for other interesting information. You can, of course, follow me on Twitter (MoniqueNelson), you can add me to your professional network on LinkedIn (MoniqueDNelson), you can find me on Facebook (MoniqueDNelson) OR, finally, check out my Squidoo bio with links to my lenses on buisness, marketing, sales, and liquid solar pool covers. Enjoy!

I have some other Twitter posts, that also may be of interest to you, so check them out.

Monique’s Top 10 Twitter Tips

TweetLater: Pros and Cons

Search Twitter Efficiently and Effectively